This June, Rylee will be representing URECC on the Texas Electric Cooperatives’ Government-in-Action Youth Tour.
Are you a Texas high school student? Would you like to travel to Washington, D.C., and visit historic landmarks—all without spending a dime of your own money? Perhaps you’d like to meet elected officials, or maybe you’re looking for an inspirational experience in the company of other Texas teens. If that sounds like you, then the Government-in-Action Youth Tour is your tour. Apply now!
Call 903-843-2536 for more information.
This year, Upshur Rural EC is proud to sponsor one high school student from its service area to participate in Youth Tour.
Texas Youth Tour Date: June 15–22, 2025
Eligible entrants must:
Applications must arrive at Upshur Rural EC by February 17, 2025. They can be submitted by online email, in person at our office, or by mail.
For more information about Youth Tour, visit TexasYouthTour.com and YouthTour.org or contact us at youthtour@urecc.com.
Since their founding more than 80 years ago, Texas’ electric cooperatives have been committed to empowering the communities they serve. Of course, that mission includes providing electricity—but it’s so much more than that. Co-ops not only power homes and businesses across rural and suburban Texas, but also invest time, energy, and compassion into improving their members’ quality of life.
That means investing in our young people—the leaders of tomorrow. One of the main ways Upshur Rural Electric Cooperative works to empower local youths is through the Government-in-Action Youth Tour, a weeklong, guided trip to Austin and Washington, D.C.
Texas electric cooperatives sent their first Youth Tour delegation to Washington in 1965. The group of 58 deserving teens joined their peers from across Co-op Country to explore the capital, meet with their congressional representatives, and broaden their view of the world. Since then, more than 4,400 Texas students have gone on the unforgettable trip.
To become part of this enduring legacy and represent Upshur Rural EC on Youth Tour, apply now!
For high school students who grow up in rural Texas, visiting a place like Washington, D.C., might sound like a faraway dream. But every year, more than 100 such students are given the opportunity to travel to the capital for an intensive weeklong tour—and it doesn’t cost them a dime.
In June, the Government-in-Action Youth Tour, sponsored by the state’s electric cooperatives in conjunction with Texas Electric Cooperatives and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, sends select students on an all-expenses-paid trip to the nation’s capital. In Washington, tour participants get to see with their own eyes sights they may have only experienced in history books or on television.
In addition to visiting monuments, museums, and historical sites that would be a part of any standard tour of the capital, the students also fulfill the ambition of then-U.S. Sen. Lyndon Johnson, who inspired the Youth Tour in 1957 with his desire for young people to “actually see what the flag stands for and represents.”
Tour participants meet members of Congress, hear inspirational speakers, and interact with other Youth Tour participants from across the country. Texas students also have the chance to participate in the wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, see the Sunset Parade at the Marine Corps War Memorial, and visit the Supreme Court, the U.S. Senate and House chambers, and the Library of Congress.
After the intense week on the go—traveling, eating, and touring together—many Youth Tour participants form fast friendships that continue after they return home. Inspired by their trip, some Youth Tour alumni have gone on to enter public service. Almost to a person, those who have gone on the Youth Tour have called it “the trip of a lifetime.”
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