Youth Tour

Electric Cooperative Youth Tour Contest Sponsored by Ravalli Electric Cooperative

Frequently Asked Questions

Each and every year Ravalli Electric Co-op sponsors a student to attend the National Rural Electric’s Youth to Washington, D.C. Tour. During the month of June, a group of lucky Montana youth join over one thousand other students from across the nation on the trip of a lifetime.

What happens on the trip?

The trip begins with a flight to Washington, D.C. with all the Montana participants. The perfect opportunity to meet new friends! Once arriving at your destination, you would find another 1,500 students from across the nation all staying at the same hotel. Yes, you will have plenty of time to make even more friends.

While in D.C. we have a lot to do and so many things to see. Each trip every year may be a little different, but may include the following adventures:

Visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Holocaust Museum, visit the Pentagon City Mall, take part in a National Cooperative Youth Day, tour the Smithsonian Museums, stop by the Hard Rock Café, enjoy a Moonlight Cruise and Dance on the Potomac River, visit your state congressional representatives and tour the Capitol, visit the Marine Corps Iwo Jima Memorial, visit the Lincoln Memorial and Roosevelt Memorial, take a selfie at the White House, tour Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, watch the Changing of the Guard, visit the Kennedy grave sites, explore the US Naval Academy in Minneapolis, go to the Washington Monument and more!

We guarantee you will love this amazing experience and will be a bit sad when you board the plane back to Montana. You will make memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. Now, how is that for a free trip?

How do I apply?

All students who are in grades 10 to 11 in the fall of 2023 and reside in Ravalli County are eligible to apply. Applicants do not need to be members of Ravalli Electric Co-op to apply. To enter students are required to submit an application and an essay on the chosen topic.

You can submit your application and essay online

Application Deadline: December 8, 2023. All submissions will be reviewed and judged and the winner will be announced in February 2024.

What is this year’s topic?

Submit a short essay on the following Youth Tour Topic:

If you could have dinner with one prominent Washington, D.C. figure, whether from the present or past, who would that person be and why? What would you ask them?

Submit the online application along with your contest essay submission by December 8, 2023 to be considered.

If you have any questions about the Washington DC Youth Tour, please call Melissa Greenwood at REC: (406)961-3001 or email at mgreenwood@ravallielectric.com