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2026 NRECA /TANNER ELECTRIC YOUTH TOUR
June 14 - 20, 2026
Youth Tour
Learn about the Youth Tour program and how students can participate in a unique educational experience.
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For members who have a young adult entering their junior year in high school, Tanner Electric Cooperative (TEC) offers them an opportunity to visit Washington, D.C., understand our democratic process, and gain the skills necessary to become one of tomorrow’s leaders. On this trip, they will be able to experience our government first-hand by visiting our Nation’s Capital, meeting their Representatives and Senators, engaging in interactive workshops, and seeing many of the National monuments in Washington, D.C. The NRECA and your cooperative sponsor this program.
Our goal is to educate our youth about the history of rural electrification, member-owned electric cooperatives, and the Seven Cooperative Principles. Let them experience firsthand the American Democratic system and gain an appreciation of our country's heritage and history while touring in some of the homes, museums, and memorials of our nation's most outstanding leaders. The selected high school delegate will have the opportunity to meet and network with hundreds of peers from other cooperatives all over the United States.
TEC will pay for airfare, lodging, meals, and activity fees. The student only needs to bring spending money for souvenirs and extra purchases aside from the itinerary activities. You will be chaperoned by an adult (s) representative (s) employed by TEC or one of the other cooperatives in Washington state. If selected, there are specific Rules and Dress Codes you will be expected to follow as outlined by the NRECA and your cooperative. Participants who do not abide by the rules will be sent home immediately, at your parent's expense.
Eligible students must be a full-time dependent of a TEC cooperative member, at least 16 1/2 years old, have completed their sophomore year, and be enrolled as juniors in High School. Home-schooled students are eligible to apply. This trip is highly educational, focusing on American history, learning about the cooperative business model, and, of course, having some fun along the way!
If you want to learn more, please visit the Youth Tour website. If you want to apply, complete this ONLINE APPLICATION (PDF Format) and electronically submit it to our North Bend office for consideration. The Scholarship Selection Committee will review all applications and interview students before selecting one student to represent Tanner Electric Cooperative.
See for yourself : https://vimeo.com/1117216613/9f44d5a404?share=copy what the YOUTH TOUR is all about!
If you would like a PDF paper version of the application, email: lisa@tannerelectric.coop
- 2023 Youth Tour Recipient - Samantha Silverman
- 2020 Youth Tour Recipient - Raymond Silverman (Unfortunately, the Tour was canceled due to COVID-19, but we still wanted to recognize Raymond, he would have been an awesome student representative for Tanner had he attended)
- 2018 Youth Tour Recipient - Tashi Simpson
- 2017 Youth Tour Recipient - Alden Allport
- 2016 Youth Tour Recipient -- Lauren Hodge
- 2015 Youth Tour Recipient - Amanda Glass
- Click here to watch a video from the 2015 tour
- 2014 Youth Tour Recipient - Talitha Anderson
- 2013 Youth Tour Recipient - Devon Hodge
Testimonials
2014 Youth Tour Winner - Talitha Anderson
" It was the morning of my birthday, and I was happily sleeping in. My mom came into my room, sat on my bed, and told me to get up and apply for the Youth Tour. I thought, "I don't even know what that is, and I am NOT going to spend my birthday writing essays and filling out applications!" But, she insisted, so I did. When I got the news that I had won, I was excited, but nervous- I didn't know a single other person who was going. Nevertheless, in June I boarded the plane and was on my way. Once I got to meet the other high-schoolers, I realized that the week we would spend together would be tons of fun. But I didn't realize that the week would also be full of powerful, life-changing moments. Combine the two, and you get a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If you're a junior in high school, I cannot encourage you enough to apply for the Youth Tour. You won't regret it."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H17dbw6rJKA
2013 Youth Tour Winner - Devon Hodge
"The most amazing experience I had this year was going to Washington DC with the NRECA Electric Cooperative Youth Tour. And it wasn’t just the beautiful monuments, buildings, towers, and cathedrals that made my trip so awe-inspiring. It was the powerful stories and histories surrounding every one of these structures, and every one of the people I met or learned about along the way. I had the opportunity to meet with one of my state’s Representatives (Denny Heck), to visit the Smithsonian Museums, and to tour the nation’s capitol building. I got to meet other kids from all across the country, and accomplished my goal of meeting one kid from every state. Being a homeschooled girl from Anderson Island, I haven’t really had the experience of living around and with so many kids before. Another thing that made this experience so special was Youth Day, a gathering that took place in a huge conference room where all of the kids involved in the youth tour assembled to listen to guest speakers talk about co-operatives. One guest speaker/actor who was in costume the founders of one of the first rural American electric co-op, had a very interesting presentation about what co-ops are, and how the first rural electric co-op was started. On April 29 of the year 1942, New York Governor Herbert H. Lehman signed the “Rural Electric Cooperative Law”, which allowed rural households to provide power to their rural communities through co-operatives. After that, the idea of providing power through cooperatives spread, and soon most households in rural America were able to have power as a result. On this amazing adventure, I met so many interesting, amazing people, learned a lot about co-ops and about Washington, DC, and had the experience of a lifetime."