Applications for the 2024 trip are closed. Please watch for information on the 2025 trip in the Cooperative Connections Newsletter and on our social media pages.
Each year, Southeastern Electric Cooperative sponsors high school (juniors and seniors) on an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. Over 1,800 high school juniors and seniors travel to Washington, D.C. in June to participate in the Rural Electric Youth Tour. During the week, they learn about Washington, D.C., government, cooperative philosophy and rural electrification. The students are selected and sponsored by their local rural electric cooperatives. The South Dakota Rural Electric Association (SDREA) coordinates arrangements for the South Dakota students.
Some of the sites that are toured include the Lincoln Memorial, National Cathedral, The White House, Air and Space Museum, Washington Monument, U.S. Capitol, Ford’s Theatre, The Kennedy Center, the Metro, Arlington National Cemetery, Mount Vernon, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, The Smithsonian, Iwo Jima Statue, National Archives, U.S Supreme Court and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Students will participate in a breakfast briefing with the South Dakota Congressional Delegation.
Who is Eligible? All area high school juniors and seniors whose parents or guardians are members of Southeastern Electric Cooperative.
What Does It Cost? Southeastern Electric, along with the other local electric cooperatives that participate in the week long event, funds the tour. The funding for the tour provides for each participant’s transportation, room and board, entertainment and sightseeing events. Students are required to provide their own spending money (snacks and souvenirs).
