Attention High School Juniors – Youth Tour is Coming Soon!

High School juniors from schools throughout West Florida Electric Cooperative’s (WFEC) service area in Calhoun, Holmes, Jackson and Washington Counties are eligible to compete in the National Rural Electric Association’s Youth Tour. The contest is limited each year to eleventh-grade students whose parents or guardians are WFEC member-owners. WFEC treats all the candidates to a two-day trip to Tallahassee where they will tour the old and new state capitols, meet government officials and observe the legislature in session and more.

Youth Tour candidates are nominated by their high school counselor or principal and compete against other students in their area for a chance to visit our nation’s capitol.

Once a candidate is chosen from each school in the WFEC service area, the trip to Tallahassee is taken. Upon the candidates’ return, a panel of experts from other electric co-ops interviews the students individually about their knowledge of WFEC, the rural electrification program and energy facts, then evaluates the students’ responses, communications skills, involvement in their community, poise and personalities. Following the interviews, the participants and their guests enjoy a banquet. Two Youth Tour participants are then selected to visit Washington, D.C.  

The trip to Washington includes meetings with congressional representatives, a Potomac River cruise and dance, visits to several historic sites, including the U.S. Capitol Building, Ford’s Theatre, Arlington National Cemetery, the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Holocaust Memorial Museum and more.

The Youth Tour program’s purpose is to provide public recognition to outstanding young people, and to acquaint high school students with governmental activities on a local, state and federal level. The winners of WFEC’s Youth Tour competition may compete against winners from other co-ops in Florida to represent the state on the National Youth Leadership Board.

Each school in WFEC’s service area chooses its candidate in a different manner, so if you are a high school junior and interested in finding out more about this program, please contact your school’s guidance counselor for eligibility requirements.