What is the Washington Youth Tour?

The Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association Washington Youth Tour is an annual, weeklong, all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC, that is open to high school junior students whose schools or homes are served by electric cooperatives.

Twenty one of Tennessee's electric cooperatives participate in the Washington Youth Tour.  Nationwide, electric co-ops from 43 states participate.  In all, more than 1,400 young people from across the nation gather in Washington, DC, each year for this event.

Tennessee's electric co-ops send students to Washington, DC, for a number of reasons including:
• Rewarding students for academic achievement through a writing contest;
• Educating students about the role of electric co-ops in the national economy;
• Fostering students' appreciation for the democratic form of government;
• Exposing students to the sights and sounds of our nation's heritage; and
• Building students' leadership skills so that they may make a difference in their communities.

Who sponsors WYT?

The Washington Youth Tour is sponsored by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association (TECA), and most of the Tennessee’s electric distribution cooperatives. 

As a condition of participation in the Tennessee Washington Youth Tour, all student participants (and their parents and/or guardians) must agree to follow the standards of conduct and dress that are listed below.

Code of Conduct
1. Participants may not possess or use alcoholic beverages, drugs, or tobacco.
2. Participants may not possess or use weapons such as firearms, fireworks, knives, etc.
3. Participants will be attentive, respectful, responsive, and courteous to all fellow program participants, chaperons, staff, speakers, etc.
4. Participants will respect the rights and feelings of others at all times.
5. Participants will, unless otherwise directed by the tour director, staff, or chaperons, wear name tags at all times.
6. Participants will participate fully in all program activities.
7. Participants will handle public and private property respectfully at all times.
8. Participants will, following room check, remain in their assigned hotel rooms until the time of the next morning's first activity.
9. Participants will not enter the hotel rooms of participants of the opposite sex.
10. Participants will not leave the hotel for any reason unless accompanied by a chaperon.
11. Participants will always travel/sightsee in groups of two or more.  No participant may travel/sightsee by him/herself.
12. Participants will, when sightseeing without the direct supervision of a chaperon, return to the designated gathering point on or before the time indicated by the tour director.
13. Participants will immediately report to the tour director any activities/statements made by other participants that may endanger the health/safety of our group.
14. Participants who violate local, state, or federal laws will be immediately turned over to the appropriate legal authorities for prosecution.
15. Participants will follow the dress code indicated in the initial correspondence from the tour director.
16. Participants will abide by any and all verbal and/or written instructions issued by the tour director, staff, and chaperons.
17. Participants who do not abide by the above rules may, at the discretion of the tour director, be sent home in the most expeditious manner possible at the expense of their parent(s) and/or guardian(s).

Dress Code
A dress code is specified for each day of the tour

Dressy
Males: Coats and ties
Females: Dresses, or dress pants suits
Both:  No short, jeans, or tennis shoes.  No bare midriffs

Semi-Casual
Males: Khakis or chinos and shirts with collars (polo shirts)
Females: Khakis, chinos, or casual skirts and shirts with collars (polo shirts); sundresses/jumpers
Both:  No shorts or jeans.  No bare midriffs.

Casual
Both: Jeans or dress shorts, shirts with collars, dressy tee-shirts (no Korn concert shirts, for example), and tennis shoes. No bicycle/exercise shorts. No short shorts. No bare midriffs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Washington Youth Tour?
The Tennessee Rural Electric Washington Youth Tour is an annual, weeklong, all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC, that is open to select high school students whose schools or homes are served by electric cooperatives.

Who sponsors WYT?
The Washington Youth Tour is sponsored by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association (TECA), and 22  electric distribution cooperatives.

When does WYT occur?
WYT typically takes place during the second or third week of June. It begins on a Friday and ends on a Thursday.

Does WYT conflict with Governor's Scholars?
In some years, WYT conflicts with one or two of the three Governor's Scholars sessions. Students who are selected for both Governor's Scholars and WYT are encouraged to contact the Governor's Scholars office to request assignment to a week that does not conflict with WYT.

Who pays for WYT?
WYT is an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC. All expenses for food, lodging, travel, and site tours are paid by the sponsoring cooperatives. Students may need limited money for incidentals and souvenirs.

Who chaperons WYT?
The Tennessee WYT program is led by an employee of the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association.  Assisting the tour director is a group of around 22 people composed of electric co-op employees.  Some teachers also participate in the tour but they do not have chaperon responsibility. 

How do I compete for WYT?
You may only compete for WYT through a writing contest administered by the electric co-op that serves the area where you live.  In most areas of the state, you may obtain information from your high school English teacher or guidance counselor. 

How do I know if I'm eligible for WYT?
Participation rules vary from co-op to co-op.  However, all WYT students must be classified as juniors by their high school, submissions must not exceed 900 words including articles and must have title as given by the cooperative.

How does the group get to Washington, DC?
The Tennessee WYT group travels via chartered bus. 

At what hotels does the group stay?
On the first night of the trip, the WYT group stays at the Best Western Staunton Inn in Staunton, VA.   The remaining nights of the trip are spent at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City Hotel  in Arlington, VA.

How many people are assigned to each room?
Three or four students are assigned to each hotel room. Each room is equipped with two or three beds.

Do I get to pick my own roommates?
No. Roommates are assigned on a random basis.
Although all participants must be classified as a junior by their high school at the time of the writing contest, some electric co-op have additional requirements as a method of selecting students for the trip. Some co-ops rely on personal interviews and some administer qualifying exams.

Students interested in the Washington Youth Tour trip must apply through the electric co-op that serves their area of the state. For example, students living in the Madisonville area may only apply through Fort Loudoun Electric Cooperative while students living in the Brownsville area may only apply through Southwest Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation.

A map that shows the service territories of all 22 participating Tennessee electric cooperatives is provided below. Click on the colored areas of the map to learn more about a participating cooperative and to visit that co-op's Web site (if available).

Note: White areas are served by municipal utilities, investor-owned utilities, or non-participating cooperatives.

You may click on the map within the region of your Member Utility to open their website in a new window.  You also may view your Member Utility address information below the map.

Tennessee's electric cooperatives have been sending high school students to Washington, DC, each summer since 1964.

If you were one of the more than 1,500 students who've participated in the Tennessee WYT experience, we'd love to hear from you. Please complete the e-mail response form provided below.

Also, be sure to check this page again during 2010. By that time we hope to post some photos of previous year's WYT groups.

While in Washington, the WYT group makes an effort to visit with each of Tennessee ten U.S. representatives and two U.S. senators.

During these visits you'll learn what your elected federal representatives are doing to represent your interests, and you'll have the opportunity to tell them what's on your mind. 

If you're interested in an appointment to one of the United States' military academies, you'll have the opportunity to introduce yourself to your representative and senators.

You'll also get the chance to talk with congressional staff members and interns about what their jobs are like and inquire about internship and full-time employment opportunities on Capitol Hill.

Information about all ten members of Tennessee's congressional delegation is provided below.
 

TENNESSEE'S UNITED STATES SENATORS

Lamar Alexander (R)

3322 West End Avenue, Suite 120                 615-736-5129

Nashville, TN 37203                                       Fax 615-269-4803     

SD-455 Dirksen Senate Office Building         202-224-4944

Washington, DC 20510-4206                         Fax 202-228-3398

Bob Corker (R)

3322 West End Avenue, Suite 610                 615-279-8125

Nashville, TN 37203              

SD-185 Dirksen Senate Office Building         202-224-3344

Washington, DC 20510-4205                         Fax 202-228-0566

UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVES

1st District — Phil Roe (R)

1609 College Park Drive, Suite 4                   423-254-1400

Morristown, TN 37813                                    Fax 423-254-1403

419 Cannon House Office Building                202-225-6356

Washington, DC 20515-4201                         Fax 202-225-5714

2nd District — John J. Duncan Jr. (R)

800 Market Street, Suite 110                          865-523-3772

Knoxville, TN 37902                                       Fax 865-544-0728     

2267 Rayburn House Office Building             202-225-5435

Washington, DC 20515-4202                         Fax 202-225-6440

3rd District — Zach Wamp (R)

900 Georgia Avenue, Suite 126                     423-756-2342

Chattanooga, TN 37402                                 Fax 423-756-6613     

1436 Longworth House Office Building          202-225-3271

Washington, DC 20515-4203                         Fax 202-225-3494

4th District — Lincoln Davis (D)

P.O. Box 964                                                  931-879-2361

Jamestown, TN 38556                                    Fax 931-879-2389

410 Cannon House Office Building                202-225-6831

Washington, DC 20515-4204                         Fax 202-226-5172

5th District — Jim Cooper (D)

605 Church Street                                          615-736-5295

Nashville, TN 37219-2314                              Fax 615-736-7479

1536 Longworth House Office Building          202-225-4311

Washington, DC 20515-4205                         Fax 202-226-1035

6th District — Bart Gordon (D)

P.O. Box 1986, 305 W. Main Street               615-896-1986

Murfreesboro, TN 37133                                Fax 615-896-8218

2310 Rayburn House Office Building             202-225-4231

Washington, DC 20515-4206                         Fax 202-225-6887

7th District — Marsha Blackburn (R)

109 3rd Avenue South, Suite 117                   615-591-5161

Franklin, TN 37064                                         Fax 615-599-2916

509 Cannon House Office Building                202-225-2811

Washington, DC 20515-4207                         Fax 202-225-3004

8th District — John Tanner (D)

203 West Church Street                                 731-885-7070

Union City, TN 38261                                      Fax 731-885-7094

1226 Longworth House Office Building          202-225-4714

Washington, DC 20515-4208                         Fax 202-225-1765

9th District — Steve Cohen (D)

167 N. Main Street., Suite 369                              901-544-4131

Memphis, TN 38103                                       Fax 901-544-4329     

1004 Longworth House Office Building          202-225-3265

Washington, DC 20515-4209                         Fax 202-225-5663

Student participants in the Tennessee Rural Electric Washington Youth Tour may apply to be Tennessee's representative to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Youth Leadership Council (YLC). The YLC is composed of one representative from each of the 43 states that participate in the Youth Tour. YLC members have the opportunity for additional free travel and leadership training.

YLC Activities
NRECA Youth Leadership Conference is held in July each year in Washington, D.C.
At this three-day workshop, all 43 YLC representatives will have the opportunity to hone their public speaking skills, develop their leadership skills, and enhance their understanding of politics. Group recreational activities will also be provided.

Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association Annual Meeting
November in Nashville, TN
Tennessee's YLC representative will deliver a brief (5-7 minutes) speech about his or her experiences in Washington, DC, at this meeting of electric cooperative leaders from across Tennessee.

NRECA Annual Meeting
February or March of each year.
All 41 YLC representatives will assist the NRECA staff with the conduct of the NRECA annual meeting.  YLC responsibilities at this six-day meeting will include participating in the meeting's opening assembly, staffing information booths, learning about energy issues, and assisting with committee meetings.  Group recreational activities will also be provided. 

Meet Tennessee's 2008-2009 YLC Representative
Lauren Byrd of Wartburg is Tennessee's representative on the 2008-2009 Youth Leadership Council (YLC) of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).

Lauren, a senior at Wartburg High School, was selected from among 121 students who participated in the Tennessee Rural Electric Washington Youth Tour (WYT) in June of 2008.
Lauren's YLC activities include:

• Participating in a national leadership and communications development course with other YLC students from across the country;
• Giving a speech about his Youth Tour activities during the annual meeting of the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association; and
• Assisting NRECA staff in the running of the NRECA annual meeting.

We hope that this has answered your questions about Tennessee's Rural Electric Washington Youth Tour.

If you want to know whether or not you're eligible for this trip or if you need information about procedures and deadlines, your best bet is to contact the Washington Youth Tour coordinator at your local electric cooperative.

If, however, your question is of a more general nature, please feel free to contact us at the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association by completing the e-mail form provided below. If you prefer you may also contact us by phone at 615-367-9284, fax: 615-367-2495 or e-mail: jjackson@tnelectric.org or aknight@tnelectric.org

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