Youth Tour

Youth to Washington Tour

For over 50 years, the electric cooperatives of Illinois have given tomorrow’s leaders the opportunity to learn from today’s public officials. EnerStar is on the hunt to for two outstanding students to represent our cooperative at the Youth Tour this year, an event that was inspired by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1957.

EnerStar’s Youth Tour is actually two separate events: the Youth Day in Springfield and the week-long, all-expense paid Youth to Washington!

Youth Day in Springfield

Each year, nearly 300 outstanding students get an up close and first-hand look at democracy in action when they meet their elected representatives during Illinois Electric and Telephone Cooperatives Youth Day. Participants will tour the Capitol, visit the Abraham Lincoln Museum and meet students from across Illinois. The next event will be held on Wednesday, April 5, 2017.

Youth to Washington

Winners will travel by charter bus for an all-expense paid tour of Washington, D.C. There they will create lasting memories and friendships during the week-long tour. Visits and sites include the Civil War Battlefield at Gettysburg, the National Cathedral, Smithsonian Museums, George Washington’s home, Supreme Court, Kennedy Center, Arlington National Cemetery, Holocaust Museum, and many other sites. There is also a special twilight Potomac River Boat Cruise. The next Youth Tour to Washington will be held June 9-16, 2017. During Youth Tour, representatives have the chance to be selected to represent your state on the NRECA Youth Leadership Council (YLC). One student from each state is selected and they will come back to Washington, D.C., in July for a leadership workshop which will focus on the electric cooperative industry.

Selection Process

• Two winners will be selected to represent EnerStar.
• Candidates should be high school sophomores or juniors for the 2016-2017 school years.
• Candidates must reside in the EnerStar service territory and receive their electricity from EnerStar.The account does not necessarily need to be in the parent's name but the student must reside in the home served by EnerStar.

Applications are due December 31, 2016.

Click here to download the Youth to Washington application!

Need Further Information? If you have any questions, please contact EnerStar’s Angela Griffin at 800-635-4145, extension 103 .

Past Youth to Washington Winners