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Washington Youth Tour

Each June, Morgan County REA sends one area student to the National Rural Electric Youth Tour in Washington, D.C. The student's journey begins with a day in Denver, touring the Capitol, Colorado Rural Electric Association and Tri-State Generation and Transmission. The following morning, students fly to Washington, D.C. where they spend 6 days touring the White House, U.S. Capitol, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, National Holocaust Memorial, the Smithsonian and Arlington National Cemetery. Fun activities include a Potomac dinner and dance cruise and a sunset parade at Iwo Jima Memorial. Highlights of the youth tour include visiting with Colorado's U.S. Senators and Representatives and getting to know other high school students from across the country.

Tour and Camp Guidelines

All expenses, including airfare, transportation, lodging, meals and all admission fees are paid by Morgan County REA. Students must be 16 years of age and must currently be sophomores or juniors. Their parents/guardians must be MCREA members. Selection is based on an essay and interview. The 1st place winner is sent to Washington Youth Tour, and the 2nd place winners are sent to the Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp.

Luke Nichols

Morgan County Rural Electric Association has selected Luke Nichols from Brush High School to represent MCREA at the 2009 Youth Tour held June 11-18 in Washington, D.C. Approximately 1,500 students attend the event annually.

The Youth Tour is an opportunity for high school students to learn about our government in a week of educational and fun events. Students from all over the United States, sponsored by their local rural electric cooperatives, converge to tour the exciting sites around the capital as well as meet with industry and government officials.

Before departing for home, a full day is spent on Capitol Hill meeting with the Colorado congressional delegation, even eating lunch in the cafeteria with congressional staffers. In addition, the students are introduced to issues faced by rural electric cooperatives on a state as well as national level.