Washington Youth Tour Application
Sumter EMC will select four teenagers to join dozens of other students representing electric cooperatives across Georgia on the Washington Youth Tour. The competition is open to all sophomores, juniors, and seniors who will be sixteen by June 14, 2024, and live in or attend a school in Marion, Schley, Sumter, Webster, Lee, Terrell, Chattahoochee or Stewart County. Students not living in or attending a school in the above counties are eligible if their parents are members of Sumter EMC and live within the cooperative's service area. The cooperative's service area is Marion, Schley, Sumter, Webster, Doughtery, Lee, Randolph, Terrell, Chattahoochee, Quitman, and Stewart counties. The tour begins with a banquet for participants and their parents. Then, the students enjoy a day of activities in their home state before flying to Washington, D.C., for an incredible week in our nation's capital. Once they are in Washington, they will have the opportunity to meet Youth Tour students from all across the nation.

Eligibility:

  1. Be a sophomore, junior, or senior in good standing with your school.
  2. The applicant must be 16 years of age by June 14, 2024.
  3. Must have parent's consent.

How to Apply:

All that is required to enter is for the student to complete this application form and provide two teacher recommendation forms by February 2, 2024. Be sure to provide all of the information requested.

Recommendations:

Please have two faculty members or administrators from your present school (counselor, teacher, principal, or assistant principal) complete the recommendation form as to why you should be considered as a Youth Tour delegate.

The Selection of Delegates:

The deadline to apply for the Washington Youth Tour is Friday, February 2, 2024. EMC Youth Tour Coordinators from across Georgia will judge the application . Once judging is completed, students chosen as finalists will be invited for an interview. The interviews will be held from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 22, 2024. The students will first be tested on their knowledge of Rural Electrification and the history of Sumter EMC. A panel of judges comprised of Youth Tour Coordinators from other EMCs will conduct the interviews. Interview questions will be general questions about the student. The combined scores of the application, test, and interview process determine the final selection of our delegates.
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If selected, applicants must follow WYT Guidlines and set aside the week of June 14-21, 2024 to fly to Washington, D.C.

PARENT (LEGAL GUARDIAN) & STUDENT AFFIRMATION 

We affirm that (1) all information provided on this application is correct, (2) the parent has given permission for the student to enter this contest and to participate in the Youth Tour should he/she win, and (3) the student agrees to participate in the Youth Tour on the scheduled dates should he/she win.
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ACADEMICS
Current cumulative grade point average:
Please list any academic awards or honors that you have received in the past two years of school and tell which grade you were in. 
ACTIVITIES
List your memberships in any school clubs, organizations, or athletic activities during the past two years. Tell which grade you were in and any leadership positions you held.
List your community service activities or involvement in community groups from the past two years (church groups, volunteer work, etc.). Indicate which years and any leadership roles that you had. 
List any work experience you have had. Be sure to include the name of the business, your job, and the time period you held this job. (Example: Cashier @ Belk of Americus/June - Oct. 2021)
ESSAY QUESTIONS
You must answer each question below in 200 words or less to enter the contest.

Question submissions will be judged on the following basis:
  • Composition and grammar: 15 points
  • Originality and Creativity: 40 points
  • Knowledge of material: 35 points
  • Adhering to all of the instructions: 10 points

Please remember you will need two teacher recommendations. Have the teachers complete the recommendation form found at www. Your application and recommendation forms, are due by February 2, 2024. 

The highest-scoring students will be invited to participate in the interview process beginning on February 22, 2024. When the applicant comes to the interview, they will also complete a quiz on material presented in our 2024 Study Guide. 

If you have any questions, please contact:

Tonya Jones                                               
Office: (229) 924-8041 ext. 210 
Cell: (229) 322-4444                            
tonya.jones@sumteremc.com                

Washington Youth Tour Information

The Washington Youth Tour, the state's oldest youth leadership program, was created from extemporaneous comments made by then-Senator Lyndon Johnson as he addressed the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Annual Meeting in Chicago in 1957. "If one thing goes out of this meeting," the Senator declared, "I hope it will be sending youngsters to the national capitol where they can actually see what the flag stands for and represents." Beginning that year, some of the Texas Electric Cooperatives sent groups of young people in Washington, D.C. to work during the summer in Senator Johnson's office to learn about government in action. 

Sumter EMC will be sending two high school students from our service area on thie exciting, all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C. These two teenages will join dozens of students from other electric cooperatives in Georgia to represent our state in the Washington Youth Tour, an annual event that brings more than 1,500 young people from across the country to our nation's capital. 

Youth Tour events for Georgia's participants will begin with a kickoff banquet for the students and their parents in Atlanta. That will be followed by a day full of activities for the Georgia students before they fly to Washington. Youth Tour highlights typically include visiting the U.S. Capitol, Holocaust Museum, Smithsonian Institution, U.S. Supreme Court, and whenever possible, the White House. Other stops could include the National Cathedral and Arlington Cemetery as well as the World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam memorials, and the Lincoln, Jefferson, and FDR memorials. The students are also treated to a riverboat cruise on the Potomac, always a popular event. 

In addition, students will have the opportunity to meet state and natinoal leaders and gain a better understanding of how our government works. Participants will also be involved in leadership-building activities and will have the opportunity to interact with students from across Georgia and across the United States.

The Youth Tour is fun, fast-paced, well-organization, and packed full of activities. The tour director is an employee of our statewide organization, Georgia EMC. They do a terrific job of planning and organizing the entire trip. Several EMC employees and their spouses from across the state volunteer to serve as chaperones. Two teacher chaperones are chosen each year as well.

2024 Washington Youth Tour

What we expect of you!

If your sponsoring EMC selects you to join the Youth Tour, it is because you have measured up to the highest standards of leadership and behavior. You will be representing your local EMC, all the EMCs of Georgia, your local community, and the State of Georgia from the kick-off banquet to the return flight home. You will have a responsibility to yourself and others to meet the following expectations. 
  1. Have a positive attitude. Remain flexible. The nature of travel by bus and plane, combined with the size of our group, will mean constant adjustments. How you react to challenges such as possible luggage delays, long lines, or rainy weather will have much to do with what this experience means to you. Remember, no matter what happens, you choose the quality of your days.
  2. Wear a watch, keep your itinerary with you, and be punctual. The schedule is tight; we want to experience as much as possible. Know when and where you are supposed to be, and show up on time! Cell phones are not permitted during touring, so you cannot rely on your phone for the time. Bring a watch and wear it.
  3. Participate in all planned activities. No one may leave the group at any time unless authorized by the Tour Director. Participants will always travel/sightseeing in groups of three or more. No participant may travel/sightsee by him/herself.
  4. Adhere to the dress code and always wear your name badge during the Youth Tour.
  5. Be in your hotel room by curfew each night. Do not leave your room after this hour except with the permission of your chaperone. Room checks are made each night. 
  6. Respect the rights of others. You will share a room with two other Youth Tour delegates and will be expected to tolerate differences. After curfew, you will be expected to stay in your room, be ready for bed and be reasonably quiet so others may sleep.
  7. Delegates may not enter the hotel rooms of delegates of the opposite sex. Public displays of affection and physical relationships are not acceptable behavior.
  8. Remain at the hotel at all times except when you are participating in planned activities. You may mot leave the hotel to shop or visit relatives or friends in the area.
  9. Treat hotel property with care. Any damage will result in complete payment of damage on your part, and an immediate trip home. 
  10. Tobacco products, drugs, and alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited.
  11. The cost of long distance telephone calls is each delegate's personal responsibility. Students must call collect or use a calling card or credit card. Delegates may also bring cell phones, but cell phone use us not permitted during the touring day. You are on this trip to meet and interact with new people and see new places, so plan on talking with friends and family about your experiences before or after each day's tours.
Infraction of these rules governing the conduct of Youth Tour delegates will be considered cause for terminating your participation. You will be sent home at your family's expense.