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Chloe Miller of Cabot
Cabot High School
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Payton Dumas of Bauxite
Bauxite High School
Evan Cates of Perryville
Perryville High School
Now Available
2023 Youth Tour Online Application
PDF Application
ATTENTION HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS:
High school juniors can explore the nation’s capital on the 2023 Electric Cooperative Youth Tour, an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C.
Approximately 1,500 students from across the U.S. will gather June 16-22 to learn more about government, electric cooperatives and tour historic sights and museums, including the U.S. Holocaust
Memorial Museum, Smithsonian Institution, World War II Memorial and Mount Vernon.
“My favorite part was meeting with Arkansas senators and representatives. To see these men was amazing because it’s not every day you meet politicians that play a role in our country. I can truly say we had a great time with great stories to tell!” 2022 delegate Carrington Thompson of Humphrey said.
Any junior whose parents or guardians are members of First Electric may apply. Applications are also available at any First Electric office.
Applications are due by March 31, 2023. Winners will be selected based on information supplied on the applications and personal interviews. Call 800-489-7405 with any questions.
2022 Youth Tour Delegates
Four delegates were selected to represent the co-op on the 2022 Youth Tour, an all expenses-paid
educational trip to Washington D.C.
Ashton Burgess of Perryville, Eli Coleman of Sherwood, John Kirby of Cabot, and Carrington Thompson of
Humphrey explored the nation's capital June 17-23, 2022 with delegates from the other Arkansas electric
cooperatives.
They joined 1,500 students from across the United States in the nation's capital. During the the trip,
they learned about electric cooperatives; toured historic sites, monuments and museums; and met members
of the Arkansas congressional delegation.
2021 participants representing First Electric were:
This virtual experience consisted of:
- Learning about electric cooperatives and the cooperative business model;
- Hearing from lawmakers on Capitol Hill and the Arkansas State Capitol;
- Hearing from Arkansas business, education and faith leaders on the pandemic and related processes in Arkansas;
- Electing a Youth Leadership Council representative to NRECA's YLC program;
- Interacting with each other virtually; and
- Learning how students could earn a $5,000 college scholarship by planning and executing a public service project in the local community. (Students will not be required to perform a project to participate in Youth Tour.)
The virtual experience was conducted via Zoom. Winners of the 2021 Youth Tour each received a laptop computer.
First Electric’s Youth Tour delegates, Evan Cates of Perryville and Chloe Miller of Cabot, each won a $5,000 scholarship for their community service projects from the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas.
Cates dedicated 45 hours to restore and clean 20 headstones at the Ada Valley Cemetery. His project inspired others to clean grave markers in accordance with Cemetery Conservators Standards and make the project a long-term effort in the Ada Valley community.
Miller organized a Cabot Public Schools tennis fundraiser that benefited Lonoke County Safe Haven which provides shelter for those affected by domestic violence. Her 30-hour project involved 20 team members, food vendors, entertainment and videography which was a success despite many challenges.