Since the late 1950s, the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour has brought high school students from across the country to experience Washington, D.C., each year.
But not this year. The reason: the coronavirus pandemic.
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association states, “Based on the health risks and local, state and national orders, as well as recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we are canceling in-person NRECA programs through June 24.” And that includes Youth Tour, which was scheduled to take place June 19-25.
Last year, Arkansas sent 43 delegates, selected by their local co-ops, for the all-expenses-paid trip. It included everything from seeing monuments and museums to meeting government leaders and attending a Major League Baseball game.