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Washington Youth Tour & Cooperative Youth Summit

All participants will be required to follow CDC and federal and local government regulations related to COVID-19. Sponsors reserve the right to require participants to be fully vaccinated before participating if key tour destinations, hotels, airlines, travel companies, or other critical entities require full vaccination for entry or use. Additionally, all participants will be required to submit proof of a negative viral COVID-19 test taken 48 hours or less before departure.
While we anticipate the Washington Youth Tour and Cooperative Youth Summit happening in 2022, circumstances related to COVID-19 may prevent one or both from safely taking place. In the event of cancellation, selected students will be offered the opportunity to attend the Virtual Youth Experience July 11-15. This five-day virtual leadership program connects students with state and federal leaders, as well as offers scholarship opportunities.


Laurens Electric Cooperative will sponsor four Upstate high school students to participate in The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina’s Washington Youth Tour (Washington, D.C., June 18-23, 2022) and Cooperative Youth Summit (Columbia, S.C., July 11-14, 2022).

These two trips connect students with state and federal leaders and offer opportunities to collaborate with other students from across the state in competitions to win prizes, including two $5,000 scholarships.

Apply by Friday, February 4, 2022.

Click here to download the application or complete the online application below. For more information, contact Laurie Riser at laurier@laurenselectric.com or 1-800-942-3141.

Follow Washington Youth Tour or Instagram or Twitter.

Last year’s contest was virtual due to the Covid-19 pandemic. See what happened at the 2021 Virtual Youth Experience at ecsc.org/experience.

Student Application Instructions

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Washington Youth Tour applicants must be high school juniors at time of application. Cooperative Youth Summit applicants must be high school sophomores at time of application.
  • Applicant must reside in Laurens, Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Abbeville, Newberry, or Union counties, SC. Applicant DOES NOT have to receive electricity from Laurens Electric to apply.
  • Applicant’s parents, guardians, or relatives may not be employed by or be trustees of Laurens Electric Cooperative. However, students whose parents are employees or trustees of the cooperative are eligible to participate in a separate competition. Contact Laurie Riser at laurier@laurenselectric.com or (864) 683-1684 for more information.

REQUIREMENTS

  • An application and two letters of reference must be submitted.
  • References and applications should be completed and returned by 5 p.m. on February 4 to LaurieR@LaurensElectric.com, or mailed to Laurie Riser, Laurens Electric Cooperative, Inc., P.O. Box 700, Laurens, SC 29360.

JUDGING

  • Candidates will be judged on the basis of their school and community involvement, references and communications skills. If chosen for an interview, a panel of judges will question the applicants concerning their past experiences, plans for the future and knowledge of the Cooperative.
  • Three winners will be selected to represent Laurens Electric Cooperative during the Washington Youth Tour. One winner will be selected to represent Laurens Electric Cooperative during the Cooperative Youth Summit. Alternates will attend if a winner is unable to participate.

DEADLINE

  • Applications and references are due no later than 5 p.m. on February 4. Any applications or references received later than February 4 will not be considered.

Online Application

  • Student Information

  • You may connect with elected officials during this experience. Not sure of your congressional district or who your member is? Visit https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative. This service will assist you by matching your ZIP code to your congressional district
  • Accepted file types: jpg, png, gif, Max. file size: 5 MB.
    Include or upload a recent photo of yourself. You should be the only subject in the photo and your face should be in focus. Be sure to wear appropriate professional or business casual attire. A school photo is ideal but a good candid photo is acceptable. Photos may be submitted electronically in .jpg, .png or .gif format. Remember, this may be seen in South Carolina Living magazine and perhaps your local newspaper, so send your best photo.
  • In the fields below each question, please provide answers to all of the following questions. Be thorough in your answers. Be specific and detailed, but be brief. Provide examples where appropriate. Grammar, punctuation and spelling are important. Supporting documentation may be included.

  • Reference Information

  • Two letters of reference must be submitted on the student’s behalf by a community leader or school administrator or teacher.

    It is the student’s responsibility to ensure this reference is received by February 4, 2022.

    You may provide this form, or your letter of reference may be submitted by mail or email.

    TO THE PERSON COMPLETING THIS REFERENCE: Please mail or email reference as soon as possible to: Laurie Riser, LaurieR@LaurensElectric.com, Laurens Electric Cooperative, PO Box 700, Laurens, SC 29360. All information must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on February 4, 2022.

    Click here to download reference form
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
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