A&N Electric Cooperative’s Youth Essay Contest now accepting entrees

The annual essay contest to determine A&N Electric Cooperative’s Youth Tour participants began last month and will run until Oct. 18.

More than 2,000 high school students from across the country spend a week in the nation’s capital as part of the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour.

The students are sponsored by electric cooperatives — cooperatives that are committed to educating rural youth about America and the role electric cooperatives play in developing strong rural communities.

Each year, A&N Electric Cooperative sponsors up to six local students to attend the annual event in Washington, D.C. The students tour Capitol Hill, visit historical and cultural sites around the nation’s capital, and learn about the electric cooperatives that serve their local areas.

Arcadia’s Uriah Hope, Broadwater’s Katie Arnold, homeschool student Glenn Ballon and Tangier’s Lukas Thomas represented the cooperative at the 2024 event.

Participating in Youth Tour is an awesome way to learn about this great nation, develop leadership skills, gain a better understanding of electric cooperatives, and make friendships that will last beyond the week.

Each local high school is eligible for one spot on the upcoming Youth Tour. Recent Youth Tour visits have included the National Mall, various museums, Arlington National Cemetery, the National Zoo and the Pentagon. Other activities have included an evening cruise on the Potomac River, Major League Baseball game, theatrical performance at the Kennedy Center and tour of a local electric cooperative. The Youth Tour schedule can change from year to year due to the availability of some of the sites.

Cooperative staff recently visited school open houses to spread to word about this exciting opportunity for high school juniors.

The Youth Tour Essay Contest is open to all high school and homeschool juniors living within the cooperative’s service territory.

The student who submits the top essay from each local high school will be eligible to attend Youth Tour in June 2025. Interested students should write a 150-word essay on the following topic: “Electricity’s Importance to the Eastern Shore.”

Submit essays directly to the cooperative by logging on to anec.com and searching for “Youth Tour.”

QUALIFICATIONS

Applicants must:

• be a current high school junior;
• complete and submit the Youth Tour Application and Essay Form by Friday, Oct. 18; and
• live full-time within the A&N Electric Cooperative service territory.