Essay contests open for Youth Tour and VICE Conference

Deadline is December 4th

The annual essay contests to determine A&N Electric Cooperative’s Youth Tour and VICE Conference participants are open. The contests for each trip will be separated this year. A student can submit an essay for each, but can only be chosen for one trip if they meet the individual qualifications.

YOUTH TOUR

Each year the cooperative sponsors local students to attend the annual Electric Cooperative Youth Tour in Washington, D.C. The students toured Capitol Hill and also visited historical and cultural sites around the nation’s capital, including the African American History Museum, Arlington National Cemetery and the Pentagon. Other activities included an evening cruise on the Potomac River and a theatrical performance at the Kennedy Center. 

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 2021. Students can select between one of two essay topics: “Electricity’s Importance to the Eastern Shore” or “What Would Life Be Like Without Access to Electricity?”

Due to COVID-19, essays can be submitted directly to the cooperative by logging onto anec.com and selecting “Youth Tour” under the “Community” tab.

Youth Tour Qualifications

• Current High School Junior 
• Complete and Submit the Youth Tour Application Form before Dec. 4
• Completed essay submitted prior to the Dec. 4 deadline
• Live within the cooperative’s service territory

VICE CONFERENCE

Each spring, the Virginia Cooperative Council sponsors an Institute on Cooperative Education, a youth leadership conference for up to 64 Virginia high 

school students. Local high school and homeschool students from A&N Electric Cooperative’s service area are eligible to attend.

The objective of the conference is to educate youth about the unique cooperative form of business. The top performers during the conference have the opportunity to receive up to $2,000 in education scholarships. 

VICE Conference Qualifications

• VICE attendees must be 16-19 years old as of July 1, 2021
• Complete and submit the VICE Conference Application Form before Dec. 4
• Completed essay submitted prior to the Dec. 4 deadline
• Live within the cooperative’s service territory

This year the cooperative will select the top two essays submitted to join students who qualified last year to attend the conference, but were unable to due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The VICE conference takes place in spring of 2021. The essay topic for the VICE Conference contest is “What are the Benefits of the Cooperative Model of Business to the Eastern Shore?”

Due to COVID-19, essays can be submitted directly to the cooperative by logging onto anec.com and selecting “VICE Conference” under the “Community” tab. 

Both conferences are at no cost to students who are selected. The cooperative also provides transportation to both events.

For more information about the Youth Tour program and VICE Conference, visit anec.com. Essay guidelines will be sent to the guidance offices at each high school last month and are posted on the cooperative’s website. To learn more about how you can participate in these programs, speak with your high school’s guidance office or contact Cooperative Youth Tour Coordinator Jay Diem at [email protected].

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