Three students from the Medina EC service area will join 1,500 others from across the country on the “trip of a lifetime” June 17-26 as part of the Government-in-Action Youth Tour. Presley Rodriguez of Pearsall, Johnny Muniz of D’Hanis and Luke Lessing of Hondo won the 2020 Youth Tour contest. In addition to their trip, the contest winners will receive a $500 scholarship. The kids will first visit the Capitol in Austin and then head to Washington, D.C. where they will visit major landmarks, meet their elected officials, and learn about the US and cooperative history.

Each year, Medina EC offers the Youth Tour contest to students who are sophomores or juniors and whose parents or legal guardians are members of the cooperative. The applicants had to either write a 300-500 word essay or submit a 30 – 45 second video on the topic, “If you had a chance to sit down with a legislator (either at the state or federal level), what questions would you ask them and why.”

The Youth Tour has a long record of educating young people about our government. Senator Lyndon Baines Johnson inspired the program when he addressed the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Annual Meeting in Chicago in 1957. He said, “If one thing goes out of this meeting, it will be sending youngsters to the national capital where they can actually see what the flag stands for and represents.”

Since then, more than 50,000 students from across America have participated in this educational program. Medina EC has sent 39 students on the trip since 2007. Medina EC strongly supports the program and is fully dedicated to giving younger generations the opportunity to learn about our history and government in a hands-on, dynamic environment. More information about Medina EC’s Youth Tour participation can be found at MedinaEC.org/YouthTour.