Youth Tour

The Trip of a Lifetime!

Eligibility and Application Requirements

Each June, Medina EC sends students on the Government-in-Action Youth Tour, aka "the trip of a lifetime!"

More than 1,500 students from across the country, almost 150 of those being from Texas, take the one week trip to Washington, D.C. Texas students meet in Austin before heading to our nation's capital. While in D.C., they will visit museums, Capitol Hill with congressional representatives, Arlington National Cemetery, see a performance at the Kennedy Center, take a Potomac River Dinner Boat Cruise and so much more!

Learn More Here

2025 Youth Tour Winners

What would life be like without electricity? How does it add value to our lives?

Peyton Beard, D’Hanis

“Without electricity technology as we know it would not exist. We would have been forced to learn more about our agriculture and focus more on our education of other avenues of production.”

Sierra Nickel, Uvalde

“Without electricity, society as we know it would fall apart. We would be thrust into a literal dark ages, and the consequences would be disastrous. Plunged into darkness, we would be required to relearn the primitive ways of our early ancestors, as all advancements and discoveries would grind to a halt.”

Olivia Reyes, Edinburg

“Our social relationships would be very different if screens and digital communication weren't everywhere. We would gather around roaring fires, sharing stories and having deeper relationships with friends and families. With the absence of social media and digital communications, it would teach us to have patience and anticipation, as we would be able to eagerly wait for letters or engage in face-to-face conversations.”

 

2025 Applications were due on January 10.

Medina EC's Board of Directors approved sending three high school sophomores and juniors on the 2025 trip! That trip is scheduled to take place June 15-23, 2025.

Three winners were selected who will each receive a $2,000 college scholarship. Winners will also attend a Youth Tour dinner, where they will learn more about their cooperative, meet the other selected students, and complete paperwork for the trip.

If you have questions, contact us at YouthTour@MedinaEC.org.

2025 Applications were due on January 10, 2025. Check back in the fall for the 2026 application.

 

* Technical support will not be available outside of normal business hours. Encountering technical issues turning in the application on the last day will not be grounds for an extension.

The contest submission must be an original essay addressing the following topic: What would life be like without electricity? How does it add value to our lives?

The submission must meet the following requirements:

  1. Please cite references used and do not plagiarize or copy work. Follow the MLA style.
  2. Submission size cannot exceed 50 MB.
  3. All submissions are judged anonymously.
  4. Essay submission must be between 300-500 words, typed and double-spaced. Formats accepted: Adobe PDF (.pdf) or Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx).

High school sophomores and juniors whose parent or legal guardian is a member of Medina EC are eligible for the trip.

 

 

FREE!

Medina EC pays for all travel expenses including airfare, hotel and food. However, most students like to bring additional money for spending on souvenirs.

 

 

Not only is this a great resumé builder, you will meet new friends, learn how our government works, and more. Medina EC's Youth Tour participants also receive $2,000 scholarships when they graduate from high school!

 

 

The entries will be scored by an independent judge. 

One student from each of the three voting districts will receive this trip and scholarship. If an application that meets eligibility is not received from one of the voting districts, then the next highest scoring student from one of the other voting districts will receive the trip.

Medina EC reserves the right to select another contestant for the Youth Tour trip if a winner is found to be a poor representative of the program and the cooperative.

 

Why You Should Apply!

Hope Smith, Batesville

Why not?! You can only gain from this trip! There’s nothing to lose and it truly is the trip of a lifetime!

Kendall Cooper, Castroville

Students should apply because of how enriching the trip is! You will get to see and experience things you would otherwise only see in movies or read in books. I made so many new friends that I will stay in contact with!

Molly Lessing, Hondo

I learned so many amazing things about the history of our country and the way the government works.