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Ask any one of the hundreds of Texas Government-in-Action
Youth Tour past participants and you'll likely get
the same responses:
"It was the trip of a lifetime."
"I never had so much fun learning so much."
"I made lifelong friends from all parts of the
state and the country."
Want to learn more about this free program? Read
on.
 The Government-in-Action Youth Tour was born of
extemporaneous comments made by Senator Lyndon Johnson
as he addressed the NRECA annual meeting in Chicago
in 1957. Beginning that year, and for several more,
some of the Texas electric cooperatives sent groups
of young people to Washington to work during the
summer in Senator Johnson's office, to learn about
government in action.
The next year, rural electric people in Iowa sponsored
the first group of 34 young people on a week-long
study tour of the nation's capitol, as a direct outgrowth
of the Senator's personal suggestion at the Chicago
meeting. Later that same year, another busload came
to Washington from Illinois. Other states picked
up the idea in increasing numbers each succeeding
year, sending busloads of young people through the
summer. In 1959, the number had grown to 130 youths
as the importance of the idea began to be better
recognized.
In 1964, the National Rural Electric Cooperative
Association (NRECA) began to coordinate the program
suggesting that the groups arrange their schedules
to be in the city the same week. During the first
year of the coordinated tour, there were about 400
young people from 12 states. Since that time, the
Youth Tour has continued to grow, and for the last
few years, almost 1,500 young people and chaperons
have participated each year. Texas Electric Cooperatives
began similar coordination in 1965.
The Youth Tour has three main objectives:
1. To educate youths on all aspects of rural electrification
in order to promote a better understanding of the
value of rural electric cooperatives.
2. To provide an opportunity for youth to visit
monuments, government buildings and cooperative-related
organizations in order to become familiar with the
historical and political environment of their nation's
capital.
3. To provide an opportunity for youth to meet elected
officials in order to better understand how their
federal government works.
The 2008 Government-in-Action Youth Tour
The 2008 Government-in-Action
Youth Tour will take place June 13-20, 2008. To
get important information about the 2008 Youth Tour,
call your local electric cooperative or contact
Janet Blomquist, TEC's Youth Tour Director at 512
486-6210.
2008 Youth Tour Photos (updated daily)
Youth Tour Photos
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