Youth Tour

2026 Youth to Washington Contest

Announcing the winners of the 2026 Youth Tour Contest:

Our 2026 Youth Tour Winners are Miriam Teefey and Hannah Arens. Our alternate, who will go in their place if one of our winners is unable to attend, is Lydia Zanger.

A little bit about the Youth Tour Program…

The Youth Tour contest is open to high school sophomores and juniors. Each year, we select up to 34 students (based on applications) to travel as a group to Springfield to attend Illinois Electric and Telephone Cooperative Youth Day. While in Springfield, we meet with students from other Illinois cooperatives to visit various historical sites in Springfield. Students meet with legislators at the Illinois State Capitol then tour the Capitol and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum.

At the conclusion of Youth Day, judges from the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives (AIEC) conduct interviews and select two winners to represent Adams Electric Cooperative and two winners to represent Adams Telephone Co-Operative. One alternate is named for each co-op in case one of the winners is unable to attend.

In June, local winners join other Illinois winners and travel by charter bus to Washington, D.C. for a one-week, all expenses paid tour visiting places of historical interest, meeting members of Congress, and getting a firsthand view of our government in action. Be sure to watch the videos created by students from 2023 and 2024!

2025 Tour Videos:
Gettysburg
Arlington National Cemetery & The National Mall
White House Tour
US Capitol & Supreme Court

Students also learn more about the important role cooperatives play in our nation by organizing a Chip ‘N Pop Co-op on the tour bus.

Adams Electric Cooperative has been sending students to Washington, D.C. since 1959. Today, Adams Telephone is also involved in the program sending two additional students from the area. Together, forty-two cooperatives across the United States send approximately 2,000 students to meet at our nation’s capital each summer.

Visit youthtour.coop for more details.

Applications will be available in the fall (usually around November) with a deadline in February. Apply by our early bird deadline for a chance to win a $25 gift card. Watch for details this fall!