South River EMC Is Sending Students To The Youth Tour June 15-21, 2025

See A Sample of Washington, D.C.'s Sights On Us

South River EMC understands the importance of taking care of our future generations. We strive to offer benefits to the youth of our community in order to secure a brighter tomorrow, one of those is the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour.

Congratulations To Youth Tourists Previously Selected

In 2024, we selected Brady West and Mallory Edwards to take part in the adventures the Youth Tour offers.

Carleigh

Students took part in some great adventures, on behalf of South River EMC. They joined a delegation of North Carolina students in Washington, D.C. as part of the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour. The Youth Tour involves more than 1,500 students representing electric cooperatives from across the nation. Each year, South River EMC offers this opportunity to local students to be a part of the unforgettable Electric Cooperative Youth Tour to Washington, D.C.

While in Washington, D.C., the North Carolina contingent joined other electric cooperative representatives from throughout the United States for a week of fun and learning. Here is a glance of what experiences students can have during the Youth Tour:

  • Participate in Youth Day, where students learn more about America's electric cooperatives;                                                               

  • Visit Capitol Hill and meet with our North Carolina Senators and Congressmen;

  • Visit the sights of Washington, D.C. including the monuments;

  • Visit the Smithsonian museums;

  • Take a boat trip down the Potomac River;

  • See a show at the Kennedy Center

  • Visit the Newseum and

  • Attend an All States Dance.

These events are subject to change as availability for different sites change as we near the event, i.e. there could be additional sites not included on the list.

North Carolina's students establish a Soda Pop Co-op to provide a supply of affordable drinks while in Washington, D.C. Each student pays $1 to become a member of the cooperative. A board of directors is appointed and they hire a manager and assistant manager. At the end of the trip, the cooperative is dissolved and each student is refunded their membership fee and capital credits.

In 2019, South River EMC was represented by Jordan Burns, Lizzie Phipps, and Jordan Wallum. Each year, the students return with many interesting stories and memories to last a lifetime, as well as friends from across the state and even across the country. For more information about the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour, call Julie McLeod at 910-892-8071, ext. 2151 or e-mail, connections@sremc.com.

Can we interest you in the sights of Washington, D.C. for summer 2025?

Applications are due by 5 p.m. January 10 , 2025

Youth Tour Application

For more information on the Rural Electric Youth Tour visit the official National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Youth Tour site.

Scholarship Opportunity Available For Attendees

South River EMC offers a $1,000 scholarship to each student who attends the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour as a representative of the Cooperative. As the tour is open to both rising juniors and seniors, we will award scholarships during the students' senior year, once he or she has been accepted and committed to a college. That means rising seniors will be contacted in the year following their youth tour trip, and rising juniors will be contacted two years after their trip, to provide necessary information. We will keep the contact information provided by each student attending, if any information changes, please be sure to let us know so that we may update records.