Jackson EMC will send four exceptional student delegates on an all-all-expense paid leadership trip to Washington, D.C., June 14-21 for the 2012 Washington Youth Tour (WYT).

How to Enter

We are currently accepting applications for the 2012 WYT.  See your school counselor or guidance office for their deadline date.  The school's nomination must be received at Jackson EMC by COB, Friday, February 24th.  

Download the Application

• 2012 WYT Application (PDF)

Please note: Forms cannot be sent electronically. Print, sign and date the form, make necessary copies and mail along with other attachments. For more information and all the details, please see FAQ's or contact Kay Parks at kparks@jacksonemc.com .

If your interested in being one of our 2012 WYT delegates, you must:

• Contact your school counselor or guidance office (if applicable); each school selects one nominee
• Be a high school sophomore or junior and 16 years old by June 14, 2012
• Submit application, including general information, academics, school and extra-curricular activities, two essay questions and parental consent
• Include two letters of recommendation focusing on your leadership skills and why you should be considered as a delegate
• Include current photo (school headshot if possible)
• Be eligible to travel June 14-21, 2012
• Student cannot be taking college classes in summer of 2012 that would conflict with travel dates
• Students interested in the Governor's Honors Program may have a schedule conflict with the Washington Youth Tour
• Be a legal resident in one of the counties served by Jackson EMC and attend a high school in Jackson EMC's service territory. (Student does not necessarily have to be a member)

A panel of community volunteers will interview ten finalists to determine the four winners.

Please note: Applicants may not be the son, daughter or grandchild of an active or retired Jackson EMC employee or of the cooperative's Board of Directors but are eligible to apply for the trip through Georgia EMC's Statewide Essay contest.

• How do I apply for the Washington Youth Tour (WYT)?
• Does a WYT delegate have to be a customer/member of Jackson EMC?
• What is the deadline for applying for the WYT?
• What are the dates of the WYT?
• What does the trip cost?
• How many students will be selected as Jackson EMC’s delegates?
• What is the criteria for being nominated as a delegate?
• I work – can I still apply to be a Washington Youth Tour delegate?
• Am I eligible if I have a parent who works at Jackson EMC?
• Where do I send application packets?
• If I’ve been previously selected as a youth tour delegate, may I apply and be awarded if I’ve previously been selected?
• How many students will be a part of the Georgia delegation? How many total students will take the annual trip nationwide?
• How will the selection process work?
• When are the winners announced?
• Are there any situations which might cause me to lose the awarded trip?
• If I have additional questions, is there a number I can call or email questions to?

Q. How do I apply for the Washington Youth Tour (WYT)?

A. You should contact your school counselor or guidance office, if applicable. Each high school may submit one nominee applicant. Otherwise, you may apply for the WYT by application, which can be found in your school’s guidance office or at www.jacksonemc.com/youthtour.

Q. Does a WYT delegate have to be a customer/member of Jackson EMC?

A. Delegates do not have to be a customer/member of Jackson EMC but must be a legal resident in one of the counties served by Jackson EMC. Counties in Jackson EMC's service area include Banks, Barrow, Clarke, Franklin, Gwinnett, Hall, Jackson, Lumpkin, Madison and Oglethorpe counties.

Q. What is the deadline for applying for the WYT?

A. Complete application packets must be submitted (to your school guidance counselor) by 5:00 p.m. on February 24, 2012.

Q. What are the dates of the WYT?

A. The dates of the trip are June 14-21, 2012; if you apply, you must be available to take the trip during those dates.

Q. What does the trip cost?

A. If you are selected as one of Jackson EMC’s four delegates, the leadership trip to Washington D.C. is an all-expenses paid trip-value of $2,500.

Q. How many students will be selected as Jackson EMC’s delegates?

A. Jackson MC will send four exceptional student delegates on the 2012 trip.

Q. What is the criteria for being nominated as a delegate?

• Should be their high school’s nominee (or may be a student living in a Jackson EMC member’s household if a public school isn’t attended)
• Must be a sophomore or junior between 16-18 years old during the time of the youth tour
• Must have demonstrated leadership and academic excellence with an interest in American history, U.S. government, cooperatives and leadership
• Complete the application packet, including attachments
• Be a legal resident in one of the counties served by Jackson EMC
• Be eligible to travel June 14-21, 2012

Q. I work – can I still apply to be a Washington Youth Tour delegate?

A. Recipients must be able to travel the week of June 14-21. If you work, plan to take summer classes or are considered for Governor’s Honors programs, please make sure the trip dates do not interfere.

Q. Am I eligible if I have a parent who works at Jackson EMC?

A. Applicants may not be the son, daughter or grandchild of an active or retired Jackson EMC employee or of the cooperative’s Board of Directors but are eligible to apply for the trip through Georgia EMC’s Statewide Essay contest. Request the application by email at kparks@jacksonemc.com.

Q. Where do I send application packets?

A. Once it is determined that you are your high school’s nominee, please submit your completed packet to your school. The packets will then be sent to: Jackson EMC, attn. Kay Parks, P. O. Box 38, Bldg 1000, Jefferson, GA 30549.

Q. If I’ve been previously selected as a youth tour delegate, may I apply and be awarded if I’ve previously been selected?

A. No, you may not be selected as a youth tour delegate if you’ve already been selected and participated in the youth tour.

Q. How many students will be a part of the Georgia delegation? How many total students will take the annual trip nationwide?

A. Georgia will send approximately 100 student delegates on the annual youth tour and roughly 1500 students from 40+ states will participate on the weeklong youth tour.

Q. How will the selection process work?

A. Once the schools have selected their nominee and the completed application packets are received, a panel of community volunteers will have face-to-face interviews with top ten finalists to determine the four winners, along with two alternates.

Q. When are the winners announced?

A. Winners will be selected on or before March 15, 2012. All participants, chosen or not chosen, will be sent a letter letting them know whether they won or not.

Q. Are there any situations which might cause me to lose the awarded trip?

A. If you are selected as a delegate, it can be revoked totally or in part for a number of reasons. Some stipulations would be:

• Students are asked to maintain the same levels of accomplishments as they had when they were selected as a delegate, such as grades, involvement, etc.
• Students must remain in good standing with the high school or may risk losing the opportunity to be a youth tour delegate.
• Final decisions and/or extenuating circumstances are up to the discretion of Jackson EMC and its education committee.

Q. If I have additional questions, is there a number I can call or email questions to?

A. Email Kay Parks at kparks@jacksonemc.com.

More than 100 delegates from Georgia’s electric membership cooperatives (EMCs) explored the nation's capital on the 2011 Washington Youth Tour (WYT). 

Through the trip of a lifetime, delegates discovered how the electric cooperative movement began, learned about American history, visited legendary monuments and saw firsthand how effective leadership and community service can shape a nation.

Jackson EMC delegates Alexandra Smith and Patrick Kelley were among Georgia’s brightest high school students sent on the 2011 leadership tour. 

The primary purpose of the WYT is to teach students the values every electric cooperative brings to the communities they serve and to promote civic involvement while teaching the students about U.S. history, government and careers in public service.

The 2011 WYT began with a kick-off banquet in Atlanta. WSB-TV Meteorologist David Chandley served as master of ceremonies, and state Rep. Brooks Coleman, chairman of the Georgia House Education Committee, was keynote speaker.

Before departing for Washington, D.C., students and chaperones spent a day in Georgia doing team building exercises and touring the Little White House in Warm Springs, Ga., at Franklin D. Roosevelt’s retreat.  Many of President Roosevelt’s important decisions took place at the Little White House, including the plan to bring electricity to rural America.

Once in D.C., the delegation visited sites such as the Washington Monument, the Supreme Court, the U.S. Capitol, the Library of Congress, Mount Vernon, Arlington National Cemetery and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; as well as the Jefferson, FDR, Lincoln, Korean, Iwo Jima, Vietnam Veterans and Air Force Memorials. Other highlights included touring the Smithsonian Museums, Newseum, Holocaust Museum, Union Station, National Archives, Ford Theatre and the Kennedy Center.

Delegate Smith said, “I've become much more aware of our country’s goverment and history.  It's important to stand up and fight for our beliefs and rights and never take freedom for granted.”

The students took an evening riverboat cruise on the Potomac and visited Toby’s Dinner Theater in Baltimore, Md., where the group attended the play, “Happy Days.”

Students also gained perspective on today’s important issues through personal visits on Capitol Hill with Georgia’s representatives in the U.S. House and Senate.  Later they participated in National Youth Day and competed for the Annual Youth Leadership Council (YLC).

At the end of the trip, Smith, Kelley and the other youth delegates, returned home with a beyond-the-classroom look of the nation's capitol, a better understanding and appreciation of the sacrifices made by others, and hundreds of new lifelong friends with whom they shared a journey of a lifetime experience.

“This trip exceeded all of my expectations.  I enjoyed all the stops and tours, but the friendships made are most memorable and will last a lifetime,” Patrick Kelley notes. “I am more determined than ever to become a leader in the field of computer science or computer engineering.”  Smith plans to study Public Relations and focus on organizational speaking and fundraising for non-profit organizations here and abroad.

The Electric Cooperative Youth Tour has brought high school students to Washington, D.C. every June since the late 1950s.  Electric cooperatives select students from across the United States for this program.  Since 1964, EMCs nationwide have sponsored more than 40,000 high school students to spend a week in Washington, D.C.  Georgia has participated in the Youth Tour since 1965, and it is the premiere youth event for 38 of the 42 Georgia EMCs.

To learn about the tour's history, reconnect with fellow alumni or learn more about future opportunities, prospective participants and WYT alumni can visit www.youthtour.coop or Jackson EMC's Community page on Facebook.  Photos from this year’s tour are on the national Youth Tour Web site at http://photos.youthtour.org/2011-Youth-Tour.