BY SHELLY YORK
Magic? Really? Yes!
The electric cooperative Youth Tour traces its origins to a national electric cooperative annual meeting in 1957, when then-Sen. Lyndon Baines Johnson said in his address to the crowd, “If one thing comes out of this meeting, it will be sending youngsters to the national capital where they can actually see what the flag stands for and represents.”
And that is how Youth Tour was born!
In the following years, some Texas cooperatives sent groups of young people to Washington, D.C., to work during the summer in Johnson’s office. In 1958, Iowa’s electric cooperatives sponsored the first group of 34 young people on a weeklong tour of our nation’s capital. By 1959, the “Youth Tour” had grown to 130 students. In 2025, there were nearly 2,000 student delegates and chaperones that made the annual Youth Tour pilgrimage to our nation’s capital.
What’s so magical about that, you ask?
- A movement like Youth Tour was hatched from a simple comment. To date, more than 50,000 young people have participated, and we never get tired of hearing how it truly is a trip of a lifetime!
- For the Iowa delegation, these 35-40 students meet in Des Moines for orientation without knowing each other. By the end of the week, we are a family of sorts, and many tears are shed when we must go our separate ways.
- The things we get to do and see in one week are truly remarkable (magical, if you will!). We experience and see the Arlington National Cemetery, all the monuments and memorials, the National Mall, the U.S. Capitol, the Marine Corps Sunset Parade and more museums than we can count.
- After a week in D.C., regardless of your political views, you cannot help but come away with a better understanding of your role as an American citizen.
- Learning about the cooperative business model and the seven principles that guide Iowa’s electric cooperatives is often an eye-opener for our student delegates. They leave Youth Tour with a much broader view of how co-ops support their community.
Do you know a high school student interested in history, leadership or public service? Youth Tour might be the perfect (or magical!) fit.
Next year’s Youth Tour dates are June 14-20, 2026.
Look for more details about the trip from your local electric cooperative toward the end of the year or find more details at www.iowayouthtour.com.
Shelly York is the office manager and Iowa Youth Tour director for the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives.
