Youth Tour

The Trip of a Lifetime!

Eligibility and Application Requirements

Each June, Medina EC sends students on the Government-in-Action Youth Tour, aka "the trip of a lifetime!"

More than 1,500 students from across the country, almost 150 of those being from Texas, take the one week trip to Washington, D.C. Texas students start their trip in Austin to tour the State Capitol before heading to our nation's capital. While in D.C., they will visit museums, Capitol Hill with congressional representatives, Arlington National Cemetery, see a performance at the Kennedy Center, take a Potomac River Dinner Boat Cruise and so much more!

Learn More Here

2023 Youth Tour - $500 College Scholarship Available!

Medina EC's Board of Directors have approved sending three high school sophomores and juniors on the 2023 trip! That trip is scheduled to take place June 11-20, 2023.

We will still select 3 winners, and each winner will get a $500 college scholarship. Winners will also attend a Youth Tour day, where they will learn more about their cooperative, meet the other selected students, and complete paperwork for the trip.

2023 Applications were due on January 6.

If you have questions, contact us at YouthTour@MedinaEC.org.

2023 Winners

Abigail Arnett, D'Hanis

"If I had an opportunity to change one thing about my community to better it for the future, it would be to clean and spruce up the Holy Cross Cemetery to help it become more appealing to the eye and to pay respects to those who have passed. Cemeteries are not only final resting places, but a reflection of those who have had an impact on the world. It's a quiet place of respect and mourning, so it should be kept clean."

Molly Lessing, Hondo

“I would encourage the offering of more career development classes. This would enhance student motivation and exposure to career opportunities. Offering career development classes earlier on in life can expose students to career paths and jobs they may not have known existed. They can find their true interests and become motivated to work harder in the core subjects...”

Breanna Slaughter, D’Hanis

“The consequence of this poor grading system is advanced classes not contributing more to GPAs, which results in students not applying themselves and the class rankings becoming unfair. For these reasons, the grading system of my school needs to change. Attempting to change the grading system will certainly be a lengthy process, but one I feel is worth fighting for.”

Applications were due on January 6, 2023*. Check back later this year for 2024 applications.

* Technical support will not be available outside of normal business hours. Encountering technical issues turning in the application on the last day will not be grounds for an extension.

The contest submission must be an original essay addressing the following topic: If you had the opportunity to change one thing about your school or community, what would it be and why? Additionally, how would you go about making the change?

The submission must meet the following requirements:

  1. Please cite references used and do not plagiarize or copy work. Follow the MLA style.
  2. Submission size cannot exceed 50 MB.
  3. All submissions are judged anonymously. Please be sure your name is not used, and please be sure you do not appear in the video.
  4. Essay submission must be between 300-500 words, typed and double-spaced. Formats accepted: Adobe PDF (.pdf) or Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx).

High school sophomores and juniors whose parent or legal guardian is a member of Medina EC are eligible for the trip.

 

 

FREE!

Medina EC pays for all travel expenses including airfare, hotel and food. However, most students like to bring additional money for spending on souvenirs.

 

 

Not only is this a great resumé builder, you will meet new friends, learn how our government works, and more. Medina EC's Youth Tour participants also receive $500 scholarships when they graduate from high school!

 

 

The entries will be scored by an independent judge. 

One student from each of the three voting districts will receive this trip and scholarship. If an application that meets eligibility is not received from one of the voting districts, then the next highest scoring student from one of the other voting districts will receive the trip.

Medina EC reserves the right to select another contestant for the Youth Tour trip if a winner is found to be a poor representative of the program and the cooperative.