Upshur Rural
Electric Cooperative
Serving East Texans
since 1937.
Outage Updates: At this time, there are no updates to report.
***URECC MEMBERS IN THE GUM SPRINGS AND HALLSVILLE AREAS***
One of our contractors, Empact, will be in your area soon to collect important pole data for our engineering department. They will be in a marked vehicle, and you may notice them working in your area. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to our Member Services department at 903-843-2536. Thank you for your cooperation!
Texas Electric Cooperative
2025 Government in Action Youth Tour
The trip of a lifetime for high school juniors!
Calling all future leaders! Want to know how URECC is empowering students to become their best selves? Watch this exciting video to discover everything about Youth Tour and ETREYS, two incredible opportunities that could change your life!
The deadline for Youth Tour is February 17th, and ETREYS is March 28th. Don’t miss out—click the links below to apply NOW!
Students can apply for an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C.
This year, Upshur Rural EC is proud to sponsor 1 high school student from its service area to participate in Youth Tour.
Youth Tour begins at: Hilton Austin Airport Hotel, 9515 Hotel Dr, Austin, TX 78719
Texas Youth Tour Date: June 15-22, 2025
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Arrive (Austin): Sunday, June 15
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Fly out to DC: Monday, June 16
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DC Scheduled Time: June 16-21
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Fly Back to Austin & Final Activities: Sunday, June 22
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Go Home Day: Monday, June 23 by 10:00 a.m.
Eligible entrants must:
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Be a high school Junior.
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Be a dependent of an Upshur Rural EC member with permanent resident status in the co-op’s service area or attend a school served by the co-op.
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Submit a COMPLETED application and 2 recommendation letters.
Applications must arrive at Upshur Rural EC by February 17th, 2025. They can be submitted by online email, in person at our office, or by mail.
For more information about Youth Tour, visit TexasYouthTour.com and YouthTour.org or contact us at youthtour@urecc.com.
Since their founding more than 80 years ago, Texas’ electric cooperatives have been committed to empowering the communities they serve. Of course, that mission includes providing electricity, but it’s so much more than that. Co-ops not only power homes and businesses across rural and suburban Texas but also invest time, energy, and compassion into improving their members’ quality of life.
That means investing in our young people—the leaders of tomorrow. And one of the main ways Upshur Rural Electric Cooperative works to empower local youths is through the Government-in-Action Youth Tour, a weeklong, guided trip to Austin and Washington, D.C.
Texas electric cooperatives sent their first Youth Tour delegation to Washington in 1965. The group of 58 deserving teens joined their peers from across Co-op Country to explore the capital, meet with their congressional representatives to discuss important issues, and broaden their view of the world. Since then, more than 4,400 Texas students have gone on the unforgettable trip.
To become part of this enduring legacy and represent Upshur Rural EC on Youth Tour, apply now!
Government-in-Action Youth Tour
For high school students who grow up in rural Texas, visiting a place like Washington, D.C., might sound like a far-away dream. But every year, more than 100 such students are given the opportunity to travel to the capital for an intensive weeklong tour—and it doesn't cost them a dime.
In June, the Government-in-Action Youth Tour, sponsored the state's electric cooperatives in conjunction with Texas Electric Cooperatives and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, sends select students on an all-expense-paid trip to the nation's capital. In Washington, tour participants get to see with their own eyes sights they may have only experienced in history books or on television.
In addition to visiting monuments, museums and historical sites that would be a part of any standard tour of the capital, the students also fulfill the ambition of then-U.S. Sen. Lyndon Johnson, who inspired the Youth Tour with his desire expressed in 1957 for young people to "actually see what the flag stands for and represents."
Tour participants get to meet their members of Congress, hear inspirational speakers and interact with other Youth Tour participants from across the country. Texas' students also have the chance to participate in the wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, see the Sunset Parade at the Marine Corps War Memorial, and visit the Supreme Court, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives' chambers and the Library of Congress.
After the intense week on the go—traveling, eating and touring together—many of the Youth Tour participants form fast friendships that continue after they return home. Inspired by their trip, some Youth Tour alumni have gone on to enter public service. And almost to a person, those who have gone on the Youth Tour have called it "the trip of a lifetime."
