Greenwell Springs, Louisiana – DEMCO announced their 47th annual essay contest, open to high school juniors in DEMCO’s seven-parish service areas: Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Livingston, St. Helena, Tangipahoa, and West Feliciana. 

Students must submit an original essay written as a letter to a political leader about a topic of concern and importance to the student author. Entries can be submitted online at https://DEMCO.org/essay-contest by January 26, 2024. 

Throughout the submission and award process, participating students have many learning opportunities to understand the electrical cooperative's business model better and gain insight into how their national government operates.

After an initial round of judging, twelve semi-finalists are selected to give an oral presentation of their written essay. Four students win an all-expense-paid trip to participate as DEMCO delegates at the NRECA Rural Electric Youth Tour in Washington, D.C., June 15-22, 2024.

David Latona, vice president of marketing and member services, shared information about the trip and said, “DEMCO delegates attend Youth Tour to learn about electric cooperatives, American history, and U.S. government. The trip is fun but also very educational. A highlight of the trip is when our delegation meets with their representatives in the House and Senate.”

To learn about the history of the NRECA Youth Tour, visit https://demco.org/youth-tour-history. To listen to other Youth Tour delegates about their experience while at Youth Tour, visit https://demco.org/youth-tour-experiences.

DEMCO powers 115,000+ meters in a seven-parish service area of Southeast Louisiana: Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Livingston, St. Helena, Tangipahoa, and West Feliciana.

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