GRANTS, N.M. – Continental Divide is now accepting applications for its annual Government-in-Action Youth Tour essay contest for two high school juniors to win an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., June 15-21, 2026.
Some 40 Youth Tour delegates representing electric co-ops across the state tour our nation’s capital every summer. They visit national monuments and museums and learn the importance and uniqueness of our country’s electric co-ops. Students also meet New Mexico’s congressional representatives and discuss federal policy, including our nation’s energy needs.
This year, applicants can either submit an essay between 500 and 750 words or a video submission of five to seven minutes. Essays and videos must address one of the following questions: Discuss how you believe rural communities can play a role in building a sustainable energy future. What ideas or technologies excite you most about the future of energy, and how would you help promote awareness and action in your community?
The Trump Administration's 'Big Beautiful Bill' overhauled our nation's energy policy. How will the changes positively and/or negatively impact rural America?
The Youth Tour essay competition is open to all high school juniors whose parents or legal guardians are active Continental Divide members (account holders) in good standing. The co-op will select two delegates and an alternate if one of the top choices cannot attend. A panel of co-op employees judges the essays and scores them based on content, grammar and overall presentation.
Continental Divide removes names, addresses, the schools they attend, and other information that could identify applicants from the judges’ copies of the essays. All entries must be delivered to the Grants or Gallup office before 5 p.m. Mon., Nov. 3, 2025.
This past June, Jacob Cheromiah of Laguna-Acoma High School and Olivia Toivanen of Grants High School attended Youth Tour. After spending the morning in Santa Fe, learning about state government with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, they parted for Washington, D.C., where they joined about 1,500 other Youth Tour participants from electric co-ops across the country, embarking their learning experience.
Toivanen, who plans to study kinesiology upon graduation called Youth Tour “an opportunity of a lifetime… meeting a whole bunch of different people and seeing the uniqueness from around America all coming together for the same thing.”
During the weeklong trip, Youth Tour participants visit scores of museums and monuments. While they are all great, some stick out more than others. Cheromiah, who plans on earning his doctorate in political science, noted, “It’s a great opportunity if you want to go into that field in college or that career.
Both Toivanen and Cheromiah agree Youth Tour can broaden participants' horizons and help them realize their potential. The annual Government- in-Action Youth Tour is a collaborative effort between electric cooperatives across the country, the New Mexico Rural Electric Cooperatives and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
High school juniors in Continental Divide’s service area can access 2026 Government-in-Action Youth Tour entry forms and rules online at www.cdec.coop/youthtour, at their school and at the co-op’s Grants and Gallup offices. Those interested also can call the co-op’s Haley Martinez at (505) 285-6656 for more details.