Colorado’s Electric Cooperatives Support Opportunities for Youth

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For more than three decades, the electric cooperatives of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Wyoming have conducted a fun weeklong experience known as Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp. Every July, selected high school students travel to Clark, Colorado (north of Steamboat Springs), after being chosen by their local cooperatives as participants. This year’s Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp was another huge success with 79 student campers, six ambassadors, and 13 counselors participating.

The annual CYLC provides an opportunity for the campers to learn about the fundamentals and operation of a co-op, electricity generation and safety, gain valuable leadership skills, and, of course, have a ton of summer fun.

The best way to learn about a co-op is to form one, and that is what the campers did. When students arrived the first day, they formed a camp co-op by electing a board of directors and hiring a general manager. Each camper was expected to take part in the workings of the camp co-op by seeking election to the board and by serving on one of the camp activity committees.

A presentation from HawkQuest taught campers about raptors and the electric cooperatives’ role in avian protection. The days were busy, but the evenings were also packed with fun — like a talent show. The amount of creativity showcased at the talent show was incredible this year; the night ended with many smiles and laughs all around.

During the week, students also attended talks about leadership and conflict management. Campers discovered the variety of co-op careers, watched a high-voltage electric safety demonstration, toured a power plant, and learned where electricity comes from through a presentation titled The Story Behind the Switch. The campers then took what they had learned and built generation and transmission models out of craft supplies. The winning team earned the coveted prized of being able to skip the line for lunch and dinner for the rest of camp!

There is plenty of time for fun and games. Glen Eden Resort has a volleyball court, swimming pool, a hot tub, and tennis courts that students enjoyed. There was a dance, a pizza party, a trip to the top of Mt. Werner, time to explore Steamboat Springs, and a rafting trip on the Colorado River.

A banquet on the final night of camp gave students an opportunity to say goodbye to their new camp friends; and they also finalized the election of the 2025 camp ambassadors. The three Western Division ambassadors for 2025 are represented by Y-W Electric: Anderson Filla, Alyssa Roberts, and Haylee Roseberry. Clancy Cummings, Tessa Inman, and Kase Kill were elected as the three Eastern Division ambassadors. These ambassadors will attend next year’s camp to help as student leaders.

Each local cooperative has its own qualifications for participation in the Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp. Camp is open to students who are entering their junior or senior year of high school in the fall. If you know someone who may be interested in attending camp next year, see a local high school counselor or give your local electric cooperative a call.

Colorado’s Electric Co-ops Send Volunteer Crews to Light Up Navajo Nation

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In June and July, seven Colorado electric co-op line crews traveled to parts of Arizona to help electrify homes on Navajo Nation.

More than 13,000 families living on Navajo Nation do not have basic access to electricity at home.

An initiative between the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority and the American Public Power Association, Light Up Navajo works to change that statistic and to change people’s lives. “It is hard to believe that in 2024 there are still families in the United States that have never experienced having electricity,” CREA Board President Steve Valdez said.

Some NTUA applicants have waited years for electricity at home. Challenges include infrastructure limitations, supply chain issues, and siting and permitting considerations. Melissa, a new NTUA customer whose home was connected in June, had waited one year for electricity. “I purchased my home last year and was trying to take care of my family,” she said. She and her kids lived with Melissa’s parents during that time. “Now my kids have electricity and we’re going to be forever grateful,” she said, expressing thanks to the Colorado crew that worked to connect her home.

CREA supported the project. “CREA is incredibly proud of the lineworkers from Colorado’s electric co-ops who helped bring light and power to residents of the Navajo Nation.” CREA Executive Director Kent Singer said. “We are thankful for the opportunity to improve the lives of our neighbors in northern Arizona.”

Since 2008, NTUA and volunteer crews have connected more than 7,500 homes to receive electricity. This year’s mission was to connect at least 150 homes. Volunteer crews surpassed that goal and helped connect 170 homes.

“Participating in projects such as Light Up Navajo are important because they exemplify the cooperative principle of Concern for Community,” Valdez concluded. “Volunteers banding together to improve quality of life is how co-ops got their start. Today, Colorado’s electric co-ops are still improving the quality of life in rural areas — it’s who we are.”