Colorado’s Electric Cooperatives Support Opportunities for Youth

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.