Youth Energy Camp
Each year Perennial accepts applications from area high school students to attend
the NREA Youth Energy Camp at State 4-H Camp in the Halsey National Forest,
usually the third week in July. The popular 5 day camp is set up to give
young people a better understanding of the legislative process, electric
power generation and the rural electric program. Our goal is to offer
a program that challenges participants educationally, recreationally
and socially.
The Youth Energy Camp is established as an operating rural electric system and
provides a "hands-on" approach to member-owned businesses. The students will join high school students
from Nebraska and Wyoming, along with adult counselors and junior counselors.
The adult counselors are employees of rural electric systems who donate
their time and talents to the camp. The junior counselors are selected
by their peers to return to next year's camp.
The State 4-Camp is located in the Halsey National Forest, near Halsey, Neb. Recreational facilities include basketball, volleyball and canoeing. Camp expenses and transportation are provided by Perennial. High school sophomores and juniors whose families are customers of Perennial may apply. Eligible students must contact Perennial by May 15. A highlight of the camp involves a tour of the Kingsley Hydro Station at Lake McConaughy and Gerald Gentleman Station, a coal-fired power plant at Sutherland, Neb.
Youth Tour
The Nebraska Rural Electric Washington Youth Tour is an annual, weeklong, all-expenses-paid
trip to Washington, DC, that is open to high school students who have
participated in the Youth Energy Camp. Nationwide, rural electric providers
from 41 states participate. In all, more than 1,300 young people from
across the nation gather in Washington, DC, each year for this event.
The Nebraska Rural Electric Association sends students to Washington, DC, for
a variety of reasons including:
1. Educating students about the role of rural electric systems in the
national economy;
2. Fostering students' appreciation for the democratic form of government;
3. Exposing students to the sights and sounds of our nation's heritage;
and
4. Building students' leadership skills so that they may make a difference
in their rural communities.
High school students who attend the energy camp have the opportunity
to compete for a chance to participate as state ambassadors in the National
Rural Electric Cooperative Association's Youth Tour in Washington D.C.
in June of the following year. All ambassador expenses are paid by the
Nebraska Rural Electric Association and through a scholarship provided
by Union Bank and Trust. Three students are selected by their peers to
serve as ambassadors.
The Ambassador competition involves submitting an application at Youth Energy Camp, presenting a self-introduction speech, and delivering a five-minute speech on an assigned topic. Each camper votes for three candidates following the speech with the top male, top female and person with the next highest vote total becoming next year's ambassadors. The top six finalists and ties are invited to return to next year's Youth Energy Camp as junior counselors.
Anyone who has attended camp may also have the opportunity to attend Youth Tour as a delegate of Perennial. Those who are interested should contact Perennial for more information.