Developing Tomorrow's Leaders
Each summer, United Power selects local youth within its service territory who stand out from among their peers to represent the cooperative for a week in the mountains of northwest Colorado at the Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp or on an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. for the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour. Students are able to build resumes, craft new friendships and develop important leadership skills to become leaders in their communities, school and among their peers. These youth trips also teach the youth the importance of cooperatives and the principles that govern them. United Power, along with other rural electric cooperatives in Colorado, are helping develop tomorrow's brightest leaders.
For more information, contact United Power.
Applicationa are closed for 2025.
June 16-22, 2025
Spend a week in Washington D.C. with other local student leaders learning the history of cooperatives, meeting with state representatives and developing leadership skills.
Electric Cooperative Youth Tour
Washington, D.C.
The Electric Cooperative Youth Tour has brought high school students to Washington, D.C. every June since the late 1950s. Be part of the nearly 1,500 high school students from across the nation for a fun-filled, all-expenses-paid week in the nation's capital!
Colorado Youth Tour participants begin the tour in Denver, where they learn about Colorado’s state government and rural electric cooperatives. From Denver, students fly to Washington, where they attend educational seminars and visit with Colorado state representatives in the House and the Senate. Students also visit historic sites in Washington, D.C., including the Lincoln Memorial, Mount Vernon, Arlington Cemetery and the Smithsonian, among others.
Participating in the Youth Tour is a great way to learn more about our nation's history, develop leadership skills, gain a better understanding of electric cooperatives and make lasting friendships.
The Electric Cooperative Youth Tour is open to high school students 16 years of age or older entering 11th or 12th grade and whose primary residence is in United Power’s service territory. United Power will send three students to the Cooperative Youth Tour.
For more information, follow the Youth Tour on social media:
twitter.com/YouthTourDC
facebook.com/NRECAYouthTour
www.nreca.coop/youthtour
July 12-17, 2025
What does it mean to lead by cooperative values? Learn the cooperative principles and how to lead by example at this week-long youth leadership camp with fellow students from Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming.
Youth Leadership Camp
Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Every July, United Power and electric cooperatives in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Wyoming send nearly 100 high school students to a resort in the mountains of northwest Colorado near Steamboat Springs to participate in a fun and educational seminar. The primary objective of the camp is to provide an educational experience for students on the organization and operation of a cooperative. The entire group tours the Craig Station Power Plant, the largest electric generating station in Colorado, and the Trapper Coal Mine which supplies Craig. Additionally, students participate in activities to build self-confidence and develop leadership skills to model in their schools and communities back home.
Students are guaranteed to have plenty of fun. The resort has volleyball courts, a swimming pool, hot tubs and tennis courts. The week will include dances, banquets, trips to the top of Mt. Warner, and time to explore downtown Steamboat Springs, one of the premier ski resorts in the world.
The Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp is open to high school students 16 years of age or older whose primary residence is in United Power’s service territory. United Power will send three students to the Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp.