The Power of Connections

economy, expand their understanding of cooperatives as a business model, and are introduced to the cooperative principles and understanding the value of rural electrification. In the early years of Youth Tour, the number of delegates Cuivre River Electric annually sponsored varied; the cooperative started regularly sending six students each year in the 1990s. Overall, since 1964, CREC has sent 240 Youth Tour delegates. The annual tradition is part of a national movement made possible by the nation’s local electric cooperatives, their state associations, and the NRECA. CREC Youth Tour delegates are selected based on essays they write and present to a judging panel. Entries remain anonymous during preliminary judging by the Cuivre River Electric staff. The twelve top-scoring essays are selected as finalists and attend the final competition where they make an oral presentation of their essay and take a cooperative knowledge quiz. The six top-scoring students are selected as Youth Tour delegates, and six additional finalists each receive a $500 scholarship. Due to the pandemic in 2020, travel was suspended, and the top-scoring delegates each received a $2,500 college scholarship and had the opportunity to participate in some virtual activities. In 2021, delegates enjoyed a hybrid experience, with time spent in Jefferson City and at CREC, and each received a laptop. The contest is open to high school juniors who live and attend school in Cuivre River Electric’s general service area or who have the cooperative’s service in their homes. Sponsored by local electric cooperatives across the United States, Youth Tour is built on the belief that textbooks and lectures alone are not enough to help students understand the democratic process and gain the skills necessary to become tomorrow’s leaders. The CYCLE (Cooperative Youth Conference and Leadership Experience) program brings together some of the brightest young leaders from across Missouri. CREC has enabled more than eighty individuals to participate in the program since 2004.

Youth Tour is built on the belief that textbooks and lectures alone are not enough to help students understand the democratic process and gain the skills necessary to become tomorrow’s leaders.

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