WREC Youth Programs
Wells Rural Electric Co. firmly believes in Commitment to Community, one of the Seven Cooperative Principles
Starting in February and extending through spring, WREC will take applications for the Next Dollar Foundation Education Grant Program and for high school juniors to participate in WREC’s summer leadership programs. Follow WREC on Facebook and check www.WREC.coop regularly to take advantage of these great youth programs. If you wonder what to expect, here are two testimonials from recent youth camp participants.
Being able to attend URECA’s Michael F. Peterson Youth Challenge two years in a row was an absolute blast, and I am so thankful for the opportunity.
My first year I was chosen to go as a camper and, at first, it was a little nerve-wracking being around a bunch of new people. However, I quickly forgot about everything and the week flew by with all the activities and speakers that give you so much important information that you can take with you throughout the rest of your life and especially your senior year.
The second year, I had the opportunity to return to the camp as a youth leader, which was probably one of the best things I did this last summer because you are in charge of everything and it is up to you to plan everything and make sure you have enough to do for all the kids.
If you get the opportunity to go, please take advantage. You will not regret it. It is a week full of knowledge, leadership development and fun as you meet so many new people and form life-long friendships.
-Sydney Reamer, youth leader for the 2017 Michael F. Peterson Youth Challenge
The best way I can think to describe the week I spent at the NRECA Washington, D.C., Youth Tour is “awe-inspiring.”
I had never been to D.C. prior to this trip, although I had always wanted to go. It amazes me that so much of our country’s short-lived history is all on display in this one city. From standing where Martin Luther King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech to seeing the home of our first president, George Washington, I got to experience so much of Washington, D.C., thanks to this trip sponsored by NRECA and Wells Rural Electric Co.
We also had the experience of meeting Nevada’s state senators, Dean Heller and Catherine Cortez Masto.
I could spend weeks writing about how the Holocaust Museum nearly brought me to tears, how seeing the original American flag gave me the chills, or how looking up at the Washington Monument made me feel powerful.
However, this trip was also filled with laughter, new friends, countless new experiences and many lessons. I learned more about the United States in that week than I learned in 12 years of school, but I also learned that our country truly works toward giving each citizen opportunity. It taught me that, through trial and error, people have been fighting since the very beginning of our nation so that we could enjoy the liberties we have today.
Moving forward, I understand this fight will never be over, and that we all have the responsibility to keep standing up for things that are important to us and we must always use our right to vote. Seeing my nation’s capital is an experience that I will never forget, and I would highly recommend taking the opportunity to go on this trip if it is presented to you.
–Riley Cromie, ICUA Youth Tour leader and NRECA Washington, D.C., Youth Tour participant
