Skip to main content
Home
Menu

If you are experiencing an outage, utilize the SmartHub app, or call 800-794-1989. If there is an emergency situation, please press 0 to speak to a member service representative. DO NOT LEAVE A MESSAGE FOR EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. 

 

 

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Board of Trustees
    • Cooperative Leadership
    • Powering Fort Leavenworth
    • Cooperative Transparency
    • About Touchstone Energy
  • Contact Us
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Media Inquiries
    • Submit Feedback
  • Member Services
    • Apply for Service
    • Payment Options
      • Understanding Your Bill
      • Payment Assistance
      • Pay Now!
    • Capital Credits
    • Your Service
      • Security Options
      • Tree-Trimming
      • High Bill Concern
    • Member Programs
      • Co-op Connections Card
      • Ask Matt
      • Medical Necessity Notification
      • Renewable Energy
      • Time of Use
    • Charges and Fees
    • Member Guide
    • Rebates
    • Water Heaters
    • New Construction
  • Outage Center
    • Outage Map
    • Social Feeds
    • Storm Updates
  • Communications
    • Connect With Us!
    • Kansas Country Living
    • Mobile Background Images
    • The Signal
  • Community Development
    • Co-op Events
    • Co-op's Vote
    • CoBank Sharing Success
    • Local Sponsorships
    • Operation Round-Up
    • Youth Programs
    • FreeState Business Directory
  • Safety
    • Agriculture Safety
    • Emergency Preparedness
    • Generator Safety
    • Meter Access
    • Power Line Safety
    • Safety Demonstrations
    • Ten Tips To Avoid Scams
  • Co-op FAQ
  • SmartHub Mobile
    • Using SmartHub
  • Annual Meeting
    • Annual Meeting FAQ
    • What's On The Ballot?
  • COVID-19

Youth Programs

You are here

  1. Community Development
  2. Youth Programs

Check back in January 2022! 

FreeState Electric Cooperative invests in our youth with opportunities that are designed to reflect the realities of our society and its preference for dynamic, personal interactions. In today's professional world, employers and thought leaders want to see presenters who make a connection with the audience while communicating a message. These experiences are all-expenses-paid and will truly be the experiences of a lifetime for area youth. 

Kansas Electric Cooperatives informed us that both out-of-state trips for 2021 have been canceled due to COVID-19.

Who Is Eligible?
Any high school junior whose parents or guardians are members of FreeState Electric Cooperative, living in the service territory, is eligible to apply for these all-expense paid opportunities. 

How to apply
Visit our Youth Program Application Page for details on what is required to apply. Each student will need to fill out an application and provide a short essay that can be completed and uploaded right on the website!

Students who are interested in applying and have more questions can contact the Youth Program Coordinator, Sarah Farlee at 1-800-794-1989 or email for more information.

Youth Program Official Rules
Apply Now

During the Kansas Electric Cooperatives Board Meeting on Dec. 3, 2020, the KEC Board of Trustees voted to cancel all out-of-state youth programs for 2021. Therefore, the 2021 Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., and the 2021 Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp in Colorado have been canceled. Instead of heading out of state, selected youth will be taking part in the Kansas Electric Youth Leadership Conference.

 

Ankey interactive experience, the Kansas Electric Youth Leadership Conference will focus each morning on different aspects of leadership and will include engaging speakers, dynamic activities, and unique challenges. Networking is always a big part of the electric cooperative youth programs as delegates connect with like-minded, high-achieving teens. Through the 2021 virtual leadership experience, students can get to know their peers across the state through mentor groups and off-line chats.

Delegates who participate will be eligible for a $1,000 scholarship from FreeState. In addition, all student participants are also eligible to apply for an annual $1,000 state scholarship and a $10,000 national scholarship only available to Youth Tour alumni!

If you know of a student leader who is ready for new experiences, geared up to network with fellow youth leaders, and willing to learn more about themselves and their community, encourage them to apply for the Kansas Electric Youth Leadership Conference.

 

Youth Tour

Youth Tour

Each year cooperatives select area youth for this opportunity as part of our strong commitment to the community and our mission to inspire the future generations to become leaders.

This trip opens the eyes of many students to future possibilities in leadership roles while building lifelong friendships. The delegates also visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum, Smithsonian Museums, Mount Vernon, Arlington National Cemetery, attended a professional baseball game at the Nationals Stadium, and had a laugh at the production of Shear Madness at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The delegates also attended the NRECA Youth Day that brought together all 1,700 youth from 43 states to hear speakers.

Youth Tour 2021 is scheduled for June 17 to 24, 2021.

FreeState will sponsor ONE area student for this life-changing trip!

CYLC

Camp

Cooperative Leadership Camp
At the Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp, the campers participated in daily membership meetings where they established committees and elected a general manager and board of directors. Campers also had time to enjoy area activities including visits to Fish Creek Falls and Steamboat Springs, river rafting, and participating in camp activities such as volleyball, swimming, and a talent show. 

The youth learned about the workings of electric cooperatives through a variety of activities: Yampa Valley Electric’s linemen led a high voltage safety demonstration, campers competed in building a model transmission line out of craft supplies, and they toured the Trapper Mine and Craig Power Plant.

Leadership Camp is scheduled for July 16 to 22, 2021.

FreeState will sponsor ONE area student for this life-changing trip!

Alumni Stories

alumni

Read stories from some of our program alumni! 

Where are they now? How Youth Tour Changes Lives

Where are they now? How Camp Changes Lives

 

Read stories from our 2019 youth program participants 

FreeState exposes youth to co-op and careers

Elevated and Inspired Leadership in D.C. 

Camp Summary

2020 Winners

We congratulate Emma Coit, McLouth, Mary Kate Gerber, Silver Lake, Samual Manus, Tonganoxie, and Christopher Raithel, McLouth for being selected to represent the cooperative. 

The COVID-19 pandemic forced NRECA and regional groups to make the tough decision to cancel both the Youth Tour trip to Washington, D.C. and the Cooperative Leadership Camp in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

It was determined it would be in the best interests of the student winners and chaperones to cancel.

The delegates representing FreeState, although disappointed, were granted a scholarship in place of the trip in 2020.

The safety of our students and chaperones is our top priority. If the Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp organizers feel that travel is unsafe due to concerns with the coronavirus (or any other acts of terrorism, disaster, civil disorder, or curtailment of transportation facilities), then the trip will be canceled.

 

Back to Top

Quick Links

  • Contact Us
  • News
  • Legal Info

Contact Info

McLouth Office
507 N. Union
PO Box 70
McLouth, KS 66054

Topeka Office
1100 SW Auburn Rd. 
Topeka, KS 66615

Toll-Free:800-794-1989

EMAIL US!

 

About Us

With 14,974 members and 20,551 service points FreeState Electric Cooperative is the largest rural electric cooperative in Eastern Kansas and the fifth largest rural electric cooperative in the state of Kansas. FreeState serves nine Kansas counties and provides distribution infrastructure to Fort Leavenworth. 

Follow Us Online

©2021 FreeState Electric Cooperative. All Rights Reserved.

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Board of Trustees
    • Cooperative Leadership
    • Powering Fort Leavenworth
    • Cooperative Transparency
    • About Touchstone Energy
  • Contact Us
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Media Inquiries
    • Submit Feedback
  • Member Services
    • Apply for Service
    • Payment Options
      • Understanding Your Bill
      • Payment Assistance
      • Pay Now!
    • Capital Credits
    • Your Service
      • Security Options
      • Tree-Trimming
      • High Bill Concern
    • Member Programs
      • Co-op Connections Card
      • Ask Matt
      • Medical Necessity Notification
      • Renewable Energy
      • Time of Use
    • Charges and Fees
    • Member Guide
    • Rebates
    • Water Heaters
    • New Construction
  • Outage Center
    • Outage Map
    • Social Feeds
    • Storm Updates
  • Communications
    • Connect With Us!
    • Kansas Country Living
    • Mobile Background Images
    • The Signal
  • Community Development
    • Co-op Events
    • Co-op's Vote
    • CoBank Sharing Success
    • Local Sponsorships
    • Operation Round-Up
    • Youth Programs
    • FreeState Business Directory
  • Safety
    • Agriculture Safety
    • Emergency Preparedness
    • Generator Safety
    • Meter Access
    • Power Line Safety
    • Safety Demonstrations
    • Ten Tips To Avoid Scams
  • Co-op FAQ
  • SmartHub Mobile
    • Using SmartHub
  • Annual Meeting
    • Annual Meeting FAQ
    • What's On The Ballot?
  • COVID-19