Youth Programs: Exploring Unique Opportunities for Local Students
This time of year, the Indiana Electric Cooperatives start opening online applications for some of their youth programs. Kosciusko REMC is proud to facilitate these valuable opportunities for our local youth. Programs like Camp Kilowatt and the Indiana Youth Tour to Washington D.C. are unique experiences that help participants shape values and skill sets they will carry with them throughout school and beyond. In this blog, we will explore the Indiana Electric Cooperatives Youth Programs and give you important information regarding the application window and process.
PAGE DAY
The Page Day online student application is OPEN NOW! Page Day is an interactive, educational experience that allows students the opportunity to learn about the daily activities that take place in the Statehouse during the legislative session.
All applicants must be high school students and have adequate transportation to and from the Statehouse. Home-schooled students are eligible to apply. The application deadline is Jan. 5. If students have participated in previous page days, they are eligible to reapply each year. Registration is 8 to 8:30 a.m. at the Statehouse, and the program will dismiss at 3:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided by Indiana Electric Cooperatives.
There are two 2024 Electric Cooperative Page Days:
Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024 Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024
January 24 has 50 spots available. IEC will maintain a waitlist after 50 participants are reached. This is a day when the State Senate is in committee, allowing Page Day participants to conduct their mock bill activity in the Senate chamber. Participants will also watch committee proceedings when possible.
February 20 has 20 spots available. IEC will maintain a waitlist after 20 participants are reached. This is a day when the State Senate is in session, allowing Page Day participants to act as pages for State Senators. Participants will also tour the Statehouse and participate in a mock bill activity.
Applicants may be enrolled for one option and be on the waitlist for the other option.
Highlights include a Statehouse tour, mock bill activity, speakers and other educational activities. Students may have the opportunity to see the Indiana Legislature in action and meet state legislators. This program will be held in the Senate. Students who have an interest in participating should apply by visiting IECPageDay.org.
Need more information or have questions?
Rachel McFadden 317-408-7903 rmcfadden@indianaec.org
COOPERATIVE CALENDAR OF STUDENT ART CONTEST
Indiana’s electric cooperatives and their statewide magazine, Indiana Connection, invite students to enter the Cooperative Calendar of Student Art contest. Winning artwork from Indiana K-12 students will illustrate the 2025 calendar. Submissions for the 2025 Cooperative Calendar of Student Art Contest are now OPEN.
Each year, 13 first-place winners and nine honorable mention winners have their artwork featured in the calendar and receive cash prizes.
Who is eligible?
Indiana public, private or home-schooled students in kindergarten through 12th grade during the 2023-24 school year.
What are the prizes?
• A first-place artist will be selected for each grade, K-12, and will receive $200. In addition, the artwork of each grade level winner will illustrate either the cover or one of the 12 months of the calendar.
• Additional artists will earn honorable mention awards and will receive $75. Their works will appear in the printed wall calendar.
• An “Artist of the Year” will be selected from among the first-place winners and receive an additional $100.
What are the details?
• A complete set of rules and required entry forms are available by visiting https://www.indianaconnection.org/for-youth/art-contest/
• Entry deadline is March 29, 2024.
• Questions? Contact Rachel McFadden, 317-408-7903 or youth@indianaec.org.
CAMP KILOWATT
Do you know a sixth-grade student who wants to learn more about electricity and attend a fun, educational summer camp?
Make sure they know about this program!
On December 4, Indiana’s 38 electric cooperatives will start accepting applications from sixth-grade students (entering seventh grade in the fall of 2024) for Camp Kilowatt. Each year, students who attend camp have the opportunity to gain knowledge about the electrical cooperative industry and electricity, participate in fun summer activities and make new friends.
Kosciusko REMC will sponsor up to 2 local students at Camp Kilowatt.
Camp Kilowatt is a three-night, four-day overnight camp hosted at Camp Tecumseh in Brookston, Indiana, and will take place June 5-8, 2024. Students will meet at Camp Tecumseh the afternoon of June 5 and immediately jump into fun activities and start making new friends. Each year, the camp committee works to develop a well-rounded schedule to strike a balance between education and fun. Activities include a live line safety demonstration, bucket truck rides, electrical pole climbing tutorial, and various activities involving circuit boards, renewables and even Internet safety.
Students will be selected for the trip based on applications submitted to their electric cooperative. All applicants must be sponsored by a rural electric cooperative, have completed sixth grade and are enrolled in seventh grade, and have adequate transportation to and from Camp Tecumseh in Brookston, Indiana. Home-schooled students are also eligible to apply. Individual electric cooperatives may also have specific requirements; please check with them for the full list of criteria.
Camp Kilowatt also includes tons of FUN camp outdoor activities. Program highlights include swimming, canoeing, other lake activities, zip lining, archery, horseback riding, a climbing wall, field games and, of course – a campfire and hotdogs.
For more information, please contact Andrea Melton at Kosciusko REMC. amelton@kremc.com (574) 269-0354
INDIANA YOUTH TOUR
Do you know a young adult who wants to get more engaged in government and their community?
MAKE SURE THEY KNOW ABOUT THIS TRIP OF A LIFETIME. On December 4, Indiana’s electric cooperatives will start accepting applications from Indiana high school juniors (fall 2024 seniors) for the 2024 Indiana Electric Cooperative Youth Tour to Washington, D.C. The Indiana Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., provides young adults with the opportunity to travel to our nation’s capital to learn more about how government functions and the complexities of today’s electric utility industry, and to meet peers from around the country.
Kosciusko REMC will sponsor up to 2 local students for Indiana Youth Tour.
The trip is June 16-23, 2024. This is an all-inclusive trip including travel, meals, lodging and activities. Students selected for the trip will have the chance to compete for college scholarship opportunities by applying for the Youth Leadership Council. Students will be selected for the trip based on applications they submit to their electric cooperative. All applicants must be sponsored by an electric cooperative and have completed their junior year in high school at the time of the trip. Home-schooled students are eligible to apply. Individual electric cooperatives may have specific requirements; please check with them for the full list of criteria.
Trip highlights include a visit to Gettysburg, Washington, D.C., monument and museum tours, meetings on Capitol Hill with Indiana’s congressional delegation, the opportunity to make lifelong friends and much more. This really is the trip of a lifetime!
For more information, please contact Andrea Melton at Kosciusko REMC. amelton@kremc.com (574) 269-0354
THE YOUTH, POWER, & HOPE AWARDS
Every year, The IEC and Indiana Connection’s Youth Power and Hope Awards program honors Indiana students in fifth through eighth grades who are leaders in their communities.
Up to five qualified candidates will be selected to receive $500 and be featured in Indiana Connection, among other highlights.
Past award recipients include students who have initiated a coat drive for the underprivileged, supported patients at Riley Hospital for Children, worked with special needs children, volunteered at a local animal shelter, raised money for the American Cancer Society, and more.
Applicants must submit an online application at https://www.indianaconnection.org/youthpowerandhope/ When doing so, applicants will be asked to provide examples of and information about their community service activities, share any relevant photos, and list references who may be contacted for additional information. The deadline for entries is in early October.
For more information on the Indiana Electric Cooperatives Youth Programs and corresponding application links, visit https://kremc.com/youth-programs
Hear more about the last Youth Tour to Washington D.C. on this episode of our podcast Live Wire. We interviewed McKale Hagg after his awesome Youth Tour experience.
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