Applications for the 2023 period are now closed. Applications for 2024 will open on November 1, 2024.
Each year, GVP selects one high school junior or senior to attend the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour, an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. This trip allows students to gain a personal understanding of American history and travel with over 1,800 students from rural communities across the nation. Students embark on an eight-day adventure around Washington, D.C., and visit iconic locations, including Arlington National Cemetery, Lincoln Memorial, Kennedy Center, and much more!
In July, two students will also attend the Colorado Electric Education Institute’s Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp (CYLC) in Clark, Colorado, just outside Steamboat Springs. Here they will join approximately 90 students from Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Wyoming to improve their leadership skills, set up and operate a cooperative, participate in legislative forums, and enjoy some classic Colorado activities like rafting and touring the Trapper Mine.
So don't delay - apply today!
Youth Program Information
The Cooperative Leadership Camp is an all-expense-paid trip to Clark, Colorado, located just outside of Steamboat Springs. High school juniors and seniors from Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Wyoming will gather at a beautiful resort located along the Elk River and spend the week at an outstanding Leadership Camp. You’ll participate in activities to improve personal goals, set up and run your own cooperative, and get an inside view of the state and national legislatures. There is plenty of time spent rafting the Colorado River, hiking to Fish Creek Falls, riding the gondola to Mt. Werner, banquets, BBQ's, dancing and more. Many of the attendees call this camp a “life-changing” experience. This year's trip will be from July 15-20, 2023.
If you’re a high school junior or senior whose family gets its power from Grand Valley Power, if you’re smart or have big dreams of seeing the country, if you like history or want to shake hands with your congressman, if you’ve never flown in a plane but want to travel, if you want to meet new people from Colorado and across the country, then the Washington, D.C. Youth Tour is for you. Candidates compete for a spot in the Washington, D.C. Youth Tour, a week-long all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., sponsored by Grand Valley Power and organized by the Colorado Rural Electric Association, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and the Colorado Electric Educational Institute. The Washington D.C. Youth Tour is scheduled for June 12-18, 2023.
Eligible applicants must be:
1. High school students* that are at least 16 years of age on or before the selected trip,
2. Dependents of parents or guardians that are members of Grand Valley Power.
*You must currently still be attending high school at the time of application. If you will graduate during the summer of 2023, you are still eligible to attend camp.
Complete the 2023 Leadership Camp Application by online submission (see below), or fill out the PDF and print out the required information.
Submit a typed essay (minimum length of 500 words) covering the following questions:
- Why do you want to attend the Youth Leadership Camp?
- What are some of your hobbies, extracurricular activities, volunteer experiences or academic achievements that you would like us to know about?
- What do you hope to gain from this experience?
Send us your completed application and essay by January 9, 2023 either by online submission (by midnight) or by dropping it off at our main office (by 5 p.m.). We will also accept emailed applications and essays at youthprograms@gvp.org if submitted by midnight.
Send us your completed application and essay by January 9, 2023 either by online submission (by midnight) or by dropping it off at our main office (by 5 p.m.). We will also accept emailed applications and essays at youthprograms@gvp.org if submitted by midnight. Winners will be contacted by January 31, 2023 and selected by the board of directors community committee.
Applicants will be judged on if the required questions were answered, overall content and grammar.