Cornhusker Public Power District offers six scholarships for high school students, grades 9, 10, or 11, to attend a week long NREA Youth Energy Leadership Camp at Camp Comeca in Cozad, Nebraska, July 21 – 25, 2025. This opportunity is an all-expense paid trip including transportation to and from camp.
To select the six campers, students will be asked to submit an essay on why they want to attend Energy Camp. Once the student submits their information below, they will receive a packet in the mail with essay instructions.
NOTE: IF MORE THAN SIX ESSAYS ARE RECEIVED, A CONTEST WILL BE HELD (AT A LATER DATE) TO DETERMINE THE SIX SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS. Essays must be received by April 11, 2025.
The student’s home must be served by Cornhusker Public Power District or the Village of Spalding.
YOUTH TOUR IN WASHINGTON D.C.
Students who attend camp are eligible to attend Youth Tour in Washington D.C. the following June. Cornhusker Public Power District will cover 75% of the total cost, with the remaining 25% to be covered by the student.
The Nebraska Rural Electric Washington Youth Tour is an annual, week-long, all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC, that is open to high school students who have participated in the Youth Energy Camp. Nationwide, rural electric providers from 41 states participate. In all, more than 1,800 young people from across the nation gather in Washington, DC, each year for this event. Member-systems of NREA send students to Washington, DC, for a variety of reasons including:
- Educating students about the role of rural electric systems in the national economy;
- Fostering students’ appreciation for the democratic form of government;
- Exposing students to the sights and sounds of our nation’s heritage; and
- Building students’ leadership skills so that they may make a difference in their rural communities.
High school students who attend the energy camp have the opportunity to compete for a chance to participate as state ambassadors in the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Youth Tour in Washington D.C. in June of the following year. All ambassador expenses are paid by the Nebraska Rural Electric Association and through a scholarship provided by the Cooperative Finance Corporation. Three students are selected by their peers to serve as ambassadors.
The Ambassador competition involves submitting an application at Youth Energy Camp, presenting a self-introduction speech, and delivering a five-minute speech on an assigned topic. Each camper votes for three candidates following the speech with the top male, top female and person with the next highest vote total becoming next year’s ambassadors. The top six finalists and ties are invited to return to next year’s Youth Energy Camp as junior counselors.
Nebraska delegates and ambassadors will tour the Nation’s Capitol including the National Mall and the Smithsonian Museums. Participants will have breakfast with the Nebraska congressional delegation and they will visit congressional offices. Trips outside the Beltway include a visit to Gettysburg and Mount Vernon.
The Washington Youth Tour is sponsored by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), the Nebraska Rural Electric Association and participating members of the NREA. NREA Director of Government Relations, James Dukesherer, serves as Youth Tour Director.
