Since their creation, rural electric cooperatives have been dedicated to serving their communities. This commitment extends beyond proving power. Bolstering communities as a whole is a core value of your local Touchstone Energy® Cooperative. These community leaders know that ensuring a community remains strong in the future starts with focusing on the youth of today.
Today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders. That’s why Touchstone Energy Cooperatives are lighting their way by teaching, mentoring, and providing real-world experiences that help students better understand how the electric industry affects numerous aspects of daily life.
A few ways your local energy cooperative is engaging today’s youth are:
Co-ops in the Classroom
Co-ops in the Classroom provides hands-on learning experiences and teaches students ways to use energy wisely, including conservation tactics and safety measures.
Touchstone Energy Scholar of the Week
Each week throughout the school year, one student is awarded a $250 scholarship and is recognized on Dakota News Now through the Touchstone Energy Scholar of the Week program. Recipients are chosen based on academic achievement, co-curricular involvement and community service. All recipients are also recognized at an annual banquet.
Local 4-H and FFA club partnerships
Your local energy cooperative partners with area 4-H and FFA Clubs, putting on camps and speaking at conventions across the region. Through these partnerships, students can participate in workshops and hear first-hand from industry leaders about how energy is used on a day to day basis, as well as explore career opportunities in the energy sector.
Youth Excursions
Students are invited to apply for youth excursions to both Basin Electric headquarters in North Dakota and Washington D.C. It’s imperative that today’s youth learn the inner workings of the political process as well as how electricity is created and how it impacts the nation as a whole.
To learn more about how rural electric cooperatives are empowering tomorrow’s leaders, contact your local Touchstone Energy Cooperative.