Camper Allison Grieser, sponsored by Boone REMC, tries on a pair of lineman’s gloves for size.
Some 240 Indiana students kicked off their summer breaks with two impactful programs that combine educational experiences with memory-making fun activities.
Touchstone Energy Camp, held June 6-8 at Camp Tecumseh in Brookston, Indiana, offered over 140 incoming seventh graders a traditional summer camp experience while also injecting information about electric safety and electric co-ops. Activities included horseback riding, swimming, archery, canoe and kayak rides — and utility pole climbing, bucket truck rides, and a demonstration showing the kids how to be safe around power lines.
During the Indiana Youth Tour, June 7-14, high school seniors-to-be visited monuments and attractions in and around the Washington, D.C., area; met with Indiana senators and representatives on Capitol Hill; learned about electric cooperatives; developed leadership skills; and made life-long friends from around the state. This year, 100 students participated in Youth Tour.
While on Youth Tour, Steuben County REMC member Annie Delgadillo was selected as Indiana’s representative on the Youth Leadership Council. Delgadillo will return to Washington, D.C., later this summer to learn more about electric cooperatives and will also attend the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, in March 2019. Abigail Vinarcik was named YLC alternate, and Dawson Odle was chosen as runner-up. Both are Tipmont REMC members.
Interested in 2019 trips?
Students beginning sixth grade this fall will be grade eligible for next year’s Touchstone Energy Camp, and students entering their junior year of high school this fall will be able to apply for the 2019 Indiana Youth Tour. More information on how to apply for these youth programs will be available from your co-op late this fall.
Youth Tour participants gather in front of the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial, also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial, one of their stops during their whirlwind trip.
Campers and their chaperones pause for a photo.
