Opportunities for high school students

Every year San Luis Valley REC sponsors the Washington D.C. Youth Tour and Cooperative Leadership Camp for high school juniors and seniors. Students’ parents must have an active SLV REC account in their name (member receiving electricity from SLV REC).
One student receives the “trip of a lifetime,” an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. from June 15-21, 2026. They will join more than 1,800 other high school students from towns in rural America to spend a week in the nation’s Capital as part of the 2026 Electric Cooperative Youth Tour.
One additional student will be chosen to attend the Colorado Electric Education Institute’s Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp (CYLC) in Clark, Colo., just outside of Steamboat Springs, from July 11-16, 2026. There they will join approximately 90 students from Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Wyoming to improve upon 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.
To be the lucky winner of the Youth Tour or the Youth Leadership Camp, the application process includes submitting a 500-word essay or a three-minute video. The deadline for submitting applications is January 7, 2026. More details can be found online at slvrec.com (Community tab). Call or email Jennifer Alonzo at 719-852-6660 or jalonzo@slvrec.com with questions.