Youth Leadership Council

The Youth Leadership Council (YLC) is a joint effort of local electric cooperatives, statewide electric cooperative associations and NRECA — created to provide an extension of youth activities available to states participating in the Youth Tour program. Each state is entitled to have one representative on the Youth Leadership Council. The representatives are selected by statewide Youth Tour directors through a variety of methods. The new YLC members are announced each year during the Youth Tour program in Washington, D.C.

The YLC is designed to provide participants with stronger leadership skills, presentation skills and a broader understanding of rural electric cooperatives. All YLC members attend the NRECA Youth Leadership Conference and the NRECA annual meeting. In addition, YLC members are selected from host states for NRECA regional meetings to speak before the membership about their Youth Tour experiences.

The NRECA Youth Leadership Conference is held each summer following the Youth Tour. This conference provides hands-on activities designed for promoting individual leadership development. During the Youth Leadership Conference, participants select a spokesperson to address the membership of the NRECA annual meeting and the Youth Tour delegates the following year.

The 2012 Youth Leadership Conference is scheduled for July 21-25, 2012, in Washington, D.C.

North Dakota’s YLC representative is also asked to attend the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives’ annual meeting that is scheduled for March 6 and 8, 2013 in Bismarck.

The NRECA annual meeting hosts more than 12,000 rural electric leaders and is held in a variety of major cities nationwide. The YLC provides assistance to the NRECA staff during the annual meeting, attends educational seminars and participates in a variety of programs. They have an opportunity to meet with many influential people, elected officials, NRECA’s board of directors, CEOs and administrative staff. The 2012 NRECA annual meeting is scheduled for February 14-22, 2013 in San Diego, Calif.

If you are interested in being considered for North Dakota’s YLC position, please complete this application and mail it to Pamela Clark-Stein, NDAREC, P.O. Box 727, Mandan, N.D. 58554-0727. For your convenience, a return mail envelope is provided. Your application will be evaluated by a panel of judges. You will then have an opportunity to interview with a selection committee on Friday, June 10th, at NDAREC headquarters in Mandan; you will be advised of your interview time.