School may have been out this summer, but that didn’t stop kids from learning about the cooperative world.

Whether at day camp, overnight camp, or educational travel, many students from Hoosier Energy’s member cooperatives learned and had fun.

Summer Cooperative Camp

Henry County REMC hosted their Summer Cooperative Camp in late June, now in its fourth year. The week-long day camp for teenagers included both a pre-camp and post-camp assessment to gauge what participants knew and what they learned along the way.

Hoosier Energy took an active role throughout the week, highlighted by a variety of activities at the midpoint on Wednesday.

The day kicked off with ATSSA Flagger Certification Training from Patrick Dowell and Matt Figg, which allowed two campers who were 18 to earn official certifications in traffic control and work zone safety.

After lunch, Henry County linemen used Hoosier Energy’s Live Line Demo trailer to demonstrate the danger of energized lines and discuss safety considerations. Items used in the demonstration ranged from a hot dog to a balloon and a very loud blown fuse.

The final part of the day included various electrical demonstrations from Dowell and Shaun Hayse. These included touch potential vs. step potential, how transformers work, blown fuses, tripped breakers, a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter outlet with a hair dryer in a bucket of water, and the power of a magnetic field.

Energy Explorers Day Camp

On the last Friday of June, South Central Indiana REMC (SCI) welcomed students in grades four, five, and six to the annual Energy Explorers Day Camp.

The camp included hands-on learning, including an
up-close look at the safety equipment used by the SCI electric, fiber, and vegetation management teams, as well as the chance to ride in a bucket truck.

Camp Kilowatt

Some rising seventh-graders from Hoosier Energy member cooperatives participated in Camp Kilowatt from June 4-7 at Camp Tecumseh in Brookston, Indiana. Although it was a soggy start to the week, the campers still enjoyed plenty of indoor and outdoor activities.

Indiana Youth Tour

Indiana Youth Tour, which took place June 15 through 22, was a great educational adventure for students who will be seniors in the fall. The trip included stops at Gettysburg, the Flight 93 Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, visits with Indiana’s Congressional leaders, and many more of the sights and sounds of Washington, D.C. Hoosier Energy was proud to serve as one of the five sponsors of the trip.

In addition, Hoosier Energy member Wayne-White Counties Electric Cooperative simultaneously sent two representatives with the Illinois Youth to Washington Tour.