Youth Programs
To learn more, email Robert McCarty, rmccarty@vec.org.
Lillard Shadow Scholarship
Each year, VEC sponsors college scholarships for 4 graduating seniors whose parents or guardians are VEC customers. Scholarship awards are $500 per semester, renewable for up to 4 semesters. Applications are available in December of each year and the deadline for applications is in March. Applications are available from area high school guidance counselors or at any VEC service center. Contact VEC Marketing and Economic Development Department or click here for an application to download/print (pdf).
4-H Electric Camp
Electric Camp is an exciting, fun-filled adventure exploring the laws of science and electricity. It is for 6th and 7th grade 4-H students and is held at the University of Tennessee Knoxville Campus each summer. It consist of hands-on activites in which students learn about the safe and proper use of electricity, as well as aspects of other sciences. Electric Camp is one of the lowest-cost 4-H camps the extension service offers.
Washington Youth Tour
Volunteer Energy Cooperative joins other electric cooperatives from across the country in sponsoring the annual Washington Youth Tour. VEC sends four students, a teacher and an employee on the tour. The students will be selected based on a short story written on the theme that is selected each year.
As we are sending four students, one will be sent from a high school in each of our four service areas. Rather than let all high schools participated each year, the contest will rotate yearly among the high schools in that service area. This allows all high schools to send a student at least once every four years.
In-person presentations will be made at each school. Each school will be required to submit 5 stories for grading by VEC Marketing and Economic Development Department. A winner will be chosen from each school. If the chosen winner cannot go, we will send the runner-up. The best of the four winning stories will be submitted to TECA as our Grand Prize story entry. The teacher of the grand prize student will be invited to attend the tour.
Youth Leadership Summit
Each year VEC sends a male and female high school junior to Nashville to participate in the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association's Youth Leadership Seminar. Students practice forming and operating their own cooperative, visit the capitol and meet with their legislators and other state government officials. Competition to attend the seminar is tough and open only to students whose parents are members of Volunteer Energy Cooperative.
