SHEENA KOPECKY Sheena Kopecky, a student at Washington-Wilkes Comprehensive High School, attended the 24th annual Georgia Cooperative Council Youth Leadership Conference held July 7-11 in Covington. Her participation was sponsored by FFA.The conference helps provide teens with a greater understanding and appreciation for the cooperative business model and the challenges put before elected officials.

Since its inception, the Georgia Cooperative Council has educated hundreds of students about cooperatives, built their leadership skills, and promoted teamwork through a series of exercises, training and presentations. One of this year's youth leaders, Chelsea Moore of Alamo says, "This conference teaches you everything you need to know about cooperatives, from how to join to how to stay involved."

A highlight of this year's program included a Congressional Insight Workshop titled "Sharpen Your Political Skills" presented by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). The simulation is designed to educate students on the skills needed to become an effective member of Congress. While serving their "two-year term," students juggled the many demands placed on elected officials. They were required to manage staff, respond to the media, monitor legislation, and attend round-the-clock meetings with constituents, lobbyists and colleagues.

"Many adults are still learning of the many pressures faced by elected officials," says Gabe Snow with NRECA. "These students will become tomorrow's decision makers and we want to teach them how to appropriately interact with lawmakers, encourage them to visit the polls on Election Day, and become effective community leaders and grassroots activists."

Expanded to a five-day conference from the three day program of the past, attendees learned about cooperatives with many new activities mixed in to challenge and amuse. The group participated in personality assessment exercises and took on the FFA facility's new high ropes course which included a 300-foot zip line ride. The teens attended co-op encounter sessions in which Council members from Georgia EMC, Dairy Farmers of America, Staplcotn, Southern States, and Farm Credit Banks gave participants an overview of their organization and explained how co-op principles and values guide business operations. Students also had a visit from the mobile dairy classroom and heard from representatives from the Georgia Cotton Commission, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Georgia Cooperative Development Center, and the outdoor outfitter cooperative REI.

"The students were able to learn about co-ops, participate in teambuilding exercises and determine their personality type," said Craig Scroggs, business and cooperative specialist for USDA Rural Development. "We hope that some of the students will use their new found knowledge and apply that in an agbusiness career in the future, maybe even with a cooperative."

"I had a fun time," Kopecky said.

The Georgia Cooperative Council is a statewide non-profit association whose members include marketing, supply, financial, electric, telephone, service, and agricultural cooperatives. The organization's objective is to promote, foster, and encourage all types of cooperative associations in Georgia.