Cole Erdmann, a junior at Tigerton High School, represented Central Wisconsin Electric Cooperative (CWEC) at Youth Leadership Conference (YLC) held at UW-Stout July 14-16.

The conference was a three-day event for youth leaders across Wisconsin to develop their leadership skills while learning about the purpose, operation, and scope of cooperative businesses.

This was Erdmann’s first time attending YLC. He said he wanted to attend because he was looking to improve his leadership skills.

Erdmann participated in many team building activities and took part in District meetings while at YLC. YLC attendees were split into six different districts that consisted of 10-15 attendees. During the district meetings, YLC attendees learned more about cooperatives and how they are different than non-cooperative businesses.

The second day of YLC, each district was given the task of creating a TikTok video about one of the seven Cooperative Principles. The videos were shown to all YLC attendees on the final day.

Participants also heard the following presentations: Overcoming Trauma: Life After a Plane Accident by Hunter Gillet and Safe Driving/License to Drive by Ben Bella, director of Compliance Services – WECA.

Craig Hillier, a motivational speaker and author, conducted a Breakthrough Leadership session with attendees. This session was hands-on, with YLC attendees working on different projects together.

A formal etiquette dinner was also held the second night of YLC.

At the conclusion of YLC, Erdmann said that attending YLC will help him become a better leader. He added that it will also help him when he starts applying to attend college.