Thea Richards, Steen, recently attended the National Institute on Cooperative Education Conference at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Richards and Pipestone’s Shantelle DesMarais were selected to attend the NICE conference by their peers from Sioux Valley Energy’s EmPOWer Youth Leadership program.
Goals of NICE are to help youth gain a better understanding of cooperative business principles and develop leadership skills.
Farm Credit of the Virginias provided youth with a cooperative simulation in which they worked with a team to make decisions and manage a cooperative.
Attendees also participated in a case study competition conducted by educators from the University of Kentucky where they developed solutions and alternatives to real-life issues.
Other sessions focused on careers in the cooperative arena, team building exercises and an in-depth series of sessions on the roles of members, directors and management of cooperatives.
The students’ travel and conference costs were covered by Farm Credit of the Virginias and by Sioux Valley Energy
Richards is the daughter of Mark and Teri Richards, Steen.