CASSOPOLIS — Midwest Energy Cooperative is looking for a few good teens for the 2013 Youth Leadership Summit (YLS), April 24-26 at SpringHill Camp in Evart.

YLS, presented by Michigan’s electric cooperatives, is a high-energy, interactive experience designed to help young people grow as leaders.

High-school sophomores and juniors from Midwest Energy’s service area are invited to take their team-building skills to the next level at this three-day event.

Students from throughout Michigan come together to test themselves, mentally and physically, with a combination of hands-on classroom exercises and a high-ropes challenge.

Additionally, students learn how to respond in an emergency situation, explore diverse careers in energy, test their decision-making skills as an elected official and learn what to expect as they prepare for life after high school.

The event includes a mixture of indoor, classroom-style learning with outdoor adventure at the facility, located just south of Cadillac on 515 acres of northern Michigan forest and rolling hills.

Students can use their free time to enjoy the indoor pool, challenge their new friends to a pick-up game of basketball or volleyball in the gym, or just hang out in the game room.

Four Midwest Energy students will be selected to represent the cooperative at YLS, and up to two of those students will be selected for a once-in-a-lifetime Washington, D.C. trip with the 2013 National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Youth Tour, June 15-20.

This all-expenses-paid trip provides students with the opportunity to watch history come alive as they explore the museums, memorials and monuments of our nation’s capital, and meet face-to-face with their elected officials.

With the exception of personal spending money, both trips are fully funded by the cooperative as part of its ongoing commitment to community.

Applications must be received by March 22 for consideration. For more information or to apply online, visit miYLS.com or contact Nicole Barfell at (269) 445-1112 or nicole.barfell@teammidwest.com.