Each year, Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative sends one rising junior from Hatteras Island to the Cooperative Leadership Camp in White Lake, NC. The Cooperative Leadership Camp is a five day overnight camp hosted by the Cooperative Council of North Carolina. Teens from all parts of the state are sponsored to attend for free by a local cooperative. The camp is typically held during the month of June.
The program is an experiential learning process where teens form a worker/owner t-shirt cooperative, elect a board, hire a general manager, and design, produce and distribute t-shirts. Throughout the week, they learn about leadership, cooperative governance, and the seven cooperative business principles. The teams put together an infomercial, have a leadership awards banquet night and learn what it means to be a part of the greater good that cooperatives offer. The week also includes workshops from a wide range of cooperative industries including the agriculture sector, credit unions, retail and utilities.