Young people's voices valued and respected

Grace Wilhelmson

Courtesy photo

As my high school career comes to an end, I reflect on all of the accomplishments, failures, lessons, and opportunities that I have made. From participating in sports to being

involved in clubs, I have learned a tremendous amount of skills that I will be able to apply to my

life following high school.

Grace Wilhelmson helps build the bike shed.

Courtesy photo

However, the group that has taught me the most lessons and leadership skills is “Youth

Change Reaction” otherwise known as YCR, which is the youth group of the McCook Community Foundation Fund.

So how exactly did I end up in the place that I’m at now?

It all started my freshman year when I sent in an application in hopes of being accepted

into YCR. To be quite honest, I didn’t really know what YCR was all about when I applied. All

that I knew was that there were a lot of awesome upperclassmen in the group, and that I wanted to be involved in as many things as possible.

I was accepted into YCR a couple weeks later and my YCR journey began.

The first few meetings as a member of YCR felt overwhelming, to say the least. There was an abundance of information and opportunities being thrown at me, so much so that I was concerned that this group maybe wasn’t the best fit for me.

However, members of the community throughout all of McCook have a way of making you feel welcome, even when you’re a little unsure, especially the committee members with MCFF.

The MCFF meetings were a little intimidating at first. It isn’t every day that you’re surrounded by a group of adults who play such a large role in our community, yet they are asking the students in the room about themselves.

I soon realized that the committee was actually super interested in my input and concerns in our community. They listened to my ideas, and even shared an interest in them. They helped teach me that talking to adults isn’t so scary, and that they really do want to hear my voice.

So what exactly has YCR taught me?

We have been involved in many large and small projects throughout the community. With each project, I learned something new.

One of the first projects I was involved in was to help build a bike shed at Red Willow State Recreation Area north of McCook, working alongside the Nebraska Games and Parks staff. The shed houses donated bikes, which are used by campers and visitors to the lake at no cost. The bikes were a major hit from the start and continue to be use throughout the summer.

This project taught me that there are so many people throughout the community and the state who want to be active in their hometown, but don’t always have the resources to do so. It takes bringing people with a passion and resources that are available together.

Building a shed also taught me that maybe handling tools isn’t exactly my biggest skill!

An annual project that involves YCR is McCook’s 6th Grade Heritage Tour, where we serve as the tour guides of McCook’s historic sites. These tours may be one of my favorite things that we partake in. From learning about the history of the Methodist Church to touring the George Norris Home, there are so many awesome things in McCook that not many people are aware of or take for granted.

Talking with the kids throughout the day and leading this tours showed me that even the younger voices in our community have great ideas to make McCook even better.

The largest project that YCR has taken up is well known in the community: “Cars Under the Stars” or the drive-in theatre.

When the project began in early 2022, little did I know how much time and energy a drive-in theater would need to go from fund-raising to installation. But through this process, I learned the importance of forming new connections, believing in my abilities, and perhaps most importantly, accepting rejection but persevering.

YCR has been such a great experience and tremendous building block for me these past four years. I will continue my education after graduation in just a few weeks, with the hope of moving back to McCook following college to teach young leaders in our community.

I will forever be grateful for the opportunities given to me and the skills I have learned by living in a small community like McCook which cares about their youth.

— Grace Wilhelmson is a four-year member of MCFF’s Youth Change Reaction and somehow fits countless clubs, activities, sports and clubs into her day - all with a smile other face.