Over the last four years, I have heard McCook Community Foundation Fund member Andy Long ask many times, “What can we do to bring our youth back to McCook?” Every time, he caught me off guard and I was never prepared to answer this question.
But four years of involvement in MCFF’s youth organization, Youth Change Reaction (YCR), has helped me consider how I can have an impact, the role of youth in our community and what the word “community” really means.
If you asked me at age 14 when I first joined YCR what the word “community” stood for, I would have said a community simply consisted of people and buildings. Why? Because as a youth in McCook, I never felt we were listened to or respected.
If you ask me now what a community looks like, I am going to smile and tell you, “McCook. McCook is the epitome of a community.” Why? Because as a youth in McCook, I feel like there are opportunities to be heard and respected.
Over the past four years, I have learned so much as part of YCR and still strive to learn more. My biggest takeaway from this experience is this: youth matters in our community.
Granted, youth don’t always make the best choices, but there are students who have a desire to make a change. The voices of youth matter. The ideas of youth matter. The feelings of youth matter. Without youth, our community would not be able to change and thrive.
So Andy, I am finally prepared to answer your question: What can we do to bring our youth back to McCook?
Listen
To bring youth back to our community, the community must have a passion for listening to the voices of the youth. From a youth’s perspective, we struggle to have our voices heard, to have our ideas accepted and to find the support it takes to come forward and speak out.
Guide
To bring about change, the community must work with the youth who have a passion for change and help guide them to make progress in our community. These youth are the ones who will shape McCook.
Our community will not always be the same. Businesses will open and businesses will close. Families will move in and families will move out. Friends will come and friends will go. But to leave McCook in good hands, community members must help train the youth of today to be the leaders of our community tomorrow.
Accept and Embrace
So often I hear, “I don’t want to come back, because there is nothing to do here.” There is never going to be a perfect solution for this, but accepting and embracing the different youth of our community might start a change.
McCook meets the lifestyles of families with parks, grocery stores, banks and civic organizations. But could you imagine how our community would grow and thrive if we had art centers for youth and adults? Perhaps an outdoor aquatic center that allows both older and younger youth to safely enjoy their summer days? How about a fun zone that allows small children to have after school resources and older youth to have an exciting place to meet with friends to play laser tag or jump in the trampoline park?
These projects are huge and would take years to accomplish but are possible if everyone worked together. It would also require the community embracing the different ideas and thoughts of the youth in our community. But that is what it will require to make future generations move back to their hometown.
I could continue on and on with the needs of our youth, but none of this is new. Honesty, even with these suggestions, our youth might never see why McCook is so important or have a desire to come back. However, having a passion to listen to our youth and a desire to seek change will be the best first step anyone can take.
I hope, desperately, the youth in our community can see how truly special and important our community is, but for now, I do - and so do my fellow YCR members. And that is a message we hope to spread. I may not be a big voice, but I am a voice on behalf of our youth.
We are ready to speak, to be heard and to help make McCook an even better place to call home.
Tesa Nelson is a senior at McCook High School and is co-president of Youth Change Reaction. She knows change takes time but hopes that she makes an impact now and in the future.
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Getting Outside of National Night Out Nearly everyone can tell you their last interaction with the police or the fire department. And unfortunately because of the nature of the organizations, it is usually not at a positive moment. My last contact with the McCook Police Department was just a few weeks ago, when I was pulled over on B Street in McCook…on my scooter. I pulled into the wrong lane when making a turn, which is illegal. But in my defense, it was an act of self-defense to just get through the intersection of East B and Sixth streets alive. Since the drivers haven’t seen a stop-light since Holdrege, cars and semis regularly run the traffic light, which makes me a wee bit vulnerable as I pass through the lanes. I got off with a warning but the true punishment were the texts throughout the day from everyone who saw me with my scooter and the police officer. Since most exchanges with police and fire are not on good terms, National Night Out was created to have an evening of positive interactions, to remind the public that the police and fire departments are just normal people, doing their jobs, looking out for their friends and neighbors, trying to create a safe community for everyone. National Night Out is designed to simply join your friends and neighbors for an evening of fellowship and fun. It is an opportunity to meet local law enforcement, creating safer and more caring neighborhoods. McCook is joining thousands of other communities across the country in hosting National Night Out, which typically takes place on the first Tuesday of August every year. Planned for Tuesday, Aug. 5 from 5:30-7 p.m. in and around Norris Park in McCook, the night includes a bike parade, a walk, awards for bike decorating, desserts and more. In other words, it is simply a block party to hang out. Numerous organizations have come together to make the evening possible. CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and the McCook Rotary Club are hosting a bike parade that starts at 6 p.m. Linda Maiden with State Farm, a bicycle helmet advocate, will also be in Norris Park. The streets around Norris Park will be shut down to provide a safe area to ride, as well as more space to cruise around the block. Participants are encouraged to decorate their bike, scooter, roller skates or anything on wheels. This could mean streamers, pompom balls, markers or even the old classic - playing cards in the spokes of your wheels. Some supplies will be available at the park for use if you show up and realize you are the most underdressed person at the party. If your bike has an inch of dust on it, this is a great time to get it out, wipe it off and get it rolling. And if your bike needs minimal fixes like a flat tire or a brake adjustment, bike tools will be on hand along with myself and my hubbie, who know just enough about bike repair to be dangerous but did manage a 300-plus mile bike ride last week so we must be doing something right. But let’s say you don’t have a bike or biking isn’t your cup of tea? Then you are still encouraged to join the “Walk in the Park,” hosted by Community Hospital. Designed to encourage a healthy lifestyle, walkers will stroll around the park and the neighborhood at whatever pace you feel like with strollers and dogs on leashes welcomed. And perhaps most importantly, there will be a chance to meet members of the McCook Police and Fire Department, getting to see police cars and fire engines close-up in a non-emergency manner, always the best way to see them. And if the weather cooperates, there may be a fire hose, water and spraying involved. If you have been at the Culbertson Fourth of July parade, you know it is up to you to stay out of the line of fire if you want to remain dry. We all have excuses for why we don’t want to go out at night, especially after a long day at work. But National Night Out in McCook on Aug. 5 is a great reason to get out your bicycle and lace up your walking shoes. Hang out with your friends, get to know your neighbors and meet your first responders. That is what makes our communities just a little bit better.
Judy McCune named July 2025 McCook volunteer of the month
Joyce Anderson named June 2025 McCook Volunteer of the Month
