Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Kelli Hueneke, Nex-Generation
At a glance: As a schoolteacher, Kelli Hueneke observed the benefit of programs from Nex-Generation Round Up for Youth, Inc. Now she is executive director of Nex-Generation, which offers students programs in career development, entrepreneurship, internships, and Young AmeriTowne of Kansas.
More information: Ron Wilson, rwilson@ksu.edu, 785-532-7690
Photos: Ron Wilson | Kelli Hueneke
Website: Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
July 10, 2024
By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University
It’s a busy day in town. The manager at the snack shop is offering a special, the mayor has scheduled a meeting, and the doctor is checking on her patients.
But there’s something unusual about the people in this town: They are all grade-schoolers. They are participating in Young AmeriTowne, an educational experience providing hands-on learning about business and daily life.
Kelli Hueneke is executive director of Nex-Generation Round Up for Youth, Inc., known as Nex-Generation. She grew up in Phillipsburg and earned business and elementary education degrees at Fort Hays State. She worked for Nex-Tech, a northwest Kansas telecommunications company, before becoming a full-time schoolteacher.
At right: Kelli Hueneke | Download this photo
Nex-Generation began as an internship and career development project of Nex-Tech in 2011. It was so successful that it became its own separate 501(c)3 organization in 2013. In 2024 Hueneke became executive director, succeeding founding director Jacque Beckman. Nex-Generation serves 28 counties in northwest and north central Kansas.
Nex-Generation operates through four programs: career development, entrepreneurship, internships, and Young AmeriTowne of Kansas. Specifically, Nex-Generation sponsors virtual career fairs and expos for high school age students, plus life skills training and sessions on resume writing and interviewing. The organization facilitates youth business plan workshops, summer internships, work study programs and more.
Young AmeriTowne of Kansas in the northwest Kansas area is being administered by Nex-Generation Round Up for Youth, Inc., under a license from Young Americans Center for Financial Education in Denver. "Young AmeriTowne" and "Young Americans Center for Financial Education" are registered trademarks of Young Americans Center for Financial Education in Denver, and the Young AmeriTowne logo is a trademark of Young Americans Center for Financial Education, also located in Denver.
The program provides a hands-on experiential program for financial literacy education in participating schools. Aimed at fourth through eighth graders, it begins with 4-6 weeks of school lessons on the basics of economics and citizenship. It culminates in a one-day field trip to Young AmeriTowne of Kansas where the students practice their skills in a real-life type setting.
AmeriTowne takes place at the former high school in the rural community of Lenora, population 207 people. Now, that’s rural.
All students are part of one of 10 entities in AmeriTowne: A bank, town hall, snack shop, container shop, digital media agency, energy resource business, nex-great idea entrepreneurship shop, television station, radio station or medical center. After taking a brief quiz to identify their interests, students apply for mock jobs in those entities. They might be an accountant, technician, manager, doctor, police officer or something else.
They also have the opportunity to run for office, or become town mayor or judge. Those are exciting campaigns.
When the students arrive at AmeriTowne, they receive a mock paycheck, business loan, and individual bank account and step into their professional roles. The shop operators have to manage their businesses and repay their debts. Sometimes the medical center calls people away for appointments. Everyone has the opportunity to make purchases with their paychecks.
In addition to business, students learn about philanthropy. AmeriTowne includes a donation station where students can drop off funds to support actual charitable organizations. Then private donors will donate real money to those organizations to match the student donations.
Ultimately, teachers evaluate their work. Hueneke observed the power of this program first-hand when she participated as a teacher.
“The kids feel like rock stars; it’s just incredible,” Hueneke said. “It’s an experience they will remember for a lifetime, and it lets them know there are good careers right here (in their hometown).”
Since 2018, 82 schools and more than 3,000 students have participated in AmeriTowne.
“This teaches students how to be contributing members of society, to help everyone to prosper, and to care for their community,” Hueneke said.
For more information, see www.nex-generation.org.
It’s a busy day in town, as these students practice their business and citizenship skills. We salute Kelli Hueneke and all those involved with Nex-Generation for making a difference with these initiatives to help students explore careers.
They are truly learning lessons for life.
Audio and text files of Kansas Profiles are available at http://www.kansasprofile.com. For more information about the Huck Boyd Institute, interested persons can visit http://www.huckboydinstitute.org.
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