Credit Unions Share Financial Education Resources with Millions During April

Posted by Ben Shuey on June 2, 2021

5/4/2021

Credit unions prove their commitment to promoting financial literacy among their members and communities time and time again. In fact, a recent ECONorthwest report found that Northwest credit unions provided financial education to a whopping 207,000 K-12 students and 68,000 adults in 2019!

With April being both Financial Capability Month and Credit Union Youth Month, credit unions found creative ways to teach children and adults money management skills that will help them achieve brighter financial futures.

Here’s just a snapshot of what they did:

In recognition of Youth Month, CapEd Credit Union recorded a podcast episode with the Executive Director of the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children, Beth Oppenheimer, to discuss opportunities and programs to enhance early childhood education.

Cutting Edge, SELCO Community, Alaska USA Federal, Kitsap, OnPoint Community, and other credit unions took to social media to share bite-sized financial literacy tips with members every week.

Rogue Credit Union celebrated Credit Union Youth Month with a special contest. Every youth member aged 17 and under that completed the Choose Your Own Path activity was entered to win $100. The activity included thoughtful questions like “How do you plan to give?” and “What are you saving for?”

Gesa Credit Union partnered with Junior Achievement of Washington to offer free financial education webinars delving into key topics, such as personal finance, credit scores, and budgeting. The credit union also held virtual financial reality fairs throughout the month and partnered with Seattle Public Schools to purchase school supplies for students.

Horizon Credit Union offered four free 15-minute online courses to help kids learn the basics of making, spending, saving, and borrowing money. Horizon and other institutions also held a Financial Literacy Bee, where high school students completed a short course online and wrote an essay for a chance to win a $10,000 scholarship.

Wauna Credit Union raffled off prizes for young members that opened a Jump Start Clubs Savings account, including a Fire 7 Kids Tablet. All new youth accounts were also entered for a chance to win a grand prize of $250.

Among other activities, iQ Credit union hosted educational booth pop-ups at several of their branches, manned by Trail Guide Tim and Mountaineer Molly, to provide members with free educational resources and on-the-spot financial advice.

Mountain America Credit Union encouraged parents to teach kids to save by offering free downloads of its Adventure Guide, as well as access to the interactive educational program, Banzai, to deepen kids’, teens’, and adults’ understanding of basic money principles.

The Northwest Credit Union Foundation is proud to partner with credit unions to bring financial education to their members and communities. Foundation programs like Bite of Reality and Biz Kid$ provide great engagement opportunities for youth and young adults around budgeting and financial management skills. The Foundation also supports long-standing credit union partners, such as Financial Beginnings and Junior Achievement, to further this important work throughout the region. To learn more ways NWCUF can support your efforts, please contact Program Director, Claire Hendrix.

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Posted in Economic Empowerment.