Credit Union National Association will partner with the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) and the Caribbean Confederation of Credit Unions (CCCU) for the upcoming CUNA Volunteer Conference, January 15-17, 2017, in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Through the arrangement, CUNA, WOCCU and CCCU will work to get Caribbean credit union volunteers involved in the conference.
“What’s exciting about this cooperation is that it allows us to expand the traditional audience for CUNA Volunteer Conference,” said Michelle Johnson, Instructional Design Manager at CUNA. “We can’t wait to see the unique perspectives that Caribbean volunteers will bring to the conference and look forward to providing them with meaningful professional value through its expert-led sessions, discussions and networking.”
The cooperative relationship between the three organizations will focus on using CUNA Volunteer Conference to provide quality education to volunteers in the Caribbean region. For their part, WOCCU and CCCU will promote the conference to Caribbean credit unions and actively recruit board representatives from the region to attend.
“By virtue of its location, the Caribbean doesn’t have the same quantity of live training events that credit unions in the states enjoy,” says Ralph Wharton, General Manager at Caribbean Confederation of Credit Unions. “This means that volunteers do not have as many opportunities to engage with fresh ideas, new perspectives and innovative approaches—or, essentially, to grow.”
They’ll also have the chance to network with stateside credit union volunteers, creating professional connections that will help them stay connected to the industry developments long after the conference ends.
The benefits of this cooperation, however, aren’t only heading the Caribbean’s direction.
“For American volunteers, this is a unique opportunity to learn about a seldom-examined corner of the credit union movement and see the challenges of cooperative finance for those outside of the U.S.,” notes Victor Miguel Corro, Vice President Member Services, Education & Training at World Council of Credit Unions. “It’s a mutually beneficial international collaboration.”
CUNA Volunteer Conference provides credit union volunteers the opportunity to update their knowledge of the industry’s most pressing issues, discover new perspectives and ideas, and create new connections with peers from both U.S. and international credit unions.
To learn more and register for the conference, please visit www.training.cuna.org/cvc.