The crucial role credit unions play for youth in their communities

Credit unions are, by nature, community-centric institutions. Member-owned and educationally-focused, they financially empower people in their communities and positively impact their quality of life. In contrast to traditional big banks, credit unions have a warm, more local feeling that enhances the services they provide. These qualities make credit unions a wonderful option for people of all ages, but especially for younger generations who are just starting their journey of building a financially healthy life.

Unfortunately, swaths of people in younger generations don’t even know about credit unions, much less comprehend the difference in service between credit unions and traditional banks. This lack of understanding, as well as the overall dearth of financial literacy in younger generations, largely comes down to a lack of personal finance education. That’s why it’s crucial to help younger generations understand the unique benefits and capabilities of credit unions and why they are the perfect institution to provide financial education. Not only will this help your credit union cultivate a new generation of members, but it will affirm your place as a resource in your community to guide people toward financial health.

Making the effort to educate the youth in your community is a fantastic first step, but to make a lasting impact, those efforts must  be continuous. Keeping that up long term, however, can become cumbersome, especially for smaller CUs in smaller areas of the country. Luckily, however, in the digital age, those efforts are simplified by mobile-first financial literacy education platforms which are accessible 24/7 to anyone who needs them — plus, the platforms make financial literacy accessible to everyone, not just younger generations. Starting in person with school visits and community events sets the process of learning in motion, but providing students with modern, flexible tools for taking their education into their own hands is one of the best ways to elevate your educational capabilities and ensure their lasting effects.

Zogo’s financial literacy app is an easy way to implement continuous education for the youth in your communities. Show a student our gamified modules once and they have a tool to guide them on their financial journey for life! To learn more about how Zogo can benefit your credit union’s education efforts, request a demo!