For five days the National Cooperative Credit Union (NCCU) will focus on increasing youth membership and savings as it begins it first ever Youth Week 2015, under the theme “Wild About Saving.”
The event begins today (April 20) and ends on the 25.
“This is the first year that the NCCU will officially observe Youth Week,” Chief Executive Officer of the NCCU, Alymer Irish, said at the launch of the event at the NCCU Head Office Board Room on Monday.
He informed that the objective is primarily to encourage young people to save and also increase youth membership.
“We at the NCCU see investing in the youth as the future success, not only the Credit Union movement but also the communities in which we live and I daresay, Dominica,” he stated. “The young people are important in the continued success of NCCU and so we have accepted the challenge of the World Council of Credit Unions (WCCU) to attract more persons between the ages of 18 and 35 to the movement and the launching this morning is a reaffirmation to our resolve to continue building the ‘One Big Family’ and that the international Credit Union tagline ‘People Helping People’ remains at the forefront of all that we do.”
According to the NCCU boss, youth are an “important segment” of the Dominican society “who constantly seek new and exciting ways to do things including accessing financial services.”
“We are happy to be at the forefront in motivating the young persons to begin saving at an early age. This week’s activity will assist in building a generation of adults with better money management skills,” he noted, pointing out that positive habits are best cultivated when young people provide an excellent opportunity to cultivate financial capabilities.
Meantime Director of Students Services Division at the Dominica State College (DSC), Edgar Hunter, commended the financial institution highly for the initiative.
“We live in an instant society here young people want everything now with little concern for the future,” he said. “So your tag line ‘Wild About Savings,’ young people will say it’s on point. I’m happy that great emphasis is placed on helping young people with savings.”
He said it is his hope that the week will also focus on investments, budgeting and money management.
The following is the list of activities scheduled:
-Monday 20th April-Media Launch of Youth Week
-Tuesday 21st April- Financial Literacy Seminar for secondary school students at the Public Service Union Hall on Valley Road
-Wednesday 22nd –Media day, radio infomercials
-Thursday 23rd –Dominica State College Outreach/ Panel discussions on “Amalgamation” to be held at the NCCU board room at 5 pm/ Talk that Talk program on Marpin Channel 5 from 8.30 pm
-April 20-25-Promotion of Youth savings and NCCU deposit Account
-April 20-24-School visits
The Youth Week also includes three creative competitions:
-Primary Schools Art
-Secondary Schools Youth Account branding
-Youth Amateur Photography and Videography
“He informed that the objective is primarily to encourage young people to save and also increase youth membership.”
Yes, all well and good; however, in order for someone to save money under a mattress, rock stone, or dig a hole in the ground and hide money, they first have to earn it via employment, or some investment. More than half the youths in the country does not have a job.
So unless they are into some illegal business like drugs, where are they going to find the money to save? Jobs come first all else comes after!