People Helping People Internationally
Hello from the Philippines.
I’m here to co-facilitate the Credit Union Development Education (PhDE) program in Cebu. Similar to the CUDE program in the United States, this week-long workshop brings together leaders in the credit union movement who are passionate to learn about cooperative history, philosophy, and advocacy. I’m here to share best practices from the United States and to learn more about the cooperative movement in this region of the world. I’ll also be leading a separate day-long program specifically focused on human resource topics. I am especially excited to visit local credit unions tomorrow.
The cooperative movement in the Philippines is relatively young, compared to the expansive history and legacy of credit unions in the United States. Although developing, I am impressed by the passion and commitment of the leadership here. They have had annual meetings with thousands and thousands of participants. It’s really quite remarkable when you consider socio-economic and geographic differences.
I’m here because the National Credit Union Foundation and my credit union support People Helping People on an international level. It’s inspiring to me to observe credit union development outside of the United States. It serves as a reminder that passion is catching and cooperation works.
A week before I left for the Philippines, I completed the last detail of my Next Top Credit Union Executive project with the original pilot group. Everything from this point forward is about refining and improving. My next group will have many program adjustments. As I mentioned earlier, one way I want to make this project as impactful as possible is to connect employee values with credit union values. I think there is tremendous opportunity to learn from the Philippines. Their approach to engagement and cooperative principles will inherently be different. What can we learn from them to make our credit union experience more engaging?
I don’t know the answer to that question, yet. But I’m excited to find out. Stay tuned.
Tina
