The Development Education program is designed to provide critical lessons in cooperatives & mutuality principles, credit union philosophy, and international development issues while incorporating the challenges that mutuals face today.
Every year, people from all parts of the world become certified as Development Educators (DEs). These individuals commit volunteer and professional time to take the credit union and mutuality message to audiences where they reside and throughout the world.
In addition to promoting the cooperative ideal, continuing involvement in the DE program provides DEs with an excellent opportunity for career development and personal enrichment.
The 25th Asian DE workshop was held in June in Bangkok with a total of 35 attendees (from Australia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia and the Philippines). They are joining the 754 DEs already certified by ACCU since 1999.
This year Olivia Bentley from Family First Credit Union and Jack Barnes from Endeavour Mutual Bank attended through the Allianz Insurance AMF scholarship.
Thank you for allowing not only me but the other 12 people before me to be able to go to the DE event. It is eye opening and so interesting I really hope that it is something that continues. As I told you, it is great to be able to have an Australian mentor there so that the perspective isn’t always on the developing nations. It allows us to be able to engage with the topics and knowing how they can relate to us. Olivia Bentley – Family First Credit Union
The next Asian DE course will be held in December of this year and expressions of interest will be called for shortly.