DE Training April 2010 Pre-Training Assignments

DE Training is just days away. We hope you're keeping up with your reading. This is just a quick note to check in with you and provide you with your final pre-training assignment.

In the last mailing, you received articles on issues that would stimulate your thinking in preparation of some provocative and challenging discussions. This assignment focuses on the 12 development issues identified by the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU). Working together can make a real difference in the lives of people in our towns, cities, country, and the world. These development issues provide us with dilemmas and barriers, but more importantly, they provide us with challenges to overcome. Click here for a list and summary of the development issues that will be discussed in-depth and used throughout the training. They are:

Access to Credit
Health
Appropriate Technology
Housing
Democratic Institutions and Practices
Hunger
Education
Income Generation
Employment
Savings Mobilization
Environment
Women in Development

To find your individual assignment, click here.

Your final pre-training assignment is to research your assigned “DEVELOPMENT ISSUE” and find at least one article that pertains to the development of credit unions on a global approach.

Check out the following websites as they may be helpful in researching your articles:

American City Business Journals
The Christian Science Monitor
CU360
The Internet Public Library
The Microfinance Gateway

From your articles, please come up with 1 or 2 points that you feel are most important to share with the group. If possible, be prepared to discuss how credit unions can play a role in this area for their members and their community, either in the U.S. or in developing countries.

It will be difficult to take a huge, societal development issue and boil it down to one or two points, but please do so. At least two other students will have been assigned the same topic and all of you will be asked to compare your findings and make a BRIEF (3 – 5 minutes) group presentation.

Please bring a copy of your article(s) with you for reference at the training session.

Don’t forget to pack your auction item(s), your checkbook, cash or credit cards for the Tuesday night fundraising auction. All proceeds benefit the National Credit Union Foundation’s Development Education Fund.

We look forward to seeing you very soon!

DE Training April 2010 Readings

1 April 2010

Dear CUDE Training Attendee:

April DE Training 2010 is quickly approaching. Things here are progressing at full speed, and we're all very excited about this year's training. This is just a quick note to check in and to provide you with your next pre-training assignment.

Listed below are several articles to get you thinking about leadership and development in a global perspective. Each article is intended to provide you with a perspective and insight on issues that will be discussed throughout the course of the training.

Article One – Philosophy Training is Good for Business

Article Two – Create a Culture of Innovation

Article Three – Making a Difference

Article Four – What Ownership is All About

(Articles 1-4 with permission by Credit Union National Association)

Article Five – Our Commitment to the Community – A proclamation by Desjardin

Article Six – Change Everything (a blog site dedicated to changing communities and sponsored by a credit union)

Article Seven – Changing the Game: Leading corporations switch from defense to offense in solving global problems

Article Eight – Microfinance Open Book Blog

The Tuesday evening auction is a great event and a terrific way of giving back to the CUDE Program, as the auction will benefit the National Credit Union Foundation’s Development Education Fund. Just a reminder – we encourage you to bring a checkbook (yours or the credit union’s – it doesn’t matter), and most important, bring some special items from your state to donate if you can. In the past, popular items have included fun local sweatshirts, food baskets, or unique items other participants normally can’t buy in their region. If you’re able to donate something, we’d be most grateful. The more donated items, the more money we can raise for future DE-scholarships and DE-related development projects.

Enjoy the readings. If you have any questions at all, please email Lauren Pan (lpan@ncuf.coop) or call her at 608-231-4979. We look forward to seeing you soon!

In Cooperation,

Tom Decker