DALLAS–A group of leaders from within the credit union community, many of whom are graduates of the National CU Foundation’s Development Education (DE) program, have come together to back a new “Youth Immersion Program” designed to “educate and inspire” the next generation of cooperative leaders.
The program is for youth ages 12-18 and will run for two years. In its first year, there will be a week-long program at IslandWood, the 250-acre learning center on Bainbridge Island, Wash. In year two the program will take place in Kenya.
The program is being led by a committee that includes Mary Beth Spuck, CEO of Resource One Credit Unionin Texas; Lois Kitsch, the former national program director with the NCUF who is now active with the African Cooperative Development Foundation; Brandi Stankovic, principal with Strategic Advisory Solutions; Katy Zaleski, VP of human resources with Simplicity Credit Union; Jenefer Machovina, director-international with TruStage; Debbie Wege, cooperative community advocate with BECU; Matt Vance, marketing and product development manager at Salal Credit Union; Danielle Brown, chief engagement office with the NCUF; Lindsay Spuck, and Jill Nowacki, president and CEO of Humanidei.
TruStage is supporting the effort by providing all of the program materials, according to organizers.
Looking for Participants
Organizers of the new initiative say the plan is to recruit participants directly from the credit union ecosystem, including credit unions, CUSOs, leagues and associations, and vendor partners. Parents are not required to attend the year one camp at IslandWood, but they will need to accompany their child to Kenya in year two.
“Year one immerses participants in hands-on experiences at IslandWood…” materials for the program state. “Kids explore the principles of the credit union movement while developing teamwork and global awareness.”
In year two, participants will “travel to Africa to witness how cooperative and credit unions make real impact on communities. Youth collaborate with local peers and leaders, applying their learning to real-world development projects that make a difference.”
The program can accommodate up to 40 youth and 10 adults.
An Idea is Born
According to Mary Beth Spuck, the idea for the immersion program was born during a service trip to Kenya in June as part of Kitsch’s “Bring Your Kids to Africa!” program. Several DEs brought their children or grandchildren, and together the group completed a service project at Don Bosco Special School, where they painted classrooms and brought outdoor games like soccer balls, cornhole, and bubbles.
Spuck, who called the trip “transformational,” said she suggested to Kitch that a Youth Immersion Program be created as sort of a “a mini-DE experience,” with year one being camp-based learning and year two the global immersion.
“The vision is to capture young people within the credit union ecosystem and expose them early to cooperative values,” said Spuck. “Even if they do not choose a career in credit unions, they will carry cooperative principles into whatever industries they pursue.”
October 22 Deadline
With the contract for IslandWood to host the 2026 camp now signed, organizers have until Oct. 22 to raise the funds for the deposit.
“This is an exciting opportunity to build the next generation of leaders while deepening the cooperative legacy for our movement,” Spuck said.
For more information, go here.
