Bridging a Global Community of Young Professionals

The WYCUP Scholarship application period runs from April 1 through May 31, 2021.

Great things happen when the world’s young credit union professionals come together.

 
When we launched the 10,000 Strong! campaign earlier this year, the idea was to create a simple metric to track our progress as we work to expand international engagement opportunities for young credit union professionals. It quickly became evident that we have an opportunity to do so much more.
 
WYCUP – as World Council’s Young Credit Union Professionals program is affectionately known – represents a bridge between YPs around the world. From Poland to Paraná, and from Malawi to Michigan, the international perspectives we share at WYCUP make us unique. We’re a global network of young professionals who recognize the potential for financial cooperatives to make the world a better place. We are diverse – but we have common goals and dreams.
 

Recognizing our shared goals.

 
In February, we brought together leaders from young professional networks in more than 20 countries around the world at the first meeting of the WYCUP Affiliates Council. There, we identified three primary goals:

• Strengthen existing YP networks and support the formalization of new local networks and programs;
• Enrich professional journeys through an exchange of global perspectives, both virtually and in-person;
• Empower young professionals to develop shared resources to address our common challenges.

The WYCUP Affiliates Council met for a second time a few weeks ago and took a closer look at what we want to learn from one another. Check out these video highlights from the meeting. As we learn more about one another, we encounter solutions to our shared challenges that can and should be replicated in other places. This is the perfect space for empowering YPs to champion these solutions and create shared resources to be utilized by financial cooperatives everywhere.
 

Expanding outreach, engagement…and relevance.

 
To get there, we first need to bring YPs together on a much larger scale - and the WYCUP Affiliates Council is working on that now. In our first collaborative effort, we’re developing a new shared resource – a template for virtual engagement – that will connect YPs across the sector through an interactive networking experience with peers in another country. By bridging the world’s young credit union professionals, we’re making financial cooperatives everywhere more relevant to youth…and we’re just getting started!
 

WYCUP Scholarship: Connect your career to a world of opportunities.

 
The WYCUP Scholarship application period opened today and runs through May 31. If you recognize the potential for financial cooperatives to change the world – you should apply. If you are passionate about your work within the sector and want to share your talents and experience with your global peers – you should apply. If you want to connect your career to a world of opportunities – this is the professional development experience for you!
 
WYCUP Scholarship recipients will join their global peers next year at the World Credit Union Conference in Glasgow, Scotland – airfare, hotel and registration fees covered. In addition, they’ll join the WYCUP Affiliates Council for a yearlong journey, sharing their insights and applying their talents as they engage with leadership from young professional networks around the world.
 
Recipients will be announced during the WYCUP Virtual Forum on July 20. We hope to see you there!