Send in Your 2005 WYCUP Nominations!

5th Annual WOCCU Young Credit Union Professionals Scholarship Program

Madison, WI – As the May 13th deadline fast approaches, World Council of Credit Unions, Inc. (WOCCU) would like to encourage credit union organizations to submit their nominations for the WOCCU Young Credit Union Professionals (WYCUP) scholarship.

First introduced in 2001, the WYCUP program encourages credit union organizations to commit to involving young professionals in national and international credit union movements; the future sustainability of the international credit union system is in the hands of the next generation of credit union professionals and volunteers.

"Participating in the WYCUP program was the highlight of my career," says 2002 WYCUP Scholarship winner Skott Pope, VP of Education and Development, Washington Credit Union League. "The connections I have made with credit union professionals around the world help keep me motivated, have given me new ideas to help my organization and have made me feel like I'm connected to the greater good of the movement. I cannot express the difference that it has made in both my personal and professional life."

To be eligible for the WYCUP scholarship, nominees must: 1) be sponsored by their credit union or credit union organization to attend the World Credit Union Conference held in Rome, Italy, July 24-27, 2005, 2) be 35 years of age or younger on January 1, 2005, and 3) submit a completed nomination form, with all necessary supporting materials, to WOCCU no later than May 13, 2005.

The World Credit Union Conference offers the ideal environment for young professionals to broaden their perspectives on the international credit union movement, learn about the newest trends in credit union development and network with other credit union leaders, particularly their young professional peers. The WYCUP committee will select five credit union professionals from among the 2005 nominees to receive an all-expense paid scholarship to attend the World Credit Union Conference in Dublin, Ireland in the summer of 2006.

World Council supports and encourages participation in WYCUP from credit union movements across all geographies and has reduced World Conference registration fees for young professionals by US$150. WOCCU encourages both interested young professionals to secure nominations and credit union organizations to consider nominating qualified young professionals.

For nomination forms and further information on judging criteria and the selection process, please visit the WYCUP section of WOCCU's website at www.woccu.org/involve/wycup. For more information on WYCUP, please contact Bryn Olsen, marketing & communications assistant, at bolsen@woccu.org or 608-231-7398.

El Consejo Mundial de Cooperativas de Ahorro y Crédito es la asociación gremial y agencia de desarrollo para el sistema internacional de cooperativas de ahorro y crédito. El Consejo Mundial promueve el crecimiento sustentable de las cooperativas de ahorro y crédito y otras cooperativas financieras en todo el mundo a fin de facultar a las personas para que mejoren su calidad de vida a través del acceso a servicios financieros asequibles y de alta calidad. El Consejo Mundial realiza esfuerzos de defensa activa en representación del sistema global de las cooperativas de ahorro y crédito ante organizaciones internacionales y trabaja con gobiernos nacionales para mejorar la legislación y la regulación. Sus programas de asistencia técnica introducen nuevas herramientas y tecnologías para fortalecer el desempeño financiero de las cooperativas de ahorro y crédito y profundizar su alcance comunitario.

El Consejo Mundial ha implementado 290 programas de asistencia técnica en 71 países. A nivel mundial, 51,000 cooperativas de ahorro y crédito en 100 países atienden a 196 millones de personas. Obtenga más información sobre el impacto global del Consejo Mundial en www.woccu.org.