Real Solutions - A National Credit Union Foundation Program

From CUNA News Now – Forty representatives from 19 Illinois credit unions are on their way to becoming Certified Credit Union Financial Counselors (CCUFC) after completing the final webinar of the REAL Solutions Enhanced Financial Counseling Certification Program (FICEP) Tuesday.

Self-Help Federal Credit Union is delivering “in-line” financial education to help lead low-income people on the path to economic opportunity and security.

The credit union received a National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) Financial Education Grant this year to implement, analyze and refine their in-line education model, which is innovative delivery of “bite-size” financial management concepts at the teller line when consumers are focused on their financial decision-making. This new education model is being piloted in Self-Help FCU’s Micro Branch, a unique check casher credit union hybrid designed specifically to meet the needs of unbanked families.

The National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) through its REAL Solutions™ program has released a resource guide for its free online report entitled “Credit Unions: Focused on Financial Capability Across the Nation,” which was released earlier this year. Both the report and new companion piece are the result of an almost yearlong data collection effort by NCUF with the help of state credit union leagues to illustrate how the credit union movement is making a difference through financial education and counseling.

Despite record high foreclosures, unemployment, and broken state budgets, one industry is flourishing: Payday Lending.

The National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) recently released their 2011-2012 Annual Report entitled “Making Financial Freedom Achievable.” The report highlights NCUF activities over the 12 months. In early 2012, the Foundation announced a new mission and logo tagline, which corresponds to the theme of the annual report.

Acadia Federal Credit Union was presented with the Desjardins Youth Financial Literacy Award at the 2012 Maine Credit Union League Annual Convention. The Awards Committee chose Acadia FCU for this award based on their outstanding leadership in financial education as well as their commitment to raise awareness and marshal resources on behalf of youth in the state of Maine.

Biz Kid$ has received Daytime Emmy nominations in three categories including Outstanding Children’s Series, Single Camera Editing and Sound Editing from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Awards will be given on June 17, 2012 in Los Angeles, Calif. Biz Kid$ is the credit union funded public television series that teaches kids about money management and entrepreneurship.

From CUNA News Now – Representatives from the Connecticut International Partnership Committee of the Credit Union League of Connecticut learned that assisting youth with learning how to handle finances is universal, during a Financial Reality Fair April 30 in San Fernando, Trinidad.

On June 8th, Biz Kid$ will premiere worldwide as new programming from the American Forces Network (AFN) on military bases overseas. Biz Kid$ is the Emmy Award winning and credit union funded public television series that teaches kids about money management and entrepreneurship.

The Iowa Credit Union Foundation (ICUF) has been working to build capacity within Iowa credit unions to implement financial education programs via training, technical assistance and one-time grants for financial education start-ups or expansions. The initiative was made possible by a Financial Education Grant from the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF).

From CUNA News Now – Illinois REAL Solutions program partner credit unions attended their first in-person meeting of 2012 last week. They discussed attracting new members and eco-friendly loans, and compared popular prepaid cards.

Over 54 million people and 19 percent of the United States population – or one out of every five Americans – have some type of disability and a large number of which are “unbanked” or “underbanked.” Credit unions in New Jersey are working to make a difference in this area with the Building Economic Strength Together (BEST) internship program. The BEST program is a collaborative project that provides internship opportunities for people with disabilities. The last cycle, Cycle VII, of the program is underway in New Jersey after being piloted two years ago in New Jersey.

We’ve posted a lot about reality fairs in the last year and for good reason – it’s such an effective learning tool for high school students and credit unions are now holding fairs from coast to coast. Some credit unions have definitely put their own stamp on them too. In this post, we’ll take a look at the interesting iBudget program from Land of Lincoln Credit Union in Decatur, Illinois.

Credit unions looking for outreach activities this April, National Financial Literacy Month, have a few new resources to tap into thanks to the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) and the Texas Credit Union Foundation (TCUF). The two foundations have developed a new initiative, entitled “Credit Unions Support Financial Education: Leading the Way to Financial Freedom” and is being piloted in California, Illinois, Louisiana, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas by state credit union foundations in each state.

For the second year in a row, the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) will be holding a Financial Reality Fair on Wednesday, March 21, 2012 in conjunction with the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC) in Washington, DC. A Reality Fair is an interactive financial literacy tool for high school students.