Above: Members of The Minnedosa Youth Board.
Minnedosa Youth Board
The Minnedosa Youth Board started as a conversation between the credit union’s general manager at the time, Don Farr, and Bob Pineo, a teacher at Minnedosa Collegiate Institute (MCI). Pineo wanted his business students to see, first-hand, how boards work within companies; Farr saw it as an excellent opportunity for youth outreach.
The youth board mimics the functioning of a regular board. It elects its own executive and runs its meetings according to Robert’s Rules of Order. It is composed of grades 11 and 12 students, six of each on two-year terms. Aspiring members apply in Grade 10 and are interviewed by staff and board members of Minnedosa Credit Union, and the successful candidates attend the last youth board meeting of the year. Members of the credit union’s regular board attend the first youth board meeting of the year.
Farr and Pineo started in a logical place: education. Farr engaged Credit Union Central of Manitoba (CUCM) to deliver Credit Union Director Achievement (CUDA) training to the youth board once a month in the credit union’s boardroom. (At that time, CUCM delivered CUDA training, which is now available from CUSource.) CUDA teaches board directors what they need to know about the governance and business sides of financial co-operatives.
Tanis Barrett, a teacher at MCI who came on board in 1993, says the CUDA-type content is still an essential part of the program, “but now, what stands out for me are the connections they make in the community.” From its initial focus on director education, it has evolved over the years to getting the kids out of the boardroom to run a business and learn from community leaders.
The youth board mimics the functioning of a regular board. It elects its own executive and runs its meetings according to Robert’s Rules of Order. It is composed of grades 11 and 12 students, six of each on two-year terms. Aspiring members apply in Grade 10 and are interviewed by staff and board members of Minnedosa Credit Union, and the successful candidates attend the last youth board meeting of the year. Members of the credit union’s regular board attend the first youth board meeting of the year.
Farr and Pineo started in a logical place: education. Farr engaged Credit Union Central of Manitoba (CUCM) to deliver Credit Union Director Achievement (CUDA) training to the youth board once a month in the credit union’s boardroom. (At that time, CUCM delivered CUDA training, which is now available from CUSource.) CUDA teaches board directors what they need to know about the governance and business sides of financial co-operatives.
Tanis Barrett, a teacher at MCI who came on board in 1993, says the CUDA-type content is still an essential part of the program, “but now, what stands out for me are the connections they make in the community.” From its initial focus on director education, it has evolved over the years to getting the kids out of the boardroom to run a business and learn from community leaders.
"The Credit Union Youth Board gives me the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and gain new skills that I will use in my future career and schooling."
-Callie Robinson, Grade 12, MCUYB Secretary
Leaders like entrepreneur and former board member Beth McNabb, who for years owned an independent clothing store in town; or members of the local Lions Club, who serve needs in communities that aren’t always apparent; or the manager of Heritage Co-op, who talks not only about what is required to efficiently run a retail business, but provides the co-op perspective as well.
For the past several years, the youth board has run MCI’s branded clothing program. “They choose the clothing, get it branded, price it out, promote it and sell it,” says Barrett. “The profits benefit the school.”
Profits have gone toward things like team uniforms and a gym scoreboard. A few years ago, the youth board used the profits to buy a refillable water station, and then worked with student council to lobby the administration to eliminate plastic water bottles on campus.
For the past several years, the youth board has run MCI’s branded clothing program. “They choose the clothing, get it branded, price it out, promote it and sell it,” says Barrett. “The profits benefit the school.”
Profits have gone toward things like team uniforms and a gym scoreboard. A few years ago, the youth board used the profits to buy a refillable water station, and then worked with student council to lobby the administration to eliminate plastic water bottles on campus.
Above: The home page of the Minndeosa Collegiate Institute Chancellor's Apparel Store
The youth board’s influence extends beyond their school. After a presentation by the Minnedosa Foundation two years ago, the youth board sparked the establishment of the Minnedosa Collegiate Foundation, a community trust administered by students in partnership with the Minnedosa Foundation, with support from the Thomas Sill Foundation.
“They are getting as many leadership skills as the kids on student council, although they’re sometimes the same kids,” Barrett says. “They are very proud of the work they do, of the brand, of seeing their clothes, of the impact they make.”
“It’s great to watch the growth of the students,” says Brad Ross, mcu’s gm since 2012. “For example, the treasurers usually don’t know what they’re doing when they start their terms, but they are very knowledgeable — and holding everyone to account — by the end of their terms.”
“They are getting as many leadership skills as the kids on student council, although they’re sometimes the same kids,” Barrett says. “They are very proud of the work they do, of the brand, of seeing their clothes, of the impact they make.”
“It’s great to watch the growth of the students,” says Brad Ross, mcu’s gm since 2012. “For example, the treasurers usually don’t know what they’re doing when they start their terms, but they are very knowledgeable — and holding everyone to account — by the end of their terms.”
"Being a member of the MCUYB is extremely valuable in that it allows me to be active in both my school and community simultaneously. The experiences I have gained in volunteerism, professionalism and leadership have been, and will continue to be, very rewarding."
-Erica Alex, Grade 12
More credit union staff are involved now, too. “The kids learn about business, money management and financial planning from us, which is very valuable for them as individuals,” Ross says. Staff rotate in and out depending on their area of expertise, for example, or even their comfort level with teaching teenagers.
“Those of us directly involved at the credit union get a lot of value from our interactions with youth — youth that aren’t our own kids — that we wouldn’t normally get,” Ross says. “For example, one of the things I really enjoy is hearing the great discussions they have about their perceptions: how their perceptions coming into the program — about leadership, their community and its people — have changed over the course of their terms on the youth board.”
The credit union gets lots of positive publicity for running the youth board, and its members help with the credit union’s AGM, where the youth board chair makes an annual presentation on their activities and successes from the previous year.
Each member gets a $300 scholarship from the credit union when they graduate Grade 12. “Their participation looks good on a résumé, too,”
Ross says.
Barrett echoes that, saying she constantly gets questions from universities to which youth board members have applied. “They’re quite intrigued and ask lots of questions about it, which tells me this program is pretty unique.”
“Those of us directly involved at the credit union get a lot of value from our interactions with youth — youth that aren’t our own kids — that we wouldn’t normally get,” Ross says. “For example, one of the things I really enjoy is hearing the great discussions they have about their perceptions: how their perceptions coming into the program — about leadership, their community and its people — have changed over the course of their terms on the youth board.”
The credit union gets lots of positive publicity for running the youth board, and its members help with the credit union’s AGM, where the youth board chair makes an annual presentation on their activities and successes from the previous year.
Each member gets a $300 scholarship from the credit union when they graduate Grade 12. “Their participation looks good on a résumé, too,”
Ross says.
Barrett echoes that, saying she constantly gets questions from universities to which youth board members have applied. “They’re quite intrigued and ask lots of questions about it, which tells me this program is pretty unique.”
Above: Every two years, members of the Minnedosa Youth Board head north to Lake Audy for a full-day leadership and teamwork retreat.
Every two years for the past 10 years, the youth board has gone on a one-day leadership and teamwork retreat at Lake Audy, 45 minutes north of town, in Riding Mountain National Park. “It’s usually a very diverse group, the youth board, so you get lots of different dynamics going on, and it’s neat to see them come together as a group,” Ross says.
“I see the results in the kids that come back from the retreat,” says Barrett. “The level of respect they show for other people, and the bonds that get created at that session, are remarkable.”
“I see the results in the kids that come back from the retreat,” says Barrett. “The level of respect they show for other people, and the bonds that get created at that session, are remarkable.”