Don’t miss this opportunity to be recognized for your efforts to provide youth financial education. The Texas Credit Union League (TCUL) is accepting nominations for the Desjardins Youth and Adult Financial Education Award through Thursday, August 1, 2013.

Alphonse Desjardins (1854-1920) was a credit union pioneer who was instrumental in forming the Canadian and U.S. credit union movements. Besides helping to found the first credit unions in Canada and the U.S., Desjardins pioneered youth savings clubs and in-school "banks," known as caisses scolaires.

In honor of his contributions to the credit union movement, the Desjardins Youth Financial Education Award Recognition Program was created. This award recognizes the leadership of individual credit unions and chapters (or groups of credit unions) on behalf of youth and adult financial education.

Judges will evaluate credit union youth and adult financial education award winners from each of the following five categories (assets as of 12/31/11):

• Chapters or credit union groups (all asset sizes)
• Credit unions with less than $50 million in assets
• Credit unions between $50 million and $150 million in assets
• Credit unions between $150 million and $500 million in assets;
• Credit unions with more than $500 million in assets

The Desjardins Youth Financial Education Award recognizes model credit union efforts to teach personal finance concepts and skills to members and nonmembers under age 18:  Examples might include:

• Classroom presentation series;
• Credit prerequisite course;
• NEFE HSFPP instruction for underserved groups;
• Online personal finance curriculum;
• Live group budgeting simulation;
• Special savers or borrowers club;
• Peer-to-peer financial counseling;
• And similar innovative activities.

 The Desjardins Adult Financial Education Award recognizes model credit union efforts to teach personal finance concepts and skills to members and nonmembers age 18 and older.  Examples include:

• Group seminar or webinar;
• Online Q&A with expert;
• Instruction of underserved group;
• Presentation series to SEG group;
• Instruction at personal finance events;
• One-on-One financial counseling or credit report review;
• Regular personal finance segment in local media;
• And similar innovative activities.

If you have questions, please contact TCUL public relations director Linda Webb-Mañon, at (800) 442-5762, Ext. 6486 or lwebb-manon@tcul.coop.  For further clarification on procedures, criteria, and entry forms, please visit Awards & Recognition on the TCUL site.