What does it mean for youth? Co-ops continue to stand for human rights and sustainable development. They give youth the chance to earn a living while adhering to their morals and beliefs and the ability to help yourself and others. Co-operatives and Credit Union believe in supporting community first.  It believes in growing, buying, selling in its own community.  They are founded on a common idea that people, no matter what their economic status or educational level, know best for themselves. In a world that needs our help, what better way to help save our earth than to buy local.

	ARE YOU A CO-OP OR CREDIT UNION? Invest In Your Co-operative Community   Supporting ACYL, the Co-operative Youth Leadership Program, is a great way to invest in youth and your co-operative community amongst financial institutions.   8 Ways that you can be involved: 1) Help us promote this program – be a youth contact. 2) Come to a seminar as a guest to experience the program. 3) Be a facilitator or encourage an employee to be one at the seminar. 4) Facilitate a workshop at one of the sessions. 5) Have your Board, your staff, your organization or your committee sponsor a participant. 7) Encourage your Board, committee and/or organization to make a donation. 8) And most importantly, empower them by keeping them involved in your co-op or credit union. SO WHY SPONSOR A YOUTH TO ATTEND AN ACYL SEMINAR? 1) To give youth the opportunity to enjoy an experience that they wouldn’t be able to afford on their own. 2) To give youth the co-op background they will need to fill the positions on your boards and staff team in the coming years. 3) To help develop co-operative leaders in the Co-operative Movement that care about our Atlantic communities today and in the future.

	ACYL Programs Following each 1 to 2 hour session there will be an exciting interactive group activity or game that will demonstrate the benefits of that particular session. Exploring Leadership – This session provides the participants with the skills needed to become productive, integral, influential members of their community.  A community is like a ship; everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm. - Ibsen Show Me the Money – Participants will learn, with the help of a financial specialist of the local credit union, how to handle their money safely and effectively to achieve their financial goals.  This session is followed up with a visit from Vanna White to demonstrate the destructive power of greed. Volunteer Session – Participants will explore and identify key issues that will help them direct/become better volunteers.  Watch and see to what happens to your psyche when you volunteer your time to the benefit someone else. Communication and Public Speaking – This session will explore communication tools that will impact all aspects of your life.  You will discover the tools to allow you to get past nervousness, gain confidence in front of an audience and allow you to become effective communicator within your life.  Impromptu anyone? Diversity – This session is prepared to help the participants recognize what their values are and what is important to them.  It helps youth appreciate the uniqueness of each other and makes them understand that their values are their own and can be quite different from others around them.  Sometimes ‘Diversity’ can be an emotional roller-coaster of a workshop, but tonnes of fun at the same time? Group Dynamics – This dynamic session teaches effective consensus-seeking behaviors in groups which have a problem to solve or a task to complete.  It provides participants with an opportunity to compare the quality of individual versus group decision-making.  Watch what happens when we truly work, think and collaborate together! Let’s Talk Co-ops – Participants will recognize that co-operatives are unique within the business world because they are owned and controlled by the people they serve.  The youth will have a better understanding of the global reach of co-operatives and the opportunities that are available to them throughout their lives.  There’s a reason why there are ONE BILLION people in over 100 countries worldwide that are members of co-operatives. Reporting back to sponsors – This will allow participants to gather what is necessary to report back to their sponsoring co-operative or credit union.  It will encourage youth to write a report to their sponsor and encourage youth to take an active role within their community and sponsoring organizations.  It’s amazing how good you feel when you make a difference within your own back yard!