Two interns from the Ghana Credit Union Cooperative League recently paid a visit to the United States.
The National Credit Union Foundation, World Council of Credit Unions and African American Credit Union Coalition teamed up to host the interns.
After completing the NCUF Development Educators program, recently held in Madison, Wis., the two representatives from Ghana completed a weeklong internship with U.S. credit unions.
It was a privilege for Vantage Credit Union to host Willie Wellington Ahli, one of the interns, said Hubert Hoosman, president/CEO of the Bridgeton, Mo.-based CU. Hoosman hosted Ahli in his home and took him to church and to East St. Louis High School, where he spoke. Ahli also toured several St. Louis landmarks, including a private tour of one of the city's oldest family-owned bakeries.
Ahli's internship also included partnering with the Missouri Credit Union Association and St. Louis Community Credit Union.
Helen Godfrey-Smith, president/CEO of Shreveport Federal Credit Union in Shreveport, La., hosted Dianah Darkwah, another intern from Ghana. An administrative clerk at her CU, Darkwah was focused on growth and marketing strategies.
Godfrey-Smith said she exposed the intern to a number of experiences as learning tools. Darkwah shadowed the CEO as the CU worked its marketing tent at a blues festival in Clarksdale, Miss.
"She observed how I communicated our mission and plans to city officials and gained support for our work through using my 'elevator pitch'–the one-minute story of who we are and why we are relevant," Godfrey-Smith said.
A new branch in the Mississippi Delta also provided an opportunity to show how to work with members and communicate the principle of cooperative ownership, Godfrey-Smith said. Darkwah was also trained on collection techniques, attended a Shreveport FCU management team meeting and observed all of the operational departments.
As a further extension into the community, Darkwah met with leaders at Southern University, had lunch at a local elementary school and met with elected officials.
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