Media Release

CUA grants young Haligonians opportunity to grow
Two $1,500 Youth Grants awarded to Halifax-based projects

Halifax, NS (June 2, 2015) – Local, community-based based banking institution Credit Union Atlantic (CUA) asked Halifax youth to submit their great ideas for a chance to win one of two $1,500 Youth Grants, and today announced the two recipients.

As part of their Community Investment Grant Program launched earlier this year, CUA is committed to providing financial support to projects that will directly benefit the community. The program is an expression of CUA’s vision that its members and communities are better off, and provides broad support to projects with an aim to effect positive economic, social and environmental change.

A total of 27 submissions were received for the Youth Grant which invited applications for or by youth aged 17-30, and CUA’s Selection Committee consisted of representatives from Fusion Halifax, the Centre for Entrepreneurship Education & Development (CEED), and CUA’s own Youth Advisory Council. Young and Old Enterprises and Speak Up have been awarded the 2015 Community Investment Youth Grants.

Project: Speak Up

Speak Up is a program dedicated to helping international students practice and gain confidence in speaking English and establishing important social connections. Over the course of the school year, Speak Up hosts a number of workshops varying from sharing cultures to social media.

"We are currently a group of about 30 volunteers, contributing hours upon hours to create workshops for the international students in Halifax to improve English conversation skills, share cultures, and make new friends. Being recognized by CUA as a project worth investing in really breathes a sense of community into Halifax. Having local businesses give back to small projects in the community like ours really inspires us to grow and help others in the same way." – Samantha Burns, Project Owner

Project: Young and Old Enterprises

Through the Young and Old Enterprises project, North End youth would provide affordable services to seniors who live independently. Youth staff would gain valuable work experience, a sense of belonging and a source of income, and the seniors would get the practical help they need. The idea came from
conversations at the North End Community Circle’s (NECC) monthly roundtable when a combination of an ongoing search for opportunities for youth and the challenges of seniors were presented.

"Youth and seniors can meet some of each other's needs and Young and Old Enterprises would connect them. Think about this past winter: many home care providers couldn't even get to their clients' homes once buses stopped running. But youth can walk to the homes of seniors in their neighbourhood. I can imagine countless spin-off benefits: income, experience with entrepreneurship, a sense of community belonging. I'm really excited to see this happen." – Lisa Roberts, Project Owner

“At CUA, we’re committed to improving the quality of life of our members and the communities where they live and work – the Community Investment Grant Program is one of the ways that we re-invest in our community,” said CUA’s President & CEO, Marie Mullally. “These two projects are ones that we felt will have a strong impact, and we look forward to hearing about their progress in the future.”

The Youth Grant represents just two of six grants that CUA will award this year. Two Local Business grants will be available in October to support the start-up or growth of locally-owned and operated small businesses in Halifax, and two People & Community grants will be available in November to support local projects and programs that are making an impact to improve the viability of the community and improve people’s social well-being, particular in the area of financial literacy. For more information, visit www.cua.com/grants.

About the Company

CUA is a community-based, cooperative banking institution with seven retail branches, a corporate office, a commercial centre, and a wealth management services division in Halifax. CUA is the largest credit union in Nova Scotia, and has been serving its members for over 60 years. CUA has over 18,000 members and total assets over $370 million.

Media Contact

Kristen De Palma
Manager, Strategic Initiatives
kdepalma@cua.com
902.492.6521

Links
www.cua.com/grants

Social Media

• #CUAYouthGrant
• Twitter: @CUAtlantic
• Facebook: facebook.com/CreditUnionAtlantic