Credit unions lead charge in financial literacy with 2026 Reach and Teach Tour
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Deslon Brown, business development manager, First Regional Co-op Credit Union Ltd, presenting on financial literacy to grade-nine students at Iona High School in Tower Isle, St Mary, on Tuesday, April 21.
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An Infiniti staff volunteer reads ‘Tommy and the Money Tree’ to students at the Mount Alvernia Preparatory School during April’s Financial Literacy Month.
As April marks Financial Literacy Month, credit unions across Jamaica have rolled out the Reach and Teach Tour 2026 under the theme ‘Financial Lit A It’. Since the credit unions’ financial literacy programme’s inception in 2015, credit unions have remained committed to youth financial education. This year alone, the tour has already extended to over 30 high schools, with more to come. Driven by the co-operative principles of ‘Concern for Community’ and ‘Member Continued Education’, credit unions are filling a critical gap in the formal education system by teaching young people how to manage money effectively.
Students age 15 to 18 are being instructed in eight essential areas of financial management, namely, earning, saving, budgeting, borrowing, spending, investing, insurance, and taxation. For credit unions, money is more than income; it is a vehicle to shape lives, families, and communities. By tackling youth financial illiteracy and working to reduce the number of unbanked young Jamaicans, this initiative empowers the next generation to make money-wise decisions.
Beyond the classroom, credit unions extend these lessons to members, businesses, and community groups, ensuring that proper money management reaches every corner of society.