Co-op News

The Co-op Youth Parliament (CYP), a youth development arm under MASS-SPECC Cooperative Development Center, once again strengthened its commitment to empowering young leaders through the Training of Trainers (TOT) on Financial Literacy (FinLit) Training for the Youth held on September 29–30, 2025, at the MASS-SPECC Training Hall in Cagayan de Oro City.

The program was carefully designed to address the growing need for financial education among the youth, especially within the co-op sector. It sought to build the capacity of co-operative youth leaders to become effective facilitators of financial literacy education in their respective organizations—developing their knowledge, skills, and attitudes not only in managing personal finances but also in teaching and promoting financial responsibility among their fellow youth members.

Now in its third year of implementation, the two-day training gathered 31 participants from 12 co-operatives across Mindanao. The program pursued two key objectives: (1) To equip youth coordinators with proper financial literacy knowledge and skills for their personal growth and economic empowerment; and (2) To enable them to transfer these competencies to other youth members in their co-ops through local training initiatives.

The sessions combined both technical and facilitative learning approaches. Participants engaged in interactive workshops and discussions on budgeting, saving, responsible consumption, and effective training methodologies for youth audiences. Beyond classroom learning, the activity fostered collaboration and camaraderie as participants shared their own experiences, challenges, and innovative ideas in co-operative youth development.

The program highlighted how financial literacy contributes to co-operative sustainability, inspiring participants to apply these learning in their own lives and in organizing similar training for their youth members. By integrating financial literacy into co-operative education, MASS-SPECC is helping young people understand not only the practical aspects of managing finances but also the co-operative values of self-help, responsibility, and economic participation.

This initiative highlights the federation’s steadfast commitment to advancing the co-operative identity through education and youth empowerment. By investing in programs like this, MASS-SPECC, through the Co-op Youth Parliament, is cultivating a new generation of financially literate, value-driven, and co-operatively grounded young leaders—empowered to champion financial discipline, uphold co-operative values, and drive community development for a stronger co-operative movement in the future.