Be Young and Free
Sep 10, 2008 
Whitecourt Star | By Alexandra Pope
Someone in Whitecourt could have what it takes to become the voice of the under 25 crowd in Alberta.
Young & Free Alberta, a province-wide and web-based program run by Common Wealth Credit union, is searching for its next "spokester," a young, tech-savvy and outgoing person who can connect with their peers online and face-to-face.
Kim Crockett, manager of the Young & Free program, said the idea of the program and it accompanying website, youngfreealberta.com, came from the credit union's desire to attract younger members by offering financial programs that met their needs.
"Many of them are just graduating from high school or their university years," he said. "They're getting going in life, and we felt a good start in that direction would be a free account."
However, Crockett said the most important thing from the institution's perspective was that the under-25 generation have a voice and be able to tell the credit union what they need.
In 2007, Young & Free held its first spokester compeition to find a liason. Candidates had to submit a blog entry on a subject they were passionate about and create a video introducing themselves and why they thought they were the ideal voice for 17 to 25 year-olds in Alberta.
The winner was 19-year-old Larissa Walkiw of St. Albert. Walkiw spent nearl a year producing videos, writing blogs and touring the province for Young & Free, and is now spearheading the search for her successor.
Jere Stewart, internal spokester for Young & Free, said Walkiw managed to make the website into the kind of community the credit union had envisioned.
Walkiw also acted as a liaison between youth from all over—not just credit union members—and the credit union, bringing financial questions posted on the website to appropriate experts to find and post answers, Steward said.
"Our whole role is to travel around Alberta and connect with young people," she said.
This year's spokester competition was launched last Wednesday. Video entries will be accepted online until October 1. After that, Young & Free staff will review the entries and post the top three on the website for voting. The winner will be announces by November 4, Crocket said.
People don't have to be credit union members to vote or enter the contest. The winner will receive a free digital video camera, a Macbook notebook computer with Internet and use of a Chevrolet HHR with a gas allowance. They will also receive a Canon digital camcorder and digital camera, use of a Blackberry and a $36,000 a year salary.
For more information or to enter, visit www.youngfreealberta.com. To find out more information about the Young & Free account, call Common Wealth Credit Union at 780-778-3911.
