Lloyd Ricketts
One September morning I was suddenly summoned by the head of my organization’s operations to accompany a team of presenters to visit the Ocho Rios High School, St. Ann, to conduct a marketing presentation.
It was on the fly and so while travelling I was putting my approach together in my head. I got to the class earlier than the students did and carried out the customary marketing setup of decorating the class with branded materials. Nothing unusual there, however by time the students were gathered to come inside the class room this suddenly changed. The students formed a queue and proceeded to enter the class room. After they all entered they found seats but nobody decided to sit and so an awkward moment ensued. In this small moment of uneasiness I realized how contagious a smile can be. Students and guests stood there looking at each other but rather than frowning we shared a warm and spirited smile that eventually engulfed the entire atmosphere. This was remarkable as it permeated the space and set the tone for an engaging encounter.
Today researchers have found growing evidence that shows that an instinct for facial mimicry allows us to empathize with and even experience other people’s feelings. If we can’t mirror another person’s face, it limits our ability to read and properly react to their expressions. A review of this emotional mirroring appears February 11, 2017 in Trends in Cognitive Sciences. As credit unions approach an uncertain future they can stand firm to whatever storms that come their way, as long as their invested interest remains true to the advancement of the common man, by empathizing and understanding his struggles.
It is a little over 75 years, since the late Father John Peter Sullivan identified a situation whereby loan sharks and usurers exploited the poor, charging as much as two hundred percent per annum for each loan they offered the poor, Father John Sullivan and fourteen members of Sodality Associates eventually decided to form a Credit Union, which would assist in relieving the myriad social and financial problems faced by the poor. On September 12, 1941, they pooled together their shares and gave birth to Jamaica’s first Credit Union; the Sodality Credit Union. This Credit Union operated under the motto, ‘Not for charity, not for profit but for service”. Ever since, this mantra has taken on varied dimensions in an effort to reach the many who are suffering across Jamaica.
This has been the value proposition of Credit Unions, having an interest in the common man and making a difference in the lives of the many who find themselves disadvantaged. As Credit Unions celebrate another Credit Union Week, highlighted by International Credit Union Day, October 19, 2017, reflection must be given to the strong legacy of the organization and why it came into existence. Further consideration must also be given to ways to build on that thriving culture. Just like the exchange of ferocious smiles in a class room of adults and children, the pleasantness of Credit Unions’ impact can pervade the world.
Lloyd Ricketts is a research and development analyst at First Regional Cooperative Credit Union.
