Workshop lead: The Living Wage as a CED Strategy
Catherine Ludgate is a manager of community investment at Vancity. She has accountability for the delivery of the credit union’s microfinance programs as tools for poverty reduction and financial inclusion, including financial literacy and microcredit. She supports partnerships related to facing poverty in our communities, including the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition and the Living Wage for Families campaign and she spends a goodly amount of time talking to other employers about joining the Living Wage campaign. She is the developer of the award-winning “Each One, Teach One” financial literacy program which has now been shared with credit unions across Canada and more than 80 credit unions are now using this platform to mobilize their own staff in support of community financial literacy. Catherine works on a range of inclusive banking projects, from supports to refugees to banking services for community living members. She is committed to Principle 5 of co-operation (the importance of member education and training), and holds a masters degree in the management of co-ops and credit unions.
