Sometimes being a young person in credit unions feels like beinga monkey in a cage. A novelty to be poked and studied andquestioned and dissected.

For better or worse, our generation is no more mysterious thanthe previous and no more elusive than the next. But after workingin the movement for a few years, I've noticed certainmisconceptions continue to bubble up. Let's talk stereotypes. One,two, three, ready, set, go:

Stereotype No. 1: If you're young you love technology and socialmedia.

I wish I could tell you how many of my friends have looked me inthe eyes and said, “Twitter is the stupidest thing I've ever heardof.” I wish you could hear them talk about how it represents thedecline of society, narcissism en masse, the end of focus andattention as we know it. These friends are in their 20s.

It doesn't stop there. I could go on and tell you abouttwenty-somethings in Dallas who are too content with their realfriends to bother with Facebook or young adults in Brooklyn whodon't own a computer.

By the same token, some young people lose their mind whenTwitter goes down for an hour. But that's not because they'reyoung. It's because they have a borderline personalitydisorder.

Don't get me wrong, the Internet is a cultural force responsiblefor significant cross-generational changes, but it's not ablanket.

Stereotype No. 2: We don't respect older generations.

I spent my time at CUNA's Governmental Affairs Conference thisyear with a group of under-30 credit union professionals. We calledourselves the Crashers after deciding that regardless of cost orlogistical barriers, we were going to find a way to crash, to be apart of, the conference. We ended up staying in a D.C. hostel,which is another story altogether.

One of the most amazing things about our week at the GAC wasspending time with pioneers of the industry.

Tossing around trendy buzzwords like “social marketing” is onething, but after hearing Larry Blanchard discuss mobilizing 2.4million people to get HR 1151 passed, a law that might have keptour movement afloat, we realized we knew squat about what goingviral really means.

We have so much to learn from those who have been here beforeus. There's a lot of room for mentorships in this industry. Pleasedon't mistake our ambition for recklessness or disregard. We justwant go deep, work hard, and learn from older generations as soonas we can.

Stereotype No. 3: Our passions revolve around “what works withGen Y.”

Some colleagues and I recently noticed that when you putseasoned credit union professionals in a room with younger creditunion people, it's only a matter of time before the exchange turnsback to how to reach Gen Y. We'd love to get past that and dig intomeatier issues.

For example: Robbie Wright is 27 and runs the productdevelopment consultancy CU Innovators. He is passionate aboutcredit union collaboration, emerging payment methods, and theimplications of an open source core processor.

For example: Mackenzie Snyder is 22, another “Crasher,”and the Latino Market Research Specialist from Consumers CreditUnion. She loves Latin culture and is fascinated by the work WOCCUis doing in developing countries. She wants learn how to makeAmerican credit unions better for hispanic immigrants.

For example: I'm 27, and spend way too much timethinking about how design and storytelling effect the way peoplefeel and behave.

I could go on and on.

Research & Relationships

A very effective way to avoid and destroy stereotypes is throughregular interaction.

I understand that a conversation with someone you don't quiteknow or understand can be scary or uncomfortable. So it makes sensethat in trying to learn what makes Gen Y tick, many older creditunion employees would rather learn through research reports,business books and conference breakout sessions.

While I'm not discounting the importance of research (after all,I work for a research organization), it's important to understandthat this information is like a set of blueprints. A blueprint canshow you that a house has three bedrooms, 12 windows, a den and akitchen. Now you've begun to see the house. But until you've spenttime in the house, you won't learn that the best spot forhide-'n'-seek is behind the stairs and the guest bedroom fills withsunlight every day at noon.

The best way to get inside of the heads of young members, youngemployees or anyone for that matter, is to step through the doorand build a relationship.

Changes & Constants

“The children now love luxury. They have bad manners,contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and lovechatter in place of exercise.”

You know who said that? A cantankerous old Plato.

Cultural specifics, the window dressing, change over time –Elvis Presley becomes Michael Jackson becomes Lady Gaga and aflapper's bob becomes a headbanger's mop becomes punk's mohawk. Butthe roots and sentiments behind these changes are constant. Theidealism and optimism of youth outlives each generation.

There's a lot to do in our movement. The sooner our collectivegenerations start learning about and from each other, the sooner wecan take it on together.