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Tim Huet: We asked our members back in 2018 to create a vision for the association. In earlier years when we had asked this question, the members said create more food co-ops, that’s what we know how to do.

The Membership Coordinator’s main audience is cooperative enterprises who are, or are interested in becoming, members of PACA in order to support and coordinate collective efforts. They will work closely with the staff collective to direct members to relevant resources, and to address gaps and needs in the local cooperative ecosystem.

CHF Canada’s recommendations to the federal government in advance of the 2022 federal budget include how to build the next generation of co-op housing.

The cost of housing, both ownership and market rental, is on a steep increase. The result is a growing number of households that are less secure and face growing financial pressures. This is especially true for Black, Indigenous and other households of colour, along with people living with disabilities, lone-parent families, newcomers and others.

Nearly 40 years go, 13 homeowners in Meredith Center, New Hampshire banded together to purchase the land beneath their homes with the help of the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, becoming the first Resident Owned Community. Jason and Jeff Sirles grew up in the cooperative, and their father, Bob, was the ROC’s first Board President. In this episode, Jason and Jeff reflect on the sense of community and the generosity of the community sellers.

Steadily and mostly behind the scenes, an affordable-housing strategy has preserved nearly 8,500 New Hampshire homes over 39 years. It has kept dollars circulating in local communities and inspired a successful national housing movement.

Now the N.H. Senate is considering legislation that would destroy it.

The nonprofit New Hampshire Community Loan Fund has helped 140 groups of manufactured-home park residents purchase their parks and manage them as cooperatives, or ROCs (resident-owned communities).

On Valentine’s Day, 1199 SEIU labor union and NY Caring Majority organized a rally in Albany telling New York State lawmakers “Have A Heart for Home Care.” Over 250 Home Care Workers, from NYC, came together for the event. Home care workers marched to the NYS Capitol building and formed a beautiful image of a heart for the NYS Legislators to witness. The rally was to call attention the Fair Pay for Home Care bill that home care stakeholders want to see included in this year’s State budget.

In rural Georgia, 80 per cent of the population uses firewood in inefficient stoves for heating, cooking and heating water. Families spend up to 30% of their income on energy (mostly consisting of firewood), and yet most are only able to heat one room in their poorly insulated houses, and struggle to heat enough water to meet their needs.

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On March 12, 2020, Kevin LaCherra, a coordinator with what’s become North Brooklyn Mutual Aid, posted in a Facebook group asking if anyone had volunteer opportunities. He and his neighbors were starting to realize how serious the coming days and weeks would be, and he wanted to help.

Felt Nowt is the UK’s first comedy company that is “run by comedians for comedy fans”.

The co-op consists of around 60 gigging comedians who are available for hire, running comedy nights and delivering workshops around the north-east and Cumbria. Felt Nowt’s aim is to generate as much work as possible for each other while growing the region’s local comedy scene.

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Having a financial plan for a new venture is critical to its future success. In most start-ups, and especially for those forming cooperatives, reliance on volunteer or unpaid efforts is normal. Harnessing this energy and enthusiasm for the new venture is important but so is avoiding volunteer burnout.

RIPESS wants to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals with all its members and in confluence with the institutions of the United Nations and other global networks and organisations through Social Solidarity Economy.

To this end, RIPESS Intercontinental has received, for the first time since its foundation 25 years ago, funding for a structured advocacy project from the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation.

When I act on behalf of my community, I feel wealthier. You may have experienced this too if you’ve ever volunteered locally. 

Most recently, I found that my neighbor (an amazing masseuse) is willing to do bodywork for me in exchange for my inoculating oak logs with shiitake mushrooms that will produce food for her family. To me, this exchange is worth more than money, directly connecting people who have unique gifts to share with one another.

An Introductory Session on the Cooperative Leadership Certification Program

Reserve your Spot Today!

Online | Tues, April 12th, 2022 | 12 – 1 pm EDT

Collaborative processes, tools, and skill-building can be a game-changer for facilitating alignment, collaborating, and sharing power in meetings.

Artist cooperatives, like the online art shop Justseeds, offer an alternative model of business for artists burned out from going it alone. However, the benefits of organizing with other disparate creatives may not always be immediate or apparent, according to Justseeds cofounder Josh MacPhee.