Sunday, November 4th, 1:40 pm-3:10 pm
401. Non-coercive Education: Cooperative Learning
Anthony Meza-Wilson, Barrington Collective; Clonlara School
Non-hierarchical and non-coercive education takes many forms, including democratic and popular education, free schools, and community schools/education. How does the cooperative movement relate to these educational movements currently in operation across the world? We will look at the relationships possible between cooperative and education institutions, such apprenticeships, scholarships, and support.
402. Social Change Fundraising as Organizing
Rebekah Williams, Nickel City Housing Co-operative
Steve Dubb, Democracy Collaborative
There is a tendency to think of fundraising as a technical matter of writing grant proposals. However, fundraising is primarily about relationship-building, which, among other things, involves building political alliances or coalitions with funders on issues that are of concern to both the donor and the recipient (that's you!). This course will provide an overview of fundraising strategies and how co-ops might take advantage of them. A good part of this course will involve brainstorming fundraising ideas, as well as discussing how to go about researcher and finding political allies with money at the local level.
411. Open Source Software and Your Co-op
Daniel Miller, NASCO
John Nishinaga, Barrington Collective
We will look at using open source software and other free, web-based resources to help your co-op be better connected and run more smoothly. Attendees will learn many things including: how to keep vital information (e.g., house policies) available on the web, how to store (and keep up to date) your meeting minutes, how to keep a calendar of house events, and how to create email lists for use within the membership.
412. Meal Planning and Nutrition
Molly Breslin
"For dinner, we have mac ‘n' cheese, curly fries, and rice pudding." "We have to eat that borscht until it's gone-we can't waste all that good food!" "Well...vegans can eat the salad. Just pick out the eggs." Sound familiar? This session will entail discussion about protein, vitamins and minerals, seasonality, quantities, leftovers, and space considerations. We'll also workshop methods for healthy, balanced meal planning for everyone in your community. Want to come prepared? Bring some old menus from your house.
413. Small Co-operative Group Finance
Rebecca Nole, Former NASCO staff; ICC-Ann Arbor
Do you space out when your treasurer talks finances at a meeting? If so, this course is for you! We will go over basic record keeping and gain an overview of co-op finances at the house level. In addition, we will get a good grasp of important questions to ask to keep your treasurer on their toes and to keep you well informed about where and how your money is spent. No prior finance experience is needed
421. Marketing Your Co-op
Michelle O'Brien, ICC-Ann Arbor
With a little elbow grease, a well-oiled network of co-op allies and a serious to-do list, you can reduce your vacancies and spread positive word of mouth. Even co-ops with soaring memberships need marketing! This class will explore how to promote your organization without falling into the common pit-falls of over-spending and under-utilizing. We will compare marketing strategies, success and failure stories, and brainstorm new and innovative ways to show off your co-op!
422. Consensus Headaches: Rx for Meeting Moments That Are a Pain for Everyone
Laird Schaub, Fellowship for Intentional Community
What's your worst meeting nightmare? Yelling & screaming? Participants breaking down in sobs? Sarcastic jokes? Nobody saying a word? Everyone talking at once? How about having no idea how to make things better? We'll look at all these and more. Participants are invited to bring their own consensus horror stories; I'll provide the wooden stakes (and answers).
431. Cooperative Grocers: Promoting Economic-Justice for Family Farmers through Organic Market Development
Mark Kastel, Cornucopia Institute
Consumers first seek out natural and organic food because of concerns about health and safety for their families, commonly focused on their children. But one of the reasons there has been such little price sensitivity is that consumers also feel by making these choices they are doing something good for society-supporting environmental sustainability, humane animal husbandry and economic-justice for family farmers. Kastel will profile how retail food cooperatives had pushed national agricultural policy and have created local communities focused on food and how some supplier-cooperatives have done the same on a wholesale basis.
432. Community Development Credit Unions: Radical Cooperative Banking
Daniel Apfel, National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions & Ant-Hill Cooperative
David Knoll, Genesee Cooperative Credit Union
Have you heard of credit unions? Did you know that credit unions are financial cooperatives? Community Development Credit Unions are cooperative, mission driven organizations that serve low-income people and help them access financial resources. We will briefly explain the basics of credit unions and the history of CDCUs. Then, we will explore how CDCUs fit into the broader cooperative culture and why should you be a member-owner of a CDCU. See how CDCUs work on the ground for economic justice every day and how you can be a part of this vibrant movement.
441. Building Democratic Workplaces
Ethan Miller, Grassroots Economic Organizing; Riotfolk and Giant's Belly Farm
Ajowa Nzinga Ifateyo, Grassroots Economic Organizing
We live in a country that calls itself a democracy, yet when most people go to work, they leave their ability and right to self-govern at the door. Can we have real political democracy when most people spend between 40 and 80 hours per week living under the dictatorship of bosses? This workshop will explore concrete practices of workplace democracy in the U.S. and around the world. From worker-owned cooperative businesses to democratically-run nonprofit organizations, we will learn about and discuss ways that people are building direct democracy in their workplaces. We will also explore some ways that these efforts can connect to broader movements for social and economic justice.
451. Trans Allyship: Eradicating Transphobia in Our Communities
Hannah McCorkel, Oberlin Student Cooperative Association
Lydia Pelot-Hobbs, Anti-Racism Working Group, New Orleans
Kelly Lloyd, Oberlin Student Cooperative Association
Going beyond basic understandings of transphobia and the gender binary system, this workshop will push participants further in how we consider gender and what it means to be a trans ally in our co-ops and communities. Using role plays, scenarios, and other interactive activities we will think about how transphobia hinders our communities from being safe spaces for everyone and the need for an anti-oppressive analysis that takes into account multiple forms of oppression to truly eradicate transphobia.
461. Breaking History and Making Tradition: Learning from Our Histories to Build Our Communities
Jacqui Shine, Former member: NASCO and ICC-Austin
Often co-ops and collectives are constantly attuned to the stories of their pasts: how things have always been done, why decisions were made long after they remain useful. Often, of course, this includes small things, from grocery lists to meeting practices; other times, more--including issues like gender and racial parity in community life--is at stake. Our pasts are hardly passive.
How can a sense of tradition and a responsibility to it limit our creativity and flexibility in charting community life? How can failing to understand those histories and traditions keep us from moving forward in thoughtful ways? And how do we balance the weight of knowing our history with the need to sometimes respectfully depart from it? This interactive discussion and workshop will allow community leaders and members to explore these questions and think more explicitly about how our pasts (both hidden and visible) might help us to confidently build our future.
471. The Grand House Student Co-op
Chantal Cornu, Adam Krop, Grand House
Learn about how The Grand House is pushing the boundries of conventional building in Ontario and is being developed as a model for grass roots housing development that is designed by and for the people who need it. By partnering with local businesses, schools and organizations we can have development projects that suit our local needs, which easily includes environmental and social responsibility (naturally ingrained in our project and mandate). We are creating local solutions to a system that to date has not met our needs and greatly ignored the importance of balancing social justice, and environmental responsibility with a healthy LOCAL economy.
481. Part 4: Negotiating Your Way to Ownership
Margie Greene, USCA-Berkeley
David Sparer, Herrick & Kasdorf, LLP
You've organized, incorporated, planned & budgeted-and by gum, you're finally ready to buy some property! Determined to achieve this dream, new organizers are often frustrated by the fast & loose reality of real estate and banks. This course covers all phases of purchasing, from borrowing and bidding, to dealing with sellers, brokers and lenders. We will learn to play our cards in order to reach the best sales price, loan package, and closing terms. While this course will focus on first-time buyers, it is equally valuable for co-ops who are in need of money, or who are looking to expand. This course follows the others in the series, but is also suitable on its own for anyone interested.