Sunday, November 7 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
521. Overview of the North American Intentional Communities Movement (And How Student Co-ops Fit Into It)
Laird Schaub
In the world of intentional communities, student co-ops are just one option among many. Find out from a community network veteran what the full picture looks like within the US and Canada. We'll explore the ways in which student co-ops tend to be unique and the ways in which they aren't. There are lots of options for cooperative living after graduation, and I'll map for you the breadth of options, both geographically and by type. It's a big world out there, and the good news is that we all have more allies in our efforts to build a better world than we may know.
522. Borders, Walls and Occupied Places: Lessons from South African Apartheid, Solidarity with Palestine, & Implementing BDS Campaigns on your Campus and Co-op
Jenna Peters-Golden
The construction of a wall. The inscription of a border. The scuff of an unfamiliar army boot. The marks and symbols of land occupation and apartheid are manifest as the tangible realities of colonialism, militarism and racism. In this workshop we will lift up the lessons learned in the movement to dismantle South African apartheid by examining the radically effective strategies leveraged by students and youth all over the world. How does the ongoing Palestinian Occupation resemble and differ from South African apartheid? What types of global student resistance are challenging the conditions in Palestine today? This workshop will move participants to concrete next steps for implementing Boycott & Divestment Sanctions (BDS) on your campus and in your co-op.
541. Institutionalized Patriarchy: Mapping Our Resistance
Lydia Pelot-Hobbs, acca warren
In this workshop, we will chart the effects and accumulation of patriarchy in our individual interactions, and cooperative organizations as connected to broader institutionalized structures. We will look at how patriarchy intersects with other systems of oppression. Using dialogue and popular education, we will further map our collective histories of resistance to patriarchy and vision new possibilities forward.
542. Appropriate vs. Appropriation: Culture, Respect, and Inclusivity in Our Co-ops
Alix Black
This workshop is for people with marginalized identities and our allies to discuss how cultural appropriation has impacted our communities, and steps we can take to avoid it. We will make an effort to include as many perspectives as possible through Q & A, large group discussion, breakout group activities, and Cultural Appropriation Bingo.
561. Mapping a Life in Co-ops: Exploring Opportunities to Have More Cooperation in Your Life
Kim Penna, Erin Hancock
Participants will co-construct a lifeline of co-op involvement opportunities they had/have/will gave. Presenters will showcase the wide breadth of co-operative activity so you can better understand how you can expand your involvement in co-ops. Through mapping a lifetime in co-ops and exploring the idea that co-ops can be part of your life from the cradle (childcare) to the grave (funeral), this workshop will help you to understand the broader movement in terms of how you can meet a whole variety of needs throughout your life through the co-op model. The facilitators will also provide resources to explore once you get home.
562. The Cooperator's Nobel Prize: Institutions and Intentional Community
Seth Frey
Elinor Ostrom, winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Economics, has based her career on showing that real people don't need a boss or a market to manage a natural resource sustainably for generations. Her huge body of work––across field work, experiment and theory––has shown how farmers, fishers, and community members around the world organize and develop institutions that ensure sustainable access to limited resources.
This workshop will connect her work to coops. You'll see how keeping the kitchen clean is the same as maintaining a forest or a fishery. We'll talk about when private property norms work (most coops don't share shampoo or toothpaste) and what else you can do. We'll discuss the science behind sanctions, monitoring, communication, and other ideas for your own cooperative practice in the craft of institutions.The Cooperator's Nobel Prize: Institutions and Intentional Community
571. Developing New Cooperatives Part V: Putting it All Together: The Business Plan
Emily Cheney
Many potential co-operatives dissolve before they even get off the ground. Others find themselves in crisis when faced with expiring leases, financing deadlines, or a turnover in leadership. A cooperative business plan serves as a guide for the challenges ahead, and as a communication tool to attract new members, garner community support, and secure funding. This course will introduce the fundamental elements of business planning and how to tailor those fundamentals to fit the co-operative framework and your organization's unique identity. A written articulation of your co-operative dream is an important step in turning it into a tangible project. Organization is not empire.
