Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance - Philly Co-op Interns

Co-op / Organization: 
Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance
Location: 
Philadelphia, PA
Type of Organization: 
Association/ Federation
Brief Description of Organization: 
 
The Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance (PACA) is a cooperative whose members are co-ops in the Philadelphia region. PACA is also a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to growing the cooperative economy. 
 
Our mission is to improve the lives of people in the Philadelphia region by supporting democratically organized businesses, promoting the principles of the international cooperative movement, and growing the cooperative economy.
 
We envision a vibrant and growing network of cooperative enterprises that operate in all sectors of the economy to build a better world—providing essential services, strengthening democratic organizations, creating quality jobs, building community wealth, reducing poverty, strengthening our local economy, protecting the environment and increasing community engagement.
Website: 
http://www.philadelphia.coop
Number of Members: 
16
Number of Staff: 
1
Dress Code: 
Casual
Internship Position Title: 
Philly Co-op Intern (4 positions available)
Internship Position Duties: 
We are looking for four interns to work with Mariposa Food Co-op, the Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance, the LCA Land Trust, Ambler Food Co-op, and the Kensington Community Food Co-op. Individual interns may work with just one of these co-ops, or with multiple co-ops, depending on their interests/skills and the projects for each co-op. They will be working with and learning from 5 exciting cooperative organizations at the center of Philly’s cooperative movement.
 
The Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance (PACA - www.philadelphia.coop) is a cross-sector cooperative association whose members are 16 co-ops in the Philadelphia region. PACA was founded in 2011 and acts as a “chamber of commerce” for area cooperatives and is also supporting the growth and development of the cooperative movement in the Philadelphia area. PACA members are food co-ops, worker co-ops, credit unions, housing co-ops, school co-op, and The Energy Co-op. 
 
Mariposa Food Co-op (www.mariposa.coop) is a 44 year old consumer-owned cooperative grocery store, whose staff is organized as a democratic workplace. Mariposa is growing substantially and undertaking exciting initiatives to establish a strategic plan, develop their democratic workplace, and expand their services to their 1,700+ members. 
 
The LCA (www.lca.coop) is a 44 year old housing cooperative consisting of 8 communities in Philadelphia’s Cedar Park neighborhood. Its members are the inhabitants of the 8 houses in which these communities reside.The LCA continues to refine the consensus process and aims to serve its surrounding community as an agent of sustainable life.
 
The Kensington Community Food Co-op is a start-up consumer-owned grocery store in the Kensington neighborhood in northeast Philadelphia. Kensington residents have been organizing since 2008 to open their cooperative. They currently have over 600 members and have secured a location for their store. They are raising the remaining funds to open their food co-op in 2016. 
 
The Ambler Food Co-op is a start-up consumer-owned grocery store in Ambler, which is approximately 20 miles north of Center City, Philadelphia. Residents in Ambler have been organizing since 2012 to open their food co-op. They currently have over 200 members and are building their membership, while developing their business plans and searching for a location. 
 
If you are interested in learning more about the potential projects within each of these organizations, please contact peterfrank@philadelphia.coop.
Position Training: 
  • All interns will participate in a Philly Co-op 101 orientation with PACA, along with an orientation with each of the co-ops that they are working for. 
  • Interns will meet with supervisors from each co-op regularly
  • Interns will meet as a group regularly
  • Much of the learning will come from the hands-on, day-to-day co-operative experience. 
Skills Development & Learning: 
  • Event planning
  • Meeting facilitation
  • Democratic processes
  • Group process
  • Business planning
  • Organizational structures
  • Publication
  • Co-op membership recruitment
Other details of working conditions: 
There are multiple sites for interns to work from - a co-working space in Center City, office space in West Philly.
Compensation ($): 
$10 / hour - paid biweekly
Is Room Included?: 
Yes
Working Hours: 
9am to 5pm
Total Hours of Work Per Week: 
30