Community

“Co-ops are practical, not perfect” and as an entity, they can often get caught up with an expectation to be a utopian alternative to capitalist structures. Through a discussion of learned experiences, this session aims at providing an honest lens into managing collective work and lateral power, creating systems that empower cooperative workers in ways that make every individual feel heard, while keeping the expectations of what it means to be in a cooperative realistic, restorative, and hopeful.

In times of instability, building intentional and inclusive community spaces becomes more critical than ever. Drawing from lived experiences in education, community organizing, and civic engagement, this session explores how cooperatives can use intersectionality, call-in practices, and safer space frameworks to create sustainable and just housing ecosystems. We will examine practical strategies for navigating conflict, centering marginalized voices, and fostering accountability while maintaining compassion.

When do cooperatives work well together, and when do they run into problems? This session uses real stories to explore how co-ops can build stronger networks—and what happens when good intentions hit democratic roadblocks.

We'll dig into the activities that make cooperative federations thrive, like shared buying power, pooled resources, joint advocacy, and member education. But we'll also look at the flip side—times when democratic decision-making led to crippling paralysis.

From The Housing Center:

This toolkit was created to provide fair housing guidance for formerly incarcerated individuals as well as family members and professionals advocating for those impacted by the criminal legal system. Many formerly incarcerated individuals face continued penalties post-incarceration by being excluded from housing based upon their criminal records. This toolkit is meant to provide information on fair housing rights and resources that can assist in navigating barriers to finding housing.

An example of a Roles and Chores guide from a small co-op of 6 members without staff. This co-op reported smooth functioning of their labor system and positive culture of accountability for completing tasks. 

This is a discussion guide. for your co-op to talk about the impact of COVID on your community.

This workshop slide deck reviews cooperative members' responsibilities to each other, future members, and the co-op as a whole. We will provide tools to describe and promote member roles and responsibilities in your co-op.

This is a discussion guide on member engagement including some recommended ways to encourage member engagement, preventative practices, and engagement measurement ideas. This guide aims to stir up new ideas in your co-op to continue the discussion on member engagement.  

Co-ops are businesses designed to pool resources to serve a specific economic need of their current and future members. At the same time, co-ops hold a principle of Concern for the Community and often use those pooled resources contributed by individual members to serve as a social safety net for the membership collectively. This is a discussion guide that offers a few discussion prompts and some practices for balancing the tension between these goals.

Below, are the recordings for NASCO Institue 2020 sessions by room. Please share lessons learned with your cooperatives and communities. 

If you did not register for NASCO Institute and you'd like to support free and low-cost cooperative education, please consider contributing a donation amount that feels appropriate for you and/or your cooperative. Your donation makes it possible to offer cooperative education materials and resources free of charge. DONATE HERE.