Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin 

Recommended by NASCO Board Director and ICC Ann Arbor member Julia Selig

Since NASCO was founded, our housing co-ops have served as spaces for organizing against oppression and violence in our communities. Right now, as people all over the US are protesting and standing up against continued violence against black people, we call on our member co-ops to uphold our tradition of solidarity in social action.

Having these communal spaces instills in us a responsibility to steward them toward work for the common good. Talk to your housemates. Talk with your community. Take what actions you can to support our black members and the black community at large.

The NASCO Board is opening applications to fill three open board seats. 

Appointments are for one year terms from April 2020 to March 2021.

The board will prioritize voting on candidates who meet the skills gaps identified by our External Affairs Committee, including:

With roots in the women's movement of the late 1800s, group equity co-ops have continued against the odds for almost 150 years, finding ways to create both affordable housing and community across North America.

Group equity co-ops are solidly rooted in the Chicago area, first rising as a practical solution to the very real needs of nineteenth-century single women. But this self-help approach eventually became an important option for anyone with financial need.

On Saturday, November 9, 2019 at NASCO Institute in Austin, TX, three individual cooperators and one group of cooperators were honored as inductees in the NASCO Hall of Fame. The NASCO Hall of Fame, created in 1989, provides broader recognition to individuals who have made a truly significant impact within the cooperative movement. The 2019 Inductees are:

Hello! We're a couple of long-time co-opers who decided that it would be fun to develop a board game about cooperative living. And it's finally finished! INTRODUCING: "Co-op"!

Are you excited about the cooperative movement and eager to participate in the world of cooperatives beyond your home cooperative?

Do you have experience with board governance, grassroots fundraising, meeting facilitation, co-op management, or committee leadership? 

Do you want to be part of a bi-national organization that develops new cooperatives, manages common equity houses, and reaches thousands of cooperators in the U.S. and Canada with cooperative education?

The 2019 NASCO Board of Director election results are in! We thank you, our membership, the board, and our nominees for participating in one of the most important aspects of being a part of the North American Students of Cooperation – electing leadership that will drive our organization and our movement forward. As pictured from left to right…

Laird is a nationally recognized facilitator, group process consultant, teacher, and author. Since 1987, he’s been assisting cooperative groups all over North America. During 1997-2015 he was also a regular part of the teaching faculty for NASCO Institute.

Laird will be in Austin November 16-18, giving a series of three (3) two-hour presentations on various aspects of group dynamics and how cooperative groups can function more effectively: