Institute 2024 content is currently being finalized and will be added in the lead up to the conference. If you're curious to know what last year's conference was like, review the courses below.
2023 Courses
Course Block 1
Saturday, November 11th, 9:30am - 11:00am
Systemic Oppression and Conflict Part 1
Clinton Parker
Conflict is difficult under even ideal conditions. We never seem to be working with ideal conditions. In part 1 of this session I'll present on foundational skills and tools for confronting conflict in community. In part 2 we will go over the ways in which conflict is informed by systemic oppression and explore things that can be done about it. Familiarity with some conflict process is helpful but not a must. More importantly, be prepared to be uncomfortable.
Roundtable - Large Student Housing Co-ops
Facilitator: Maggie O'Connor
Big co-ops face unique issues. Can we look to other big co-ops for help? This session is designed to create conversations between the leadership of larger cooperatives to address common challenges while also building a stronger cooperative network. Meet co-op leaders from around the country, learn about our peer organizations, and have conversations in which participants brainstorm problem-solving suggestions for their neighbors. We hope to start conversations - and build organizational relationships - that continue through both Institute and years to come.
Co-ops are on stolen land, too: LandBack & co-ops
Holden Day, Qynce B. Chumley
This will be a facilitated discussion around LandBack and how cooperatives do, don't, and can act in solidarity with Indigenous people. We will discuss property ownership and it's ties to whiteness, anti-Blackness, and anti-Native racism. Our hope is to explore where LandBack and cooperatives currently agree and where they don't, and think of ways the cooperative community and movement can realign itself to be in support of LandBack.
Principle 5 Participatory Panel
Rek Kwawer
Education within cooperatives is critical; it's even one of the Cooperative Principles. Every cooperative approaches education differently, sometimes successfully and sometimes with opportunities to grow. Think of this as a panel, except everyone who attends is on the panel, and everyone on the panel get to ask questions of the other panelists. Everyone will be asked to respond to two questions: what education does your co-op do for new members, and what education does your co-op do for ongoing members? No advance preparation is needed, just a willingness to share and learn.
Pop-Ed as a liberation practice
Notorious Pink and members of ICC Ann Arbor
ICC members and education director Notorious Pink (AKA Pink Flowers) offer a session of action and reflection, weaving tools from Theater of the Oppressed, and circle dialogue. Co-op member presenters, and participants will share experiences with play as a learning tool, Forum Theater, parties, and town halls to engender an holistic, accessible and relatable member driven education program. Pink will joker (see works of Augusto Boal).
Creating a New Co-op, Part 1: The Development Process
Brel Hutton-Okpalaeke, Mark Fick
This session is the first step on the co-op development track and provides an introduction and overview of the entire development process from initial ideas to buying your home. We will explore the common (and uncommon) ways to create a housing co-op, focusing on the initial steps: creating a collective vision, organizing your development team, and laying out the roadmap to success. Participants will leave the session with a basic understanding of the multiple layers of work involved in organizing the people, money, real estate and development partners. The session will include presented material, open discussion, and interactive activities.
Course block 2
Saturday, November 11th, 12:00pm - 1:30pm
Pan-European Student Housing Co-operatives: Us, Our Story and How you can get involved
Scott Jennings, Jens-Uwe Kohler
Session exploring the history and formation of Student Housing Co-operatives in Europe covering the UK, Germany, Switzerland and more. How these movements have come together, how a Pan-European Association of Student Housing Co-ops is beginning to form, our Pan-European Events and organising and what NASCO's role has been in enabling this. Finally what our goals are for the future and how our Co-op could help support them.
How we tried restorative justice
Notorious Pink and ICC DARTeam
In this panel discussion, members of the Dispute and Resolution Team (DART) will talk about their trajectory from introduction to Navajo Peacemaking, through their process of running a peacemaking circle, and their personal takes.
Purpose Driven Governance Part 1 - Board Roles & Responsibility
Lana Wong
Purpose driven organizations need governance bodies that focus on the organizational purpose and big picture. How does a board of directors achieve its purpose without rubber stamping or meddling with day-to-day operations? In this session, we will cover the purpose of a board of directors, duties of individual board members, governance structure and ecosystem, and board cycles and processes. This is session part one of two purpose driven governance sessions, part two will build on foundations covered in this session.
Fundamentals of Cooperative Leadership
Katherine Jennings
A cooperative approach to leadership connects the human needs of members to a co-op’s mission and the day-to-day work needed to maintain strong organizations. This session will include an overview of NASCO's cooperative leadership core competencies and a more in-depth look at the fundamentals of cooperative leadership, exploring examples of anti-cooperative leadership, and sharing experiences from our own co-ops.
Fair Housing Act and Your Co-op
Daniel Miller
Many co-ops don't think much about Fair Housing laws. There are some details of the Fair Housing Act that might conflict with some membership practices, though, and the punishments for violating the Fair Housing Act can be huge. We also all care deeply about social justice, and want to use our co-ops as a model for a better way to live, and most of us would never dream of committing housing discrimination. This workshop is meant to give an overview of what following the FHA might mean to your coop, as well as some things that all housing providers (including co-ops) must and cannot do.
Systemic Oppression and Conflict Part 2
Clinton Parker
Conflict is difficult under even ideal conditions. We never seem to be working with ideal conditions. In part 1 of this session I'll present on foundational skills and tools for confronting conflict in community. In part 2 we will go over the ways in which conflict is informed by systemic oppression and explore things that can be done about it. Familiarity with some conflict process is helpful but not a must. More importantly, be prepared to be uncomfortable.
Creating a New Co-op, Part 2: Strategies for New Co-op Organizers
Brel Hutton-Okpalaeke, Mark Fick
A successful housing cooperative needs the support and participation of a community of people, but it takes individual effort to organize that support and participation. In this workshop, we'll explore community organizing strategies to get new co-ops up and running and the skills you need to effectively deploy these strategies. We'll focus on building a shared vision, a committed team, and a network of support. This workshop is designed for people currently or planning to be involved in starting a new co-op.
Course block 3
Saturday, November 11th, 3:00pm - 4:30pm
Limited-Equity Housing Justice
Lincoln Miller (he/him), Sav Starling (they/he), Brezane Ruiz-Smith (they/she), Becca Downs (she/they), Lucor Jordan (he/him)
Queen City Cooperative (QCC), founded in 2015, utilizes a unique limited-equity housing model, expanding affordable housing in single-family homes in Denver, Colorado. This panel explains the limited-equity model and QCC's vision for a more affordable housing future in one of the nation's most expensive housing markets.
Panel: Cooperatives as Tools for Social Transformation
Facilitator: Steve Dubb
Panelists: Lanay Gilbert-Williams, Board President, Detroit People's Food Co-op; Idalis Longoria, Director of Cooperative Development, Grace in Action Collectives; and Karen Tyler-Ruiz, Executive Director, Center for Community-Based Enterprise
How can we apply cooperative principles and build links of cooperation beyond the confines of our own co-ops? This moderated panel of co-op activists brings together people who have used their work in co-ops to build alliances with broader social movements and advance community-led social change. Come and learn more about a wide range of methods for building a democratic economy (while displacing corporate capitalism at the same time!). Audience participation is encouraged, so please bring your best community building and community organizing questions with you.
Purpose Driven Governance Part 2 - System Approach
Lana Wong
The Policy Governance model provides a framework to help boards focus on organizational long term vision and ensure accountability towards their membership. What is unique about Policy Governance that guides good governance? In this session, we will cover the theory of the model, its application and impact on the annual calendar at a co-op, and contrast with other governance practices. Attendees will reflect on governance practices at their co-op, and simulate common decisions using the Policy Governance model in this workshop. This session is part two of two purpose driven governance sessions.
Drawing Inspiration For Interactive Cooperative Systems From Nature
Kathryn Solórzano Lowell
Organizational cooperatives in their current incarnation have a history of a few hundred years, but cooperative systems of organizing long predate this. Symbionts and mutualists have formed mutually beneficial alliances which have persisted for a very long time, sometimes for hundreds of millions of years. In some cases, multiple mutualisms can co-exist in the same interconnected system. In addition, partners can form larger groups which share resources amongst each other. In this session, we’ll look at discoveries of how these systems have evolved and some strategies that have help them sustain such complex interactions as a source of inspiration for human cooperation.
Roundtable: Vendors and Services
Facilitator: Daniel Miller
Co-ops face unique challenges in building relationships with business partners. Member turnover, social missions, unusual building structures, and aging properties all add to the complexity. This session invites participants to share what has worked and what has been frustrating for members and staff at co-ops.
Creating a New Co-op, Part 3: Incorporation and Bylaws
Brel Hutton-Okpalaeke
Incorporation is the process of taking your idea of a co-op and making it into a legal entity that can own property, take out loans, and enter into contracts. But there are often many choices that can stymie a group's progress: Corporation or LLC? Which tax-exemptions do we want? We will discuss the why and how of incorporating a co-op, with particular attention to creating bylaws for new organizations.
Course block 4
Sunday, November 12th, 9:30am - 11:00am
The Joy Project - part 1
Notorious Pink and Johnson Rivera Cooperative House
A walk through of the Rivera House and walking history of the project, led by the residents. Activities include, movie screening at the house, conversation about space dedicated to BIPOC people.
Please note this session will leave the Union and return at the end of Course Block 5.
Cooperative Cooking for Cooperative Houses
Steve Vig
Starting with The Eightfold Path to Cooperative Cooking, we’ll share tips on cooking for cooperative communities regarding issues such as scaling recipes, accommodating dietary restrictions, cooking and shopping on a budget, and the importance of desserts. We’ll begin with a list from the presenters, then use community knowledge to create a sharable list of co-op cooking tips that participants can bring home to their kitchens.
Once a member, always a member: nourishing ongoing relationships with alums - part 1
Portia Lewis, Susan Caya, Syd Burke, Ester Lee, V Nedeltchev, Elissa Roy
Learn about our co-ops & the alums who love them! Does your co-op have alums, and you’re unsure how to engage them? Whether serving as a professional network, a giving pool for fundraising, or as advisors for current Board & members, developing an alum relations program can address numerous co-op goals while creating a more comprehensive co-op network to support Rochdale Principles.
From Fragile to Agile: through the co-op lens
Aisley Ellis and Erin Larmondin
Put some method behind the madness that is implementing programs, policies, and ideas among co-ops. Agile is a project management methodology initially adapted to software development, now driving innovative teams and member centered design. The 60-minute workshop begins with a crash course to agile, followed by picking a part a case study of this methodology. Finally, we’ll try it out, going through Discovery, Alpha, Beta, Live, in the context of lived experienced and the lens of systemic food insecurity If you would like to do some pre-reading: https://www.ontario.ca/page/service-design-playbook
Building Economic Democracy: How Co-ops Can Be Agents of Transformation
Steve Dubb
How can co-ops not just serve member-owners, but act as the life-affirming institutions that we need to build a more democratic economy, rooted in values of solidarity? This session will introduce key strategies that can build wealth and power in communities —such as community land trusts, participatory budgeting, public banks, and employee ownership. It will also highlight co-ops in multiple communities that are successfully challenges systemic oppression and acting as agents of transformative, even revolutionary change. In this session, there will also be a chance for participants o meet in small groups and workshop strategies to develop some of the concepts and examples highlighted in the sessions into actions you can take at home.
Creating a New Co-op, Part 4: Budget and Feasibility
Brel Hutton-Okpalaeke, Mark Fick
Would you like to feel more empowered to understand and participate in housing co-op development projects? This workshop attempts to demystify the financial aspects of co-op development. Designed for those without much experience, attendees will gain higher levels of comprehension and reduce the feelings of confusion around their co-ops’ development and expansion initiatives. It’s applicable to those in established co-ops that might consider expanding as well as folks looking to start up a first house.
Course block 5
Sunday, November 12th, 11:15am - 12:45pm
Once a member, always a member: nourishing ongoing relationships with alums - part 2
Portia Lewis, Susan Caya, Syd Burke, Ester Lee, V Nedeltchev, Elissa Roy
Learn about our co-ops & the alums who love them! Does your co-op have alums, and you’re unsure how to engage them? Whether serving as a professional network, a giving pool for fundraising, or as advisors for current Board & members, developing an alum relations program can address numerous co-op goals while creating a more comprehensive co-op network to support Rochdale Principles.
Creating A Restorative Justice Mediation System for Your Co-op
Lincoln Miller and Lily Kapiloff
In this session the Boulder Housing Coalition (BHC) staff will bring reflections from 10 years of creating and implementing a Restorative Justice (RJ) mediation system for our co-op housing system. We will draw on our experience: learning from existing co-ops mediation systems, starting an RJ training program for residents, cultivating and engaging with community partners, developing a member review policy based on RJ, and adapting and changing our policy, practice and training models to cope with the numerous challenges we faced over the years. In the session we hope to engage with and learn from co-opers and staff from systems that have established mediation systems. In addition, we welcome folks that are seeking to create a mediation system for their co-ops.
Intro to Adaptive Work and Peer Consultation
Katherine Jennings
Peer consultations are an opportunity to practice the analytical and strategic thinking skills needed for exercising leadership while getting feedback from peers on adaptive challenges that don’t have obvious technical solutions. This session will include an overview of the consultation process, an introduction to identifying and working on adaptive challenges, and the opportunity to participate in a Peer Consultation. Participants should come prepared to think strategically and potentially to share a challenge they are facing at their own co-op.
The Joy Project - part 2
Notorious Pink and Johnson Rivera Cooperative House
*Please note that the second part of this session will begin offsite, if you want to join please also attend part 1.
A walk through of the Rivera House and walking history of the project, led by the residents. Activities include, movie screening at the house, conversation about space dedicated to BIPOC people. Please note the second part of this session will begin offsite, if you want to participate please plan to attend both parts 1 and 2.
Community care: creating crisis plans
Andrew Alm, Brenna, Qynce B. Chumley, MKP
When we are experiencing personal crisis we may not be able to articulate what support we need, and our housemates may feel they don’t know how to help. Creating crisis plans together as a house can help us recognize when we and our housemates may be struggling, moving towards, or already in crisis and support us in navigating the hard times interdependently. In this session, members of Nimblewill (a four bedroom co-op in so-called kalamazoo) will discuss how they create and use crisis plans, and share templates and ideas that participants can bring back to their collectives.
Creating a New Co-op, Part 5: Finding a Property that Fits Your Group’s Needs
Brel Hutton-Okpalaeke
Sure, you found the perfect house. But should you buy it, or even rent it, given your local zoning codes? And how does cost factor in, not to mention community? What you can buy or should buy may be very different from what you want to buy. Figuring out what to look for in advance will help to keep you from many a heartache! This workshop will look at the interactions between city requirements, cost, community-building, location, size, sources of funding, political support, and many other factors that influence the nature of the building you should be looking for.
Course block 6
Sunday, November 12th, 2:15pm - 3:45pm
Trauma and Change Work
Clinton Parker
Building something new is the easy part. Leaving behind the old world is another matter. Let’s talk about systems of change, resistance, stagnation, cycles of trauma, healing, and what self care really actually means.
Roundtable: Financial Reporting
Facilitator: Lana Wong
Financial reports can be a powerful tool for seeing how your co-op is doing or how your co-op compares to other similar organizations. These reports can help you see your progress toward goals, how your co-op’s values translate into your budgets, or get a sense of how prepared your co-op is for an emergency. This session will focus on sharing what reports are used in different co-ops, how these reports are used to get a better understanding of co-ops, and what makes these reports accessible and helpful for co-op members.
Strengthening People-centered Policies by Building Cooperative Culture
Rek Kwawer
Cooperatives are fundamentally about groups of people coming together to meet a shared need. We usually want to support each other as people, but it isn’t always clear how, and sometimes our efforts don’t succeed. People-centered policies and practices are only as strong as the cooperative culture that we create. Cooperative culture includes (but is not limited to!) democracy, participation, leadership, dismantling oppression, accountability, and honesty. This session will include time for creating visual art, guided discussion, and creating commitments to ourselves to work towards in our home co-ops and organizations.
Introducing Nido: Open Source Software for Coop Property Management
John Arnold
Tired of trying to manage everything with email and Google Docs? Property management is complex enough that it helps to have specialized software. But while there are dozens of tenant portal services for landlords, there are no apps out there that are designed for the distinct needs of housing cooperatives. Come learn how your co-op might benefit from Nido Property Management System, a free and open source software suite which is being developed to fix that.
Creating a New Co-op, Part 6: Negotiating a Master Lease & Property Purchasing Clinic
Brel Hutton-Okpalaeke
Real estate transactions can be complicated, and for co-ops trying to purchase or lease property, there are unique considerations and obstacles. While purchasing a new property is one route for development, leasing can be a good option for a new co-op to build its business history, or for an existing co-op to explore expansion. Whether leasing or buying you will need to educate and negotiate to get the best terms for your co-op, as most lenders and landlords are unfamiliar with housing co-ops. In this session, we will work with participants one-on-one to examine their current or planned cooperative housing development projects and offer advice on how to navigate the real estate purchasing or leasing process.
Creating a New Co-op - Tax Exemption
Daniel Miller
What does it mean to be a “nonprofit”? What are the benefits and drawbacks of 501c3 status and other tax exemptions for co-ops? Is it worth it? We will discuss the systems of nonprofit incorporation, federal tax exemption, and local tax exemptions. We will also cover the 501c3 application (IRS Form 1023) in detail.