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Training Centre Development in Sri Lanka

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 09:11:29 -0600

WHERE: Kegalle*, Sri Lanka with frequent travel to Trincomalee, Colombo and Galle
LENGTH: One (1) year
DEPART: By December 1, 2010 (negotiable)
APPLICATION PROCESS: Please send letter of intent and resumé to sarah.feldberg@coopscanada.coop by September 27, 2010..

This is a voluntary assignment. Domestic and international airfare, ground transport, visa, travel insurance, out of country accommodation, and a monthly meal/incidental allowance will be covered by CCA as per CCA guidelines.

*The main campus is situated in a 50 acre former rubber estate in Paragammana, 4km away from Kegalle. Kegalle is a town located about 75kms to the east of Colombo and 24km west of Kandy on the Colombo - Kandy main highway with good bus connections to Colombo as well as Kandy. Kegalle is a busy city with all facilities available. Weekends and holidays will allow the successful candidate to travel and explore the country.

Specialist in Central Finance Facilities and Inter-lending, Nepal

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:31:33 -0600

WHERE: Nepal, stationed in Kathmandu with some local travel
LENGTH: Six (6) weeks
DEPART: November 1, 2010**
APPLICATION PROCESS: Please send letter of intent and resumé to sarah.feldberg@coopscanada.coop by September 10, 2010.

This is posted as a voluntary assignment but is open to professional consultants willing to donate part of their time. CCA covers travel, accommodation and daily expenses. For a complete list of what CCA will cover, please contact Sarah Feldberg, Volunteer Co-ordinator.

**Flexible, looking to depart earliest November 1, 2010 latest January 1, 2011

CoopZone Forum, October 28-30, 2010, Vancouver

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:42:56 -0600

We are excited to announce that the Program for the CoopZone Forum & CWCF Conference is now ready, and on-line registration is now open. The CoopZone Co-op Developers’ Forum is being held in conjunction with the CWCF Conference this year, including workshops, a strategy session and a developers’ caucus meeting – plus an invitation to participate in all CWCF plenary sessions. The CWCF Conference theme is “Worker Co-operatives and Sustainable Development”, and one of two keynote speakers is Peter Robinson, CEO of the David Suzuki Foundation and past CEO of Mountain Equipment Co-op. It is being held from Thursday, October 28th to Saturday, October 30th, 2010 in Vancouver, B.C. at the YWCA Hotel. Early-bird registration deadline is Sept. 16th, final registration deadline is October 20th. The Program and all registration information are available here: www.coopzone.coop/en/node/3628.

CoopZone Co-op Developers’ Forum October 28-30, 2010

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 08:53:02 -0600

Start: Oct 28 2010 - 8:30am

Timezone: Canada/Pacific

Description:

We are excited to announce that the Program for the CoopZone Forum & CWCF Conference (attached) is now ready, and on-line registration is now open. The CoopZone Co-op Developers’ Forum is being held in conjunction with the CWCF Conference this year, including workshops, a strategy session and a developers’ caucus meeting – plus an invitation to participate in all CWCF plenary sessions. The theme is “Worker Co-operatives and Sustainable Development”, and one of two keynote speakers is Peter Robinson, CEO of the David Suzuki Foundation and past CEO of Mountain Equipment Co-op. There will be many workshops of practical use to worker co-operators: from Accessing Capital, to Marketing, to sessions on environmental sustainability, as well as time for participants to choose their own topics in “open-space” workshops -- and more! We have built in extra time for discussion among participants. As usual, there will be great opportunities for sharing and networking with other co-operators. It is being held from Thursday, October 28th to Saturday, October 30th, 2010 in Vancouver, B.C. at the YWCA Hotel.

We would like to encourage participants to register as soon as possible. To that end, we are offering an EARLY BIRD special for registering on or before September 16th. Save up to 20% (or at least $40) by taking advantage of the EARLY BIRD rate. To register, go to: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CWCF_CoopZone_2010. In the meantime, it would be helpful if you could indicate by e-mail if you are planning to attend the Conference. We have booked a block of rooms at the YWCA Hotel at very modest rates; to reserve those please go through our registration site. The number of rooms there is limited.

Web site:

Name of Program:
CoopZone Co-op Developers’ Forum

Location:
YWCA Hotel in downtown Vancouver

The Worker Co-operative Movements in Italy, Mondragon and France: Context, Success Factors and Lessons

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:18:39 -0600

Brief Description:

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to analyze the public policy environment, capitalization environment, availability of federation support, and the context for the worker co-op movements in each of Italy, Mondragon (Spain) and France. These three countries or regions have the largest, most dynamic worker co-op movements in the world. To grow a large worker co-op movement, a system of supports is required to enable the transfer of appropriate knowledge to many people, in addition to having access to worker coop-friendly sources of capital. Although there were some success factors in each region which could not be easily replicated in other places and although there were significant differences among regions, there were many common elements contributing to the success of the worker co-op movement in all three places. These were: (1) sufficient capital accessible to worker co-ops; (2) technical assistance provided to worker co-ops in the start-up phase; (3) a mandatory indivisible reserve, at least for those “mostly mutual” worker co-ops which were able to receive government support; (4) significant federation and consortia structures which support, guide, direct, and help educate the worker co-operatives; (5) significant concentrations by industry; (6) a strong sense of solidarity and inter-cooperation; and (7) scale: having achieved a size and strength to enable the worker co-op movements to be taken seriously by governments, the broader co-operative sector, etc.

The Worker Co-op Sector in Canada: Success Factors, and Planning for Growth

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:12:27 -0600

Brief Description:

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to provide an analysis of the current state of the worker co-op movement in Canada with a focus on successful worker co-ops. A deepened review of a 2008 survey was conducted. Worker co-operatives which have failed were analyzed, and a full-day workshop with the CWCF Board of Directors was conducted to assess the factors that would lead to faster growth in the sector. The research project also involved surveying 13 worker co-operatives across Canada to identify common factors of success. The survey results indicated that a large majority of founding members in these successful worker co-operatives did not have business experience. Overriding this was the willingness of members to work together and to continuously learn on the job in a working environment that allows them to express their values and social concerns. Through this, successful worker co-operatives were able to carve a niche in their business sector by providing high quality goods and services. Other factors critical to success were access to capital and creative financing, including members’ significant commitment to sweat equity, and available technical and industry resources to assist with the challenges of business and co-operative organizational development. By better understanding the success factors for individual worker co-operatives, the goal of CWCF is to pave the way for more growth and more success for worker co-operatives across Canada.

The Newsletter of the Canadian Funeral Cooperatives Network - June 2010

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:32:43 -0600

Brief Description:

See newsletter attached

Co-op Development InfoService

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 08:56:35 -0600

Canada's two national co-op associations have created a new information service aimed at providing a first point of contact for groups who are interested in starting a co-op.

The Co-op Development InfoService , which was launched on March 31 by the Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) and the Conseil candien de la coopération et de la mutualité, includes a toll-free telephone number, a dedicated e-mail address and co-op development information on the CCA and CCCM websites.

Support CDF's effort to help earthquake victims in Haiti

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:34:04 -0700

The Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada (CDF) is accepting donations to help the victims of the earthquake that devastated Haiti on January 12. Click the Read More link to make a donation (select "Haiti Disaster Relief" in the "Donate to" menu).

CWCF 2009 AGM/Conference

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:28:43 -0600

Start: Nov 19 2009 - 1:00pm

End: Nov 21 2009 - 4:00pm

Timezone: Etc/GMT-4

Description:

The Canadian Worker Co-op Federation is pleased to announce the program of its 2009 Conference, being held in Moncton, New Brunswick, November 19-21.

The theme is: from Crisis to Recovery!: how worker co-ops can be part of the solution, can survive and even thrive in times of economic and environmental crisis such as the current period. The program includes a live video feed from the CICOPA international WC Conference taking place simultaneously in Geneva, Switzerland. Keynote speaker is Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada, an inspiring speaker who is dedicated not only to the environment but also to the co-operative values and principles - now confirmed to appear via video.

Web site:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=0Z13IJrcQQwiUyIbnzIlTw_3d_3d

Location:
Moncton, NB

CoopZone Network is incorporated!

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:47:15 -0600

Dear CoopZone members, The CoopZone Developers’ Network Co-operative is now incorporated! Please see attached communiqué, as well as all of the background documents. All proposals as outlined were accepted by the members at the Founding Meeting; this includes the Budget (part of the Financial Report), the Workplan and the Dues Formula.

Co-operative Development Initiative

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:05:38 -0600

The Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) and the Conseil Canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité (CCCM) are very pleased to announce the renewal of a 4 year partnership agreement, the Co-operative Development Initiative (CDI), with the federal government’s Co-operatives Secretariat. One major part of the CDI is the “Innovative Co-operative Projects” component. Through a selection process, we will support individuals or communities as they test new ways of using the co‑operative model, including creating co‑operatives to respond to identified needs.

Enhancing Worker Empowerment: Labour-Coop Workshop

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:45:04 -0600

Start: Nov 12 2008 - 9:00am

End: Nov 12 2008 - 5:30pm

Timezone: Canada/Central

Description:

A Labour-Coop Leadership Workshop, November 12, 2008, Union Centre, Winnipeg, MB. Workshop description and program are in the attachment. On-line registration is now available at the Survey Monkey link. (Also, note optional evening activities.)

Web site:
www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=cGSfr2G_2fa60N6XMmD0fNOQ_3d_3d

Location:
Winnipeg, MB

Course Costs:
$125 registration fee

CWCF AGM/Conference 2008: Co-ops that Work!

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:07:34 -0600

Start: Nov 13 2008 - 9:00am

End: Nov 15 2008 - 3:00pm

Timezone: Canada/Central

Description:

CWCF AGM/Conference 2008: Co-ops that Work! See below for a 1-page summary of the Conference (Pre-Announcement), the full Conference Program (ConfProgram), a list of off-site accommodations and the Registration Info (fees and logistics). Lastly you will also find information about the additional Labour-Coops workshop (not part of the CWCF Conference), being held on Nov. 12th.

Web site:

Location:
Winnipeg, MB

CoopZone Tele-Learning Series II: Call III - Social Capital: How to Identify and Use in the Co-op Development Process

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:43:51 -0600

Brief Description:

Social Capital: How to Identify and Use in the Co-op Development Process

See also: http://www.coopzone.coop/en/coop_advantage