Co-op News, June 2021

The 2021 Co-operative Press
Annual General Meeting
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, we will be convening a virtual AGM in 2021.
7-9pm, 30 June
In accordance with Rule 20 of the Co-operative Press Rules, any member may submit a
proposal to the Annual Meeting of members in writing to the Secretary.
The timetable is as follows
5pm, Wednesday 19 May 2021
Closing Date for Receipt of Proposals
Wednesday 2 June 2021
Agenda and Proposals sent out to members
5pm, Wednesday 16 June 2021
Closing date for receipt of amendments to Proposals.
Annual Accounts sent out to members and made available online.
With regard to amendments to any proposals (as stated in Rule 21), any member may send to
the directors any amendment to any proposal appearing on the agenda or any amendment
to any matter forming part of the business of the meeting, and provided such amendment be
received by the secretary prior to the Annual Meeting, it shall be circulated to members as
soon as is practicable as an additional business paper for consideration at the meeting.
Please note that by submitting a proposal, members are committing themselves to attend the
Annual Meeting if their proposal is accepted onto the Agenda.
For further updates on the AGM and Director Election, please visit
www.thenews.coop/ AG M2021
The Secretary
Co-operative Press Ltd, Holyoake House,
Hanover Street, Manchester, M60 OAS
secretary@thenews.coop

Co-ops and principle five: Why
the movement needs education
CONNECTING, CHAMPIONING AND
CHALLENGING THE GLOBAL CO-OP
MOVEMENT SINCE 1871
Holyoake House, Hanover Street,
Manchester M60 OAS
(00) 44 161214 0870
www.thenews.coop
editorial@thenews.coop
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Rebecca Harvey I rebecca@thenews.coop
INTERNATIONAL EDITOR
Anca Voinea I anca@thenews.coop
DIGITAL EDITOR
Miles Hadfield I miles@thenews.coop
DIRECTORS
Barbara Rainford (chair); Elaine Dean
(vice-chair); Harry Cairney; Sofygil
Crew; Tim Hartley; Phil Hartwell;
Gillian Lonergan; Beverley Perkins;
Shaz Rahman; Lesley Reznicek
Secretary: Richard Bickle
Established in 1871, Co-operative
News is published by Co-operative
Press Ltd, a registered society under
the Co-operative and Community
Benefit Society Act 2014. It is printed
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Membership of Co-operative Press is
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The Co-operative News mission
statement is to connect, champion
and challenge the global co-operative
movement, through fair and objective
journalism and open and honest
comment and debate. Co-op News
is, on occasion, supported by co-ops,
but final editorial control remains with
Co-operative News unless specifically
labelled 'advertorial'. The information
and views set out in opinion articles
and letters do not necessarily reflect
the opinion of Co-operative News.
W @coopnews f cooperativenews
Education has long been on the agenda of co-operatives - going right back to Robert
Owen, a pioneer of co-operative communities. To celebrate the 250th anniversary
of Owen's birth, we speak to Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford about his legacy -
particularly his view that character is formed by environmental influences, including
educational opportunities and working conditions (p42-43).
Building on Owen's ideas, the Rochdale Pioneers adopted promotion of education
as one of their co-operative principles - a commitment which remains in force today
through the International Cooperative Alliance's seven co-operative principles.
Co-ops provide education and training for their members, elected representatives,
managers, and employees so they can make effective contributions. An important
role in this is played by co-operative universities across the world - we explore what
some of them have to offer, from the Mondragon University in the Basque Country,
Spain, to the Co-operative University in Kenya and Saint Mary's in Canada (p32-35).
Likewise, the Co-operative College in the UK has been training and educating cooperators
for over a century. In recent years the College has witnessed a drop in
income, which led a restructuring of the organisation last year. We examine what
happened at the College (p36-39) and what its future might hold (p40-41).
A range of alternatives are available for those wishing to learn more without
committing to a long-term course - from Coopedia, a new platform launched
by Cooperatives Europe, to Ed.coop, an online learning portal for co-operative
educators and entrepreneurs (p31).
Of course, today's challenges are different from those of the days of Robert Owen
or the Rochdale Pioneers. Covid-19 increased the popularity of e-learning platforms,
but bigger platform revenues have not led to higher wages for online tutors. We
hear from MyCoolClass (p27-29) and the London Learning Co-operative (p30), two
co-operatively owned platforms set up in recent years, to find out how they plan to
improve working conditions for teachers and deliver affordable tuition.
Co-op Press also plays a key role in informing co-operators and the public - more
on this on page 49 - as do other media co-ops, such as the New Internationalist.
The latter recently launched a share offer to secure a sustainable future at a time
when Covid-19 is impacting subscriptions revenues. We interview co-editor Amy
Hall to find out more (p46-47).
As to what the future might bring, as Prof Rory Ridley-Duff points out, co-operative
education can only thrive with the support of the co-operative movement (p22-23).
/"/ JI D J&\..___/'
ANCA VOINEA - INTERNATIONAL EDITOR
Co-operative News is printed using vegetable oil-based
inks on 80% recycled paper (with 60% from post-consumer
waste) with the remaining 20% produced from FSC or PEFC
certified sources. It is made in a totally chlorine free process.
JUNE 2021 I 3

THIS ISSUE
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:
Nina Valvi, head of business development
at the Co-op College (p40-41); co-ops in
India step up to help with oxygen supplies
during the Covid-19 crisis (p14); volunteers
from Suma plant trees to help stop flooding
(p44-45); Robert Owen, early co-operator and
education pioneer (p42-43); MyCoolClass,
a new platform co-op which wants to offer
teachers a better deal (p27-29)
COVER:
A student at Mondragon University, one
of the co-op education models featured in
this month's edition
Read more: p26-43
22·23 MEET ... RORY RIDLEY-DUFF
Professor of co-operative social
entrerpreneurship at Sheffield
Business School
26-43 THE FUTURE OF CO-OP EDUCATION
26 RESEARCH INSIGHTS
Lessons from the US Overseas
Cooperative Development Council
27-29 MYCOOLCLASS
The new teacher-led platform co-op
revolutionising on line learning
30 LONDON LEARNING CO-OP
A worker co-op offering an
internationalist approach to education
31 CO·OP ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Coopedia and ed.coop offer learning
tools for to help a new wave of
co-op start-ups
32·33 CO-OP UNIVERSITIES
A look at what the movement has to
offer in the higher education sector
around the world
34·35 MONDRAGON UNIVERSITY
The university that dreams of
transforming society through
participatory education
36·39 CO·OP COLLEGE: THE PAST After
a century of being the movement's
educational arm, why has the College
had to make drastic changes?
40·41 CO-OP COLLEGE: THE FUTURE
Interview with Nina Valvi, the College's
new head of businesses development
42·43 ROBERT OWEN AT 250
The first minister of Wales, Mark
Drakeford, shares his views on the
educational reformer and father of
co-operation
44·45 WORLD EARTH DAY
The co-ops fighting the desertification,
which threatens their land and livelihoods,
through tree-planting projects
46·47 NEW ERA FOR THE NEW
INTERNATIONALIST
The Covid-19 crisis has hit the magazine's
finances and it has launched a
crowdfunder to secure its future
REGULARS
5-13 UK updates
14-21 Global updates
24 Letters
25 Obituaries
50 Digital events
4 I JUNE 2021

DEVELOPMENT
Platform co-op teams chosen for Unfound Accelerator programme
Co-operatives UK has announced the
first six platform co-ops in its UnFound
Accelerator programme.
Led by industry experts, the a tenweek
programme offers guidance and
support on co-operative working, product
development, business planning and
strategy, and branding and marketing.
The Accelerator is being delivered by
Co-operatives UK in partnership with
Stir To Action, with support from the
Co-operative Bank.
Programme manager Ludovica Rogers
said: "There were lots of inspiring
ideas, which shows the potential impact
technology can have if controlled and
owned by who needs and uses it most."
The six teams are:
Africanfuturist Arts: a platform to
distribute books, films and creative
opportunities to benefit its users and
members working in the creative industry
anywhere in the world especially those
with fewer connections to the rich world
Crystalisr: a marketplace platform
enabling South London SMEs to tender
for public and private contracts with
established organisations and institutions
in the area, whilst driving sustainability,
and economic inclusion, across South
London
Doorstep Collective: a London based
rider-led platform delivering food from
independent restaurants
Dopo: An app which combines
self-care, community care and healthcare
to support individuals before, during
and after their abortion experience by
allowing them to track their symptoms,
access peer support (anonymously) and
the essential information to support all
aspects of their experience (medical,
physical and emotional) from providers
and practitioners
Red Brick Language School: A
teacher-owned online English Language
Community offering modular courses,
subscription clubs, bespoke courses and
1-ls in English as a Foreign Language
We-Guild: A financial mutual aid
online platform, based on trust and
transparency. It uses the power of
technology to boost solidarity and it helps
you and others absorb financial blows
Jonny Gordon-Farleigh, founder, of Stir
to Action, said:"This new wave of platform
• The worker-owners at Riverford Organic Farmers
New partnership to drive EO conversions
A new partnership has announced
plans to launch the UK's first Employee
Ownership Accelerator in September
2021 for those in the early stages of
business succession planning.
Stir to Action, J Gadd Associates,
TLT, and Triodos Bank UK are worldng
on the project with support from the
Employee Ownership Association,
to help business owners who are
interested in sharing ownership and
success with their employees.
The employee ownership sector has
doubled in the last five years, with
Aardman Animations, Richer Sounds,
and Riverford Organic Farmers part
of a recent wave of high-profile
conversions.
The five values-driven organisations
working on the accelerator promise
"a programme of content and events
co-ops in the UK is building on our first
accelerator in 2018 and national tour
in 2019, and it's really exciting that
industry experts, and our first cohort
of platform teams, can support
another generation of new business
ideas, especially as the pandemic is
accelerating the digital transformation
of our workplaces and society. It's really
exciting that industry expects, and our
first cohort of platform teams, can support
another generation of new business
ideas, especially as the pandemic is
accelerating the digital transformation of
our workplaces and society."
to share their collective insight and
expertise on the benefits of employee
ownership".
The accelerator, to be hosted at
Stir to Action's New Economy Centre
at Selgars Mill in Mid-Devon on 17-
19 September, will support a cohort
of business owners as they explore
employee ownership models.
Deb Oxley, chief executive of
the EDA, said: "As the employee
ownership sector grows, so does the
knowledge and best practice about
what makes a good employee owned
business. It is great to see the launch
of new initiatives that support this as
well as the aims of the EDA."
Registration of interest is open now
until 9 July and booldngs need to be
secured by 19 July to complete precourse
preparation.
The teams will work towards a pitch
event on Wednesday 21 July, with the
chance to win part of a £10,000 prize
funded by the Co-op Bank. Furthermore,
teams will access expert support and
funding opportunities as they prepare to
launch their platform businesses.
If you are interested in attending the
online pitch event, or learning more about
platform co-ops and future opportunities,
you can sign up for the UnFound
newsletter at www.uk.coop/email
A second edition of the Accelerator will
be held in the Autumn, with applications
open in June.
JUNE 2021 I 13

GLOBAL UPDATES
INDIA & NEPAL
Co-ops step up efforts to tackle worsening Covid-19 crisis
.a. Lelt: Relatives of Covid-19 patients wait in a long queue to fill their oxygen cylinders at Mayapuri in Delhi on Tuesday 22 April 2021;
Right: SEWA is fund raising to provide essential health kits to vulnerable women
The global co-operative movement has
stepped in to support Indian co-operatives
and their members in their efforts to tackle
Covid-19.
With daily Covid-19 deaths surging
past 4,000 in May, India is struggling to
contain the outbreak. Co-ops across the
country have joined the national effort
with a range of initiatives to support their
local communities.
The Indian Farmers Fertilizer
Cooperative (IFFCO) is investing around
Rs 30 crore (£2.9m) in four oxygen plants
to fill up the oxygen cylinders free of
cost for hospitals in a move designed to
address oxygen shortages.
The plants are being built in Kaloi
(Gujarat), Aonla and Phulpur (Uttar
Pradesh) and at Paradeep (Odisha). IFFCO
Tokio, its insurance subsidiary, has also
donated for 20 oxygen concentrators to
local ambulances.
Meanwhile, the Uralungal Labor
Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS)
helped to relocate and reinstall a 13 KL
oxygen plant from the PK Steel Complex
to meet the increased demand for medical
oxygen. The plant was moved to the
Kozhikode Medical College Hospital,
14 I JUNE2021
which can accommodate 700 patients and
has 120 ICU beds.
Likewise, the National Cooperative
Development Corporation (NCDC) is
providing support to co-operatives to
plan and set up new hospitals or upgrade
existing infrastructure. The National
Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) and
the National Cooperative Federation of
Nepal (NCFN) are working to support their
members, using their own resources and
raising funding for relief activities. And
co-ops in the Kerala state have pledged
Rs 200 crore (£19m) towards vaccination
efforts in the region.
Similarly, the SEWA Cooperative
Federation is fundraising to provide
essential health kits to vulnerable women
informal workers and their families,
which include filter masks, soaps, hand
sanitisers and paracetamol.
Internationally, the movement has
also been quick to act. The International
Cooperative Alliance has set up the
Cooperatives Combat Covid-19 fund to
enable co-operators to support co-ops
in India and Nepal - where Covid-19
infections rose by 1200o/o in just a matter
of weeks.
Donations can be made through the
ICA using the following details:
Beneficiary: Alliance Cooperative
Internationale
Bank Name: KBC Brussels
Branch Name: KBC Brussels Dailly
Bank Address: Place Dailly 3 - 1030
Brussels - Belgium
IBAN: BE28 7340 3825 7920
BIC: KREDBEBB
***Please use the reference
"Donation India"***
The ICA Asia and Pacific (ICA-AP)
Regional Office, NCUI and NCFN
will work together to channel your
contributions to co-operatives and
those working to support co-ops
and their members.
Those wishing to send oxygen
concentrators, oximeters, PPE kits,
medicines, and other supplies, please
reach out to the ICA-AP (Kulbhushan.
kukreja@icaap.coop), the NCUI
(savitri.ncui@india.coop) or the NCFN
(Chitra Subba ncfcoop@gmail.com).

GLOBAL
Activist Elaben Bhatt among World
Cooperative Congress speakers
The International Cooperative Alliance
(ICA) has announced that co-operative
organiser and activist Elaben Bhatt will
be one of the keynote speakers at the
World Cooperative Congress in Seoul this
December.
Ms Bhatt is a pioneer in women's
empowerment, having played a key role
in setting up the Self-Employed Women's
Association of India (SEWA) in 1972. Her
long involvement with SEWA saw her
serve as general secretary from 1972 to
1996; she also helped set up India's first
women's bank, the Cooperative Bank of
SEWA.
A qualified lawyer, she is the current
chancellor of the Gujarat Vidyapith and is
a member of The Elders, an independent
group of global leaders working together
for peace, justice and human rights.
Her efforts to empower women brought
her numerous accolades, including the
Global Fairness Initiative Award in 2010
and the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace,
Disarmament and Development in 2011.
She will deliver the keynote speech at
the third plenary of the Congress, in which
she will explore the role of co-operatives
in coping with changes in the world of
work, a topic she explored in her most
recent book, Women, Work and Peace.
"Deepening our co-operative identity
is a topic that is very close to my heart.
Co-operation is indeed a worthwhile idea
in the present times of economic crisis,"
she said.
Congress will also hear from Olivier De
Schutter - professor at UCLouvain and
Sciences Po, co-chair of the International
Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food
Systems (IPES-Food) and UN special
rapporteur on extreme poverty and
human rights - and Inigo Albizuri
Landazabal, global head of public affairs
at Mondragon Corporation in the Basque
Country of Spain and president of the
International Organisation of Industrial
and Service Cooperatives (CICOPA).
At Congress, he will speaking on ways
to strengthen the co-operative identity
during a session that will also feature Idoia
Mendia, deputy president and regional
minister for labour and employment in the
Basque government led by Inigo Urkulu.
In April, the ICA announced awardwinning
Canadian film director John
Houston as a speaker. He will discuss his
most recent film, Atautsikut/Leaving No
One Behind, which tells the story of Inuit
communities of the Hudson and Ungava
coasts of Quebec, who empowered
themselves by setting up co-ops.
Congress takes place in Seoul, Republic
of Korea, from 1-3 December
► From top: Elaben Bhatt, Olivier De
Schutter, ldoia Mendia (left) and Inigo Albizuri
Landazabal will be speaking at the World
Cooperative Congress
GLOBAL
Online events to explore work, the environment and eliminating child labour
The !CA International Cooperative
Entrepreneurship Think Tank (ICETT)
is organising a series of online events
in June, in the run-up to the World
Cooperative Congress in Seoul.
Scheduled for 1 June, the first event
will explore how co-operatives can be a
laboratory for developing and testing a
new model of decent work, and quality
employment in the future of work.
The second event on 3 June will mark
World Environment Day by looking at
practices and policies put in place by large
cooperatives to protect the environment.
This webinar, which is organised in
collaboration with Euricse, will present
the thematic findings of the recently
published World Cooperative Monitor.
To mark the International Day on
Elimination of Child Labour, the third
event on 9 June will share case studies
and practical recommendations on how
to enhance and accelerate the progress of
elimination of child labour. This webinar
is organised in collaboration with the
International Labour Organisation (ILO).
The events will be held in English and
Spanish and live streamed on Youtube
and Facebook.
Full programme: bit.ly/JfEoawK.
JUNE 2021 I 15

GLOBAL
Cooperatives
Europe highlights
policy priorities for EU's
social economy plan
With the European Commission due to
adopt a Social Economy Action Plan by
the end of 2021, Cooperative Europe has
revealed some of the sector's priorities.
The apex has released two position
papers on the role of co-ops in Europe's
sustainable growth and recovery strategy,
and their contribution to international
development. It has also provided input
into the Commission's roadmap towards
the action plan through its European
Union Coordination Committee.
In its position papers, Cooperatives
Europe wants increased visibility and
knowledge of co-operatives and social
economy enterprises (SEE); and it says
the sector needs recognition of them
as a transversal actor in the socioeconomic
policies of the EU. It also
calls for an ecosystem conducive to the
development of co-ops and other SEE.
Cooperatives Europe argues this could
be done by facilitating access to finance
and investments, enabling them to
create quality jobs and fully operate at
transnational level in the single market.
Co-operatives and other SEEs should
also be at the heart of technological
innovation, green and digital transition,
says the apex, adding that allowing
significant investments for the sector
would be beneficial.
The action plan should recognise the
significant contributions of co-operatives
in achieving the UN's Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) and the EU's
international development priorities,
adds Cooperatives Europe. Its position
paper argues that the plan "needs to
ensure that the voices of co-operatives
and their networks are included in the
implementation of EU external policies.
Social and solidarity economy at the ILO Conference
The 110th Session of the International
Labour Conference, in June 2022, will
feature a discussion on the social
and solidarity economy (SSE). The
annual event, which brings together
representatives from governments, workers
and employers of the ILO member states,
will explore "the growing diversity of
enterprise models that are based on values
of co-operation, mutualism and solidarity."
Insurance mutuals look at the co-op approach to risk
A new report -From protection to prevention:
The role of cooperative and mutual insurance
in disaster risk reduction - has been
published by the International Cooperative
and Mutual Insurance Federation (ICMIF)
and the United Nations Office for Disaster
Risk Reduction, based on analysis of 20
case studies of ICMIF members. Read it
online at s.coop/2kqhb.
Sollio listed among Canada's best managed businesses
Support for Syrian agricultural co-ops
Agri business Sollio Cooperative Group
(formerly La Coop federee) has been
named one of Canada's best managed
businesses in a programme run by
Deloitte, for excellence across its three
divisions: Sollio Agriculture, BMR Group
Inc, and Olymel LP). Founded in 1922,
Sollio is Canada's largest agricultural coop,
with over 123,000 members.
The Syria Recovery Trust Fund has
delivered 460,000 polypropylene sacks to
nine agricultural co-ops in Syria to help
them store and transport wheat. Around
2,030 farmers will receive the sacks via
their co-ops. The initiative is one of the
projects carried out by SRTF to support
the agricultural sector in Syria.
TED Talk on co-ops races past half a million views
A TED Talk by Prof Anu Puusa from the
University of Eastern Finland's Business
School has had 638,291 views. In The
case for co-ops, the invisible giant of
the economy, Prof Puusa focused the
specificity of the business model, giving
examples of the world's most successful
co-ops. Watch it online at s.coop/2kqgd.
JUNE 2021 I 19

USA
Report highlights advantages of co-op working in tech and culture
A new report by the research collective
Cultural Workers Organize found that
co-ops hold the potential to
"democratically remake work in ways
that have yet to be fully realised" in the
creative industries.
Based on research carried out in
20 19 and 2020 on co-ops in the creative
industries in Canada, UK and US, the
report says work in creative industries
was already uncertain - but its precarious
nature has been made worse by the
Covid-19 pandemic, which saw workers
laid off, lose gigs, or miss out on
government income relief programmes.
"Co-ops are not a magic solution
to systemic work problems," it says.
"Still, we believe that the co-op model,
in conjunction with other pro-worker
policies and organisations, holds
potential to democratically remake work
in ways that have yet to be fully realised or
widely tested in creative industries.
"As our research participants told
us, growing the co-operative economy
requires, above all, increased public
awareness of the co-op model. We hope
this report helps to build that awareness."
The study highlights some of the
sources of financial support used by the
co-ops surveyed during their first years
in operation, such as revenue retained
earnings, online fundraising, loans
from members and member shares and
foundation grants.
The co-ops also relied on several nonfinancial
support mechanisms in their
early stages, including member labour
(74.4%), other co-operatives (13.4%),
co-op consultants or developers (10%),
governments (9.5%), regional co-operative
associations (7.lo/o), other businesses
in the sector (6.0 9%) and start-up
incubators (2.4%).
The report also found that co-ops in
creative industries were not immune to
the social inequities often seen in cultural
and tech work.
"Clearly, co-ops in the creative
industries must do more to be accessible
to, and retain members," it warns. "But
our findings also reveal an important
practical insight: member diversity is
positively correlated with discussion of the
co-operative principles. So, the more your
co-op engages the co-operative principles,
the more likely it is that your co-op will be
representative and inclusive."
More than half of the co-ops reported
their pay rates meet or exceed average
pay rates for their industry. More than
90% of the co-ops surveyed also agreed
that democratic decision-making was a
priority and 86% agreed about aiming to
reach consensus when making decisions.
Those surveyed also highlighted some
of the benefits of co-op work, with the
survey's most selected benefits being
supporting work relationships, a friendly
work environment, opportunities for
creative self-expression, a work culture
that encourages teamwork and cooperation
and low hierarchy at work.
The survey found that working hours
tend to be flexible; 52.7% of the co-ops
strongly agreed that their work schedule
is flexible, and 45.So/o strongly agreed that
they are free to leave early.
However, the survey also found that the
longer a co-op has been in operation, the
less likely it was that members strongly
perceived benefits to working in a co-op.
Over 47o/o of co-ops in the survey reported
that they discuss co-op principles
frequently or always. A further 44%
discuss them sometimes.
Another finding was that the majority
of co-ops (54.7%) surveyed did not have
a business plan. "Formal business plan
preparation often seems daunting
which perhaps explains why the majority
of co-ops in our survey did not have one,"
says the report.
In light of the findings from its research,
the report makes several suggestions to
prospective co-operators and sectoral
associations - such as tapping into
the co-op support system early on;
meeting with credit unions about
financing options; embedding diversity
and equity-promoting principles into
their member recruitment plans and
co-op policies from the start; campaigning
for the inclusion of the co-op model
in curricula and incubator programmes;
and lobbying.
It also advises existing co-ops to
practise the sixth co-operative principle;
make a point of regularly talking about
the co-operative principles within
their co-op; staying informed about
employment standards in their sector;
meeting with a union organiser who
has familiarity with co-ops; advertising
their co-op status; and exploring the
possibility of creating co-op networks to
enrich structures of mutual support.
The full report is available online at
s.coop/2kqhg.
20 I JUNE 2021

GLOBAL RESARCH BOOSTS THE
CO-OP DIFFERENCE
By Anca Voinea
Above: Poland is
one of the countries
focussed on in the
report, together with
Kenya, Peru and the
Philippines.
Image: OCDC
A new report by US Overseas Cooperative
Development Council (OCDC) looks at ways
to identify and measure the difference
co-operatives make, with a focus on four
countries: Kenya, Peru, Philippines and Poland.
The study, released in May, was carried
out between 2017 and 2020, and involved a
survey of over 8,000 people, including co-op
members, measured against a comparison
group of non-members. It also looked at leaders
of co-operatives and communities, and other
important stakeholders.
Across all four countries, members of
co-operatives outperform national averages, the
study found. Co-op members are more likely to
have higher than average incomes and are less
likely to be very deprived.
Furthermore, most respondents said
co-ops positively benefited their household
economically: 82o/o in Kenya, 71o/o in Poland,
94o/o in the Philippines and 74o/o in Peru.
The report also found that co-operatives help
members achieve greater prosperity directly -
through access to credit and higher earnings
and indirectly, by facilitating financial
education, mentorship, and training.
OCDC's research also revealed that
co-operatives are well regarded for their
contributions to communities' economic
development, by members and non-members,
who praised co-ops for helping to support
a robust business environment, creating
jobs, attracting investment and supporting
infrastructure development.
According to the study, 70o/o of co-op members
in Kenya and 80o/o of co-op members in the
Philippines thought their co-ops offered support
to members during emergencies. Furthermore,
co-operative members were more likely to rely
on their own savings for support than their
family and friends.
The research also suggests co-ops empower
women, offering a consistently higher economic
ranking compared to the average in each
country. The majority of women taking part
in the survey saw agency and independence
resulting from membership: 82o/o in Kenya, 51 o/o
in the Philippines and 46o/o in Peru.
At the online launch of the report, OCDC
executive director Paul Hazen said: "This
research project fulfils OCDC's mission to
champion, advocate and promote effective
international co-operative development.
OCDC is building a centre of excellence to
provide leadership, best practices research and
training for effective international co-operative
development.
"As we seek to create a more prosperous,
democratic and inclusive world post Covid-19,
there has never been a better time to build back
better and increase investment in co-operative
development."
Bruno Roelants, director general of the
International Cooperative Alliance, welcomed
the research, pointing out that scientific
evidence of this type helped to back the UN's
claim that co-operatives in their various forms
promote the fullest possible participation in the
economic and social development of all.
"We need policy oriented research on
which development proposals can then be
constructed," he said. He also mentioned the
need to promote co-operative statistics and
pointed to COPAC's guidelines concerning
statistics of co-operatives.
Judith Hermanson, director of the OCDC's
International Cooperative Research Group,
added: "We found strikingly similar economic,
social and community outcomes for each of
these countries."
The full report is available at ocdc.coop.
26 I JUNE 2021

ack from the bosses who exploit them. We
hold regular meeting so we can democratically
contribute to decisions taken."
One of the organisation's tutors is Karama
Fadel, an Arabic teacher based in Gaza who
recently had to cancel her classes due to the
conflict affecting the region. When cancellations
occur, the students get the choice to wait
for their tutor to be available and continue
with their lessons with them. If the situation
escalates, other measures could be proposed,
such as joining classes led by other tutors.
"Working with Karama and sending money
for her work is improving her livelihood," says
Ms Audi. "At the same time, our students are
getting quality Arabic lessons. This was the
main thing I really liked about our co-op,
the fact that we pay everyone, wherever
they are in the world, the London
living wage, while providing quality
and affordable education for our
students."
"I can also relate to this personally
being a Palestinian refugee
from Lebanon means that I'm
discriminated against in the job market and
prohibited from several professions, especially
in Lebanon. At TLC, such a barrier was tackled.
"I also like how everyone is encouraged to
be involved in the decision making process.
We hold regular meetings where everyone can
give updates, suggest new projects, address
business plans and make decisions."
The Learning Co-operative charges students
different prices depending on how much
they can afford to pay. The co-op designed an
affordable pricing system, called the wealth
test, in order to guide how much each person
should be paying so that it can pay tutors and
make sure everyone can afford tuition.
In addition to group classes, TLC also provides
affordable one-to-one tuition for a price as low
as £20/h.
However, enabling students to pay what they
can afford while paying all teachers the London
Living Wage means that liquidity can be an
issue for the co-op.
"Balancing that can be a challenge," said Ms
Audi. Some students pay the minimum price
while others choose to contribute the maximum
amount.
The courses are taught in 10 sessions via
Zoom. So far, the co-op has had around 70
students registering for group courses, with
another 20 signing up for one-to-one tuition.
One goal is to attract more tutors and students,
with the later currently from the UK, the US and
some EU countries.
"We are collaborating with local NGOs in
Lebanon to get refugees on board to give them a
voice because their situation in Lebanon is still
deteriorating" adds Ms Audi.
"Even if they do have the capacity, the
potential and the proper education, they don't
have the opportunity to teach. So we try to give
them this opportunity."
The Learning Co-op has recently launched
a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to
build a new website and be able to provide more
courses, as well as pedagogy training. The co-op
also plans to secure an accreditation from the
Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner
to become a regulated immigration adviser.
LEARNING TOOLS FOR
CO-OP ENTREPRENEURS
Coopedia is a collaborative search
engine launched last year by Cooperatives
Europe. The idea for emerged via the
project and was implemented CoopStarter and upscaled 2.0 via the Global Cooperative
Entrepreneurs (GCE) programme, under the framework of the ICA-EU
Partnership on international development (known as #Coops4dev). The
system gives co-operative experts the opportunity to reference their own
resources and build a 'one stop shop' for co-operative knowledge. Coopedia
now features a range of learning resources on co-op entrepreneurship in
different languages, such as guides, articles, videos, books and other
resources on co-operative entrepreneurship. Around 230 resources have
been indexed since the launch. The ICA's regional offices have begun
a global campaign to expand the use of the Coopedia Knowledge Base
and invite interested organisations to install their own version of this
innovative tool in their online platforms. Coopedia's software is based on
Startin'blox technology, which is a free, modular and friendly-user tool to
build decentralised applications.
ACE
Aaodation of Educalon
Ed.coop is a hub for educational resources and
materials for teaching and learning about cooperative
enterprises, features a compilation
of the top resource collections found among
the co-op community. The curated materials
target both those wishing to increase their knowledge about co-ops and
those in an educator role who might want to gather materials to use in the
teaching of others. It is run by the Cooperative Educators Network (CENet)
(part of the Association of Cooperative Educators). Over 200 partners and
participant organisations helped in creating this curated space for co-op
education resources, helping educators and learners on their customised
learning path. In addition to the learning paths, Ed.coop features online
resource libraries from co-operative organisations across North America
and Puerto Rico and a co-operative news feed to keep users up to date
with upcoming conferences, webinars, publications and other news.
JUNE 2021 I 31

to produce co-op leaders and encourage rural,
business and technological development.
The university holds an annual conference;
now in its fifth year, its forthcoming edition
takes place online on 27-28 July, bringing
together industry leaders, academics,
researchers, policymakers, youth, and
co-operative practitioners to share knowledge
and experiences. It will look at ways to rebuild
from the Covid-19 crisis, with an emphasis on
"the social and solidarity economy as a catalyst
for resilience, inclusivity, and attainment of
Sustainable Development Goals."
Tanzania is home to the MOSHI CO-OPERATIVE
UNIVERSITY, which works in areas such as
co-op education and development, business,
economics, marketing, entrepreneurship,
finance, banking, accounting, taxation, law,
procurement and supply chain management,
human resource management, information
technology and community development.
Graduates have taken up leadership and
management positions at home and abroad in
co-operatives, banks, microfinance institutions,
business, politics, local government and various
companies.
In the USA, the New School is a private university
in New York, dedicated to offering a progressive
education. It is home to the INSTITUTE FOR THE
COOPERATIVE DIGITAL ECONOMY, the research
arm of the international Platform Co-operative
Consortium.
Launched in 2019, it provides prospective
and existing platform co-ops with applied
and theoretical knowledge, education, and
policy analysis, with the aim of encouraging a
new wave of platform co-op start-ups to create
a democratic alternative to the tech giants
dominating the online economy.
Its next event is #TheNewCommonSense, a
conference at Humboldt University of Berlin
from 12-18 November.
Convened with two Berlin organisations - the
Institute for Ecological Economy Research and
Berlin Social Science Center (WZB), Berlin - it
will see "co-op pioneers, designers, researchers,
and technologists explore the potential of data
trusts, cryptocurrencies, token economies, and
distributed ledgers".
The event will be split into a three-day,
in-person event in Berlin - if the pandemic
restrictions permit - and a set of virtual events,
curated by global catalysts.
International Centre for Co-operative Management: s.coop/2krO3
Centre for Co-operative Studies: s.coop/2krO5
EMES International Research Network: emes.net
Co-operative University of Colombia: s.coop/2krO6
Co-operative University of Kenya: cuk.ac.ke
Moshi Co-operative University: mocu.ac.tz
Institute for the Cooperative Digital Economy: s.coop/2krO8
Kenya conference: s.coop/2krOg
International Co-operative Governance Symposium: s.coop/2krOf
TheNewCommonSense: s.coop/2krOc
JUNE 2021 I 33

DIARY
With the Covid-19 crisis
affecting mobility in the UK
and across the world, many
co-op events are now taking
place online, including
some of those listed below.
If you would like to add any
virtual events taking place,
please email us at:
events@thenews.coop
Sociocracy for co-operatives
16 June 2021
Ireland-based Cooperatives Alternatives
is hosting a training webinar on
participative decision making in cooperatives.
The session aims to equip
participants with tools to support
decision making processes in their
organisation and will feature Joanna
McMinn from Co-housing Connections.
c-:> s.coop/2kqyl
Co-op Fortnight
21 June-4 July 2021
The Co-op Fortnight is Co-operatives UK's
annual campaign that sees hundreds of
co-operatives and organisations across
the UK work together to promote co-ops.
The theme for this year's Co-op Fortnight
is #JoinACoop. Co-operatives UK has
developed a campaign pack with poster
artwork, logos, a welcome guide to new
members and key messages. The apex
will release a template press release,
customisable social media graphics and
campaign video for co-ops to use too.
c-:> s.coop/2kqym
Co-op Congress
25 June 2021
Co-operatives UK's annual Co-op
Congress will be a hybrid event this year
with a live audience at Stretford Public
Hall alongside an on line audience.
Themed 'We are the rebuilders', the
Congress will feature with high profile
speakers broadcasting live from Stretford
Public Hall. Co-operators will be able
to join on line or apply to be in the live
audience. Tickets are free and open to
anyone that is a member of a co-op and/
or works for a co-op. Speakers will be
announced in the coming weeks.
c-:> s.coop/2kqyn
Co-operative Press AGM
30 June 2021
The AGM of Co-operative Press Ltd (the
co-op which publishes Co-op News) will
be held on line and will be a chance to
meet colleagues and directors, and hear
our plans for the future.
C-:> thenews.coop/agm2021
International Day of Co-operatives
3 July 2021
The International Day of Cooperatives
(#Coops Day) is celebrated annually on
the first Saturday of July. The day aims to
raise awareness of cooperatives and
promote the movement's successes and
ideals of international solidarity,
economic efficiency, equality, and world
peace. The ICA first celebrated
#CoopsDay in 1923 while the United
National proclaimed a UN International
Day of Cooperatives to be celebrated for
the first time in 1995.
c-:> coopsday.coop
ICA CCR Europe Research Conference
7-9 July 2021
The International Cooperative Alliance
Committee on Cooperative Research (ICA
CCR) EUROPE will be holding a virtual
conference in July. Themed "Cooperatives
in transitions facing crisis", the
conference will explore and address
specific issues linked to the overarching
theme of the World Cooperative Congress
(1-3 December 2021) of "Deepening our
cooperative identity".
c-:> s.coop/2kqyo
World Credit Union Conference
11-14 July 2021
World Council of Credit Unions' 2021
World Credit Union Conference, originally
set to be held in Glasgow, Scotland from
11-14, July, will now be hosted virtually.
The event will feature more than 30
educational sessions with topics relevant
to all credit union leadership levels.
Delegates will also be able to network
with other attendees and industry
partners from across the movement.
C-:> wcuc.org
50 I JUNE 2021