Co-op Connections: The next generation need YOU worker-co-ops!
We've been asked if we can inspire 100 students at Oldham College on the brilliance of co-ops in early Sept as part of the college's commitment to present the co-op model as a career choice, plus inspiring them to potentially set up co-ops together when they leave college. Could we ask 6 to 7 worker co-ops to be part of what is essentially a 'mini careers-fair' for co-ops. If you're interested in educating the next generation please let me know.
Following a 45-min interactive talk on what a co-op is, 6 - 7 worker co-ops would run a more practical break-out session each on how their co-op works (likely 10-20 students in each room, 1hr duration).
Ideas for sessions welcome here please. Perhaps you give students mock roles to replicate your own co-op etc. Or ALL students are given a post it saying 'boss' and see what they make of it etc.
The b/o session is down to your creativity with the only remit being they explain why co-ops are brilliant career choices. :-)
Thoughts here and anyone interested please let me know thanks.
Steve Belsey Tue 4 Jun 2019 11:28AM
Hi irena,
Thank you for your email.
I am currently in the process of preparing for the launch of a new cooperative enterprise, after being a member of a trading cooperative (now sadly defunct) for more than 20 years. If you are interested, I could run a session combining real founder-member recruitment and start up strategies.
If this would be of interest,and you would liuke to discuss this further please get back to me.
#
Regards
Steve Belsey (Former Member EBS Coop/Founding Member ISD Services Coopersrive)
Od: "Irena P (Loomio)" [email protected]
Komu: [email protected]
Datum: 31.05.2019 14:06
Předmět: [Worker Co-operatives] Co-op Connections: The next generation need YOU worker-cops!
Irena P Thu 20 Jun 2019 10:31AM
Thanks for this @stevebelsey could you also cover the 'why' in this i.e. not just 'how' you're doing this (which would be great) and also the 'why' (which is crucial if we're going to entice young people to look at why they might choose to do the same).
Irena P Tue 4 Jun 2019 6:10PM
Hi Steve, thanks for this. Member recruitment / start up would be a great session. All the sessions rely on us briefing the students well (before they break off into your groups) to give them some context on the difference between a co-op and Richard Branson. We may need your help to shatter some illusions! I'm interested in views on this - at the top of your b/o session Steve (and others running one) could you illustrate the co-op/trad business context first by asking students to stand in traditional CEO, director, share owners positions.. with a handful of 'workers' left over. And then ask them what they think is happening in that model (or bring out the idea of unfairness, the physical divide between the workers and owners etc) And then move into a group that visualises how positions actually appear in your co-op and talk about that? Once that physical image stays with them then you can go into your start up strategies etc. What do you think? Hopefully seeing the contrasting models helps better explain why you need to recruit. We won't assume any knowledge at all. Questions such as why you need members in your co-op. Who are they? What do worker owners 'own' in a worker co-op? And how? Are key. Also why a co-op model could mean students' could go into business before even then thought possible i.e. they don't need to wait till they have all the capital together, they just need the people - people are your capital etc. These are messages we hope to leave them with. If your sessions can answer just a couple of the key questions that would be great Steve. Please email me on [email protected]. Are any others interested? Or suggest what we need to explain to students?
Poll Created Tue 11 Jun 2019 1:31PM
I can run an hour's breakout session for the Oldham College event Closed Sun 30 Jun 2019 1:03PM
w/c 9 Sep tbc at Oldham College
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Yes | 1 |
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No | 1 |
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2 of 210 people have participated (0%)
craigm
Tue 11 Jun 2019 2:22PM
would love to help but 200 miles away
Mark Simmonds (Co-op Culture)
Sun 30 Jun 2019 10:54AM
Not Thursday the 12th though
Kayleigh Walsh Outlandish Tue 11 Jun 2019 4:24PM
Hey @irenap is this paid work, or is it on a voluntary basis? I am glad that you want to show worker co-ops as a feasible career choice
Graham Wed 12 Jun 2019 8:18AM
Good point. If I was being paid for my time I'd be up for doing something given that I'm also based just over the hill in West Yorkshire and supportive of the idea. But don't have the time to do this for nothing, given that it will probably take best part of a day to design and deliver.
Irena P Wed 12 Jun 2019 10:01AM
Thanks @kayleighwalsh thanks @grahamemayo, sorry it is a distance away for some of you. To be clear it's a mini careers fair so an opportunity to display your co-op as a viable career choice to the next generation. The colleges/unis etc..run careers fairs throughout the year and Oldham College approached us if we could help them reach a hidden co-op market and bring it to life for students. So this is voluntary. Ideally there's a mix of co-ops from retail, tech, manufacturing, medical, consultancy etc. so thanks for the growing interest. Unicorn have already jumped on board - thank you. Great if others can deliver a session too (it doesn't need to be complex, the simpler the better). Also you don't need to talk about Co-ops UK at all - we're not doing it for self promotion but for students to create co-ops for themselves or work in yours. The breakout session will be your hour to shine and wow the students with a model they've likely never considered before. Exciting.
Alex · Fri 31 May 2019 1:34PM
This is brilliant!