Stream 12
The Future of Co-op Education and Development
Stream leads: Steve Dubb (ACE Board Member), Erin Hancock (Education Manager, International Centre for Co-operative Management, Saint Mary’s University)
Stream Committee: Pascal Billard (ACE Board Member), Steve Dubb (ACE Board Member), Erin Hancock (Education Manager, International Centre for Co-operative Management, Saint Mary’s University), Gary Hampton (ACE President), Natalie Kallio (Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, University of Saskatchewan; and ACE Board Member), Cathy Statz (ACE historian & nonvoting board member), LuAnn Werner (Deputy Executive Director, OCDC)
Description:
ACE welcomes proposals that cover any aspect on the future of co-op education and development – formal, informal, nonformal, popular education, methods, approaches, tools and frameworks.
A list of suggested topics:
In correspondence with the above, ACE is particularly interesting in panels and proposals that explore the following topics:
Education to advance co-operative knowledge and development: Proposals that address co-operative education, knowledge building and skill-building, including ways to leverage the International Year of the Cooperative, innovations in popular education, youth engagement, mentorship programs, redesigning co-operative employee training, university or sector-based learning programs, how to teach co-operation in different contexts, tools for co-operative education (frameworks, learning tools, digital tools, platforms) and what education the sector needs.
Co-operative Education in Agriculture: Proposals about education in agriculture cooperatives are welcome. These can focus on rural or urban communities (urban agriculture), as well as the connections between the two.
Education for Co-operatives and the Environment: Proposals on how co-op education (or co-op educators in partnership with universities, social movements, or other institutions) are facing the challenges of sustainability and building resilience are welcome here, as are case study presentations.
Co-operative Education in Indigenous Communities: We welcome proposals on decolonization and cooperative movements among Indigenous peoples—and that illustrate how Indigenous communities are bringing their own cultural practices into co-op education work. Case study presentations are also welcome.
Co-operative Education and Development in Communities of Color: There is a major wave of cooperative development occurring in Black and Latino/a/x communities. We welcome proposals that speak to co-operative development and co-operative education in all communities of color, including communities that often get less attention in the co-op world (such as Arab or Asian communities). Case studies are also welcome.
Co-operation as a Tool for Confronting Marginalization: From their beginning, co-ops have been a tool for those who are excluded from the economy and from access to ownership. We welcome proposals that speak to how people in marginalized communities are finding ways to cultivate co-operation and are designing co-operative solutions. For instance, we would welcome proposals that speak to how co-op education can be and is being designed to develop cooperatives among worker-owners who were formerly incarcerated.
References:
Educative content is available at https://ed.coop/ and https://www.ace.coop/