CO-OPERATIVE SPOTLIGHT NEWSLETTER
FOR APRIL 27, 2021
SCA WELCOMES THREE NEW MEMBERS
Help us welcome three new members to the SCA family:
Cypress Credit Union,
Prairie Centre Credit Union, and
TCU Financial Group.
Thank you for your support! Membership in SCA is available to all co-operatives, federations of co-operatives, credit unions, stakeholders and other organizations that can use the services and support the objectives of SCA.
Want to learn more about membership in the Saskatchewan Co-operative Association? Click HERE or EMAIL Victoria Morris, executive director.
YOUTH ENGAGEMENT PODCAST ON EACH FOR ALL
In our March 17 newsletter, we told you that SCA’s executive director, Victoria Morris, did her Master’s research on engaging youth in co-operatives and credit unions - and how Ireland excels in this area.
Each For All has released a PODCAST of Sandy Goldman’s discussion with Victoria about youth engagement and how lessons from Ireland can be applied to co-operatives here.
Each For All: The Co-operative Connection is a one-hour weekly current affairs and advocacy program bringing you profiles, interviews, and reports from the world of co-ops. It airs on Vancouver Co-op Radio (CFRO) every week at 8pm on Tuesdays.
Have you listened to co-op radio? Vancouver Co-operative Radio, CFRO, 100.5FM is an innovative non-profit community radio station & podcast recording studio providing a voice for those underrepresented in mainstream media. Click on the LINK to learn more about co-op radio, or to listen live.
PS: Missed Victoria’s blog? You can read Victoria’s post and her list of Irish credit union best practises HERE.
ALSO ON EACH FOR ALL: SASKATOON COMMUNITY CLINIC
The Saskatoon Community Clinic is a health care co-operative that began in 1962 and played a pivotal role in the establishment of medicare in Canada.
In this Each for All podcast, Executive Director Lisa Clatney shares the history of the clinic, the co-operative difference, and innovations over the past year to ensure the needs of the community are being met. Here’s the discussion.
CMC NATIONAL CO-OP RESEARCH PROJECT
Over the next few weeks, your organization will be contacted by researchers from Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada to validate and update your co-operative, credit union or mutual information as part of CMC’s ongoing national research program.
Details of CMCs research project and database program are at this LINK.
See the database in action HERE as it powers the national co-operative map and directory.
ONLINE WORKER CO-OP ACADEMY
Announcing the Canadian Worker Co-operative Federation's Worker Co-op Academy: 14 workshops delivered online over 5 months, starting May 17. The time commitment is approximately 5 to 7 hours per week, on average.
The Academy is open to groups of entrepreneurs (minimum 3 members) who have already developed a working relationship with each other and have a business concept that is ready to move forward into the business planning stage of their enterprise. Each group will receive 20 hours of one-on-one coaching by a professional co-op developer, who will also review the groups’ draft documents.
The cost of the program is $3,000 +tax per group. CWCF Is offering bursaries for up to $2,350 of this amount for a cost to the group of $650 + tax. To learn more, click on this LINK.
COOPZONE HIRING OPPORTUNITY
CoopZone is seeking a Program Director for its online Co-operative Developers Training Program. The Program Director is responsible for the overall development and the delivery of the CoopZone Co-operative Development Training Program, the only program in the world specifically focused on the skills, knowledge and experience needed to be a professional co-operative developer.
The Program Director works with Course Instructors to deliver the training, and with the training Committee and management to administer and market the Training Program.
This is a part-time contract with its heaviest responsibilities between mid-August to mid-May, with an estimated 5-7 hours of work per week. Workload could increase to 10 hours per week during busy months. This contract is offered at $15,000 per year plus work-related expenses. Learn more HERE.
TOP CO-OP ISSUES OF 2020
The Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives has announced the results of its 2020 Top Co-op Issues Survey - an annual survey that asks Canadian co-operative leaders what they view are the most pressing concerns facing co-operatives today.
For the third year running, the survey has found that co-operative leaders identify the need to improve awareness of the co-operative model as the most pressing issue facing the sector. The findings from the 2020 survey are largely consistent with those of years past, but they do seem to have been affected by the MEC sale, the COVID-19 crisis, and a growing concern with the need for more diverse board representation.
THREE SASK. CREDIT UNIONS RECEIVE GRANTS
FROM CONCENTRA BANK
Congratulations to Diamond North Credit Union, the recipient of a $10,000 grant that will go towards a new firehall for Zenon Park and District Fire Department - a volunteer-run organization serving Zenon Park and rural municipalities in Saskatchewan.
Cypress Credit Union received a $5,000 grant to support the Fox Valley community of approximately 600 residents, which is building a new community hall. Innovation Credit Union received a $5,000 grant that will be used to assist the Canadian Mental Health Association in Swift Current as it seeks to build a new clubhouse space to increase programming and accommodate more individuals.
Funding was received from the Empowering Your Community Program from Concentra Bank. Through the campaign, now in its 11th year, Concentra awards grants to Canadian credit unions to bolster their support for community projects.
The Co-operators has been selected as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers by Mediacorp Canada Inc. One of the factors mentioned for the selection is that The Co-operators was a founding member of the Corporate Knights’ Council for Clean Capitalism.
Winning employers are evaluated using four main criteria: unique environmental initiatives or programs they have developed; whether they have been successful in reducing their own environmental footprint; whether their employees are involved in these programs and contribute unique skills; and whether their environmental initiatives have become linked to the employer’s public identity, attracting new employees or customers.
BECOME IMMERSED IN ITALIAN CO-OPERATIVES AND CULTURE
Join the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) Executive Field School in the Bologna and Emilia-Romagna regions of Italy from June 12-18, 2022.
Through applied learning and rich interactive site visits you’ll learn about the Italian co-op model, develop sector-specific strategies that aid in co-op growth and discern the impact of a member-based shared services model. And more!
Program cost is $6,595. Space is limited.
To learn more about the BCIT Executive Field School, click HERE.
REBUILD BETTER TOGETHER: INTERNATIONAL DAY OF CO-OPERATIVES ANNOUNCED
“Rebuild Better Together” is the theme of the International Day of Co-operatives, this year held on July 3rd.
The International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) encourages co-operatives around the world to use the day to showcase how they are meeting the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, and to promote the contributions of co-operatives to local, regional and national economies.
This year’s celebration will be the 27th International Day of Co-operatives recognized by the United Nations and the 99th International Co-operative Day.
The 2021 #Coopsday actions’ pack including the logo, key messages and other digital resources will be available soon. More details HERE.
APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED FOR ONLINE PART-TIME
CO-OP EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Interested in Master's, Graduate Diploma and Certificate Programs in co-operative and credit union management? The International Centre for Co-operative Management provides research and education focused on co-operative management and governance, including executive education (short courses) and three online, part-time programs:
• Master of Management, Co-operatives and Credit Unions (3 years)
• Graduate Diploma in Co-operative Management (16 months)
• Certificate in Co-operative Management (10 months)
Applications are being accepted now. Email erin.hancock@smu.ca or click HERE to learn more about these programs and activities, and to register for a free informational webinars on May 5 or May 19. Information on bursaries is found HERE.
YOU’RE INVITED TO CMC’S VIRTUAL NATIONAL CONGRESS
Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada (CMC) invites co-ops, credit unions and mutuals of all sizes to participate in this year’s Virtual National Congress. Using a theme of, "Towards a more co-operative economy", CMC and its presenters aim to discuss how the co-operative and mutualist model could contribute to the rebuilding of the Canadian economy.
The online event runs from June 14 to 16, 2021 and features five 90-minute panel discussions spread over three days including:
The role of the sector in the Canadian economy;
The importance of diversity and inclusion in the co-operative and mutual sector;
The place of young leaders within the co-operative sector; and
How we can market the co-op/mutual difference.
Plus, the virtual congress will feature an online networking session where participants will have the opportunity to have informal discussions and meet-and-greet sessions.
The Canadian Worker Co-operative Federation (CWCF) is seeking applications from youth 18-35 for a $1000 grant towards an arts and cultural project to promote co-operatives (preferably worker co-ops).
Examples of eligible projects include visual art, music, video, theatre or a cultural event.
This grant program is funded by the generosity of the late CWCF past president, Mark Goldblatt. Application criteria and other details can be found HERE.
The deadline for applications is April 30, 2021 and the project must take place between May 1 – April 30, 2022.
CO-OP GREMLINS
We had a few URL gremlins in our last newsletter. Here are the correct URLs for: (1) @The_Cooperators has been recognized for gender diversity in corporate Canada https://buff.ly/3uAKL3e and (2) The caring for your buildings resource from @AgencyCoop https://buff.ly/3fZlP1s
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Saskatchewan Co-operative Association (SCA) is the apex organization for the province’s 850 co-operatives and credit unions. SCA is incorporated as a community service co-operative and is owned by its members, many of which are co-op federations or associations.
On behalf of the Saskatchewan co-operative community, SCA works to support and promote the co-operative model for community and economic development.
Over the next few weeks, your organization will be contacted by researchers from Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada to validate and update your co-operative, credit union or mutual information as part of CMC’s ongoing national research program. 
The Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives has announced the results of its 2020 Top Co-op Issues Survey - an annual survey that asks Canadian co-operative leaders what they view are the most pressing concerns facing co-operatives today. 
Join the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) Executive Field School in the Bologna and Emilia-Romagna regions of Italy from June 12-18, 2022.
