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Our Member Councils and Peer Networks are shaping the future of the worker co-op movement in the U.S. through peer learning and conversation. Here are the highlights for this month from some of our Councils & Networks:
- Union Co-ops Council – In June, the UCC heard from Jonny Sopotiuk from the Union Co-ops Initiative in Vancouver about the projects they are building (watch the recording here!). The Executive Committee had 2 strategy sessions in July focused on refreshing the purpose of the council, our goals, and how we are organized.
- Policy & Advocacy Council – The P&A Council June meeting consisted of network updates as well as a discussion of how our ecosystems can be prepared to implement legislative wins in their regions. There was no meeting in July for summer break, and the meetings from September forward will be held on first Thursdays from 1:00pm – 2:30pm.
- International Council – Are you curious about international organizations that support cooperatives? The International Council will be hosting a webinar for folks to learn about the global networks that the USFWC is a part of. Join us on September 25th to participate and learn more about the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), CICOPA – the global organization representing and supporting worker co-ops, and others!
- Racial & Economic Justice Council – Join us as we rebuild and determine the activities of the Racial and Economic Justice Council. REJC will be holding its next gathering on Wednesday, October 4th, 2023 at 5:30 pm ET / 2:30 pm PT. In October, we’ll be learning about racial and economic justice organizing projects from across the country. We’ll also be planning for USFWC REJC webinars for 2024. Register here! This is a members only event.
- Movimiento de Inmigrantes en las Cooperativas – The Immigrant Co-ops Council (MIC) met in August, celebrating the return of the Council and welcoming two new co-chairs. The next meeting is September 21st 2023 at 6:00 pm ET / 3:00 pm PT. The topic will be Restorative Justice, communication and conflict in our co-ops. These meetings are held in Spanish. Register here!
- Tech Worker Co-ops Peer Network – The Tech Peer Network changed their meeting time to half an hour earlier (3:30 ET/12:30 PT every 2nd Wednesday). We are also working on engaging Peer Network members who don’t attend meetings to increase the number of people served by the group.
- Co-op Academies Peer Network – The Co-op Academies Peer Network met in August:
- We discussed best practices for providing stipends to academy participants, and what affects whether that money is seen as ‘income’ or ‘reimbursement’.
- We reviewed strategies for providing start-up funds to academy graduates.
- We compared how to structure the order of the classes in an academy to optimize learning.
Our last Peer Network meeting of the year will be on Monday Nov 27 @ 3:30 pm ET.
Members, be sure to register for our USFWC Fall Member Meeting October 12th to hear more from your Member Councils and help shape their future work!
