may, 2022
07feballdayToward Co-operative Commonwealth: Transition in a Perilous Century (MOOC)

Event Details
4th Edition Registration opens: December 15, 2021 Start Date: February 7, 2022 Synergia Co-operative Institute is a community service co-operative whose purpose is to promote transition to
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Event Details
4th Edition
Registration opens: December 15, 2021
Start Date: February 7, 2022
Synergia Co-operative Institute is a community service co-operative whose purpose is to promote transition to a sustainable political economy that is democratic, socially just, and based on the principles of co-operation and the common good.
Synergia unites academics, activists, practitioners, and policymakers in a common effort to identify and implement models of economic, environmental, and social practice that focus on institutional and systems-level change based on Co-operative economic democracy – a framework of concepts, values, and practices that give priority to
- resilience over economic growth
- co-operation over competition
- sufficiency over efficiency
- well-being over the right to possess
- fairness and equity over the primacy of markets, trade, and capital
- decentralized and democratic ownership over centralized power and private ownership
- the commons over the rights of private property, and
- our dependence upon nature over our right to dominate it.
These are not merely theoretical propositions. They are choices about what is paramount for transition in a perilous century. They are the basis for a comprehensive alternative to the status quo – a compendium of ideas, models, and movements that are essential to our collective capacity for transition and survival. These alternatives, and the means to apply them, are the focus of our work.
Several questions frame our thinking and guide our work:
- How can we meet our basic needs in ways that advance fairness and resilience where we live and contribute to the restoration of ecosystems and GHG reduction?
- How do we shift the narrative from the mantra of endless growth to one of well-being, sufficiency, solidarity, and living within the natural limits of the planet?
- How can citizens, communities, organizations, institutions, movements, and progressive businesses co-operate to craft and execute strategies that build solutions that counter the status quo?
- How do we diffuse and amplify the impacts of existing models and solutions to advance system change?
Our contribution to this global call for a transition to sustainability is threefold:
- Designing accessible, high-quality educational resources and training programs that can be leveraged by change agents everywhere to create system-changing solutions fitted to local contexts.
- Providing training and education programming through intensive, face-to-face courses.
- In collaboration with our network of experts and practitioners, provide research, advice, and technical support to policymakers, governments, and NGOs on the development and implementation of transition models for system change.
Synergia’s mission to inspire, educate and animate people to take action is relevant to those beginning the transition journey as well as those who have been in the trenches for years.
Our invitation to the 2022 MOOC embodies these principles and aims.
Course info: https://synergiainstitute.org/2022-mooc-information/
Registration info: https://synergiainstitute.org/registration/
Sliding scale pricing
(From Synergia Institute website)
Time
February 7 (Monday) - May 30 (Monday)
Location
Online
29apralldayWorker Co-op Weekend UK 2022

Event Details
Join us for the Worker Co-op Weekend 2022 - set to be the largest and most important event in the worker co-op movement for the last 20 years! Led by
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Event Details
Join us for the Worker Co-op Weekend 2022 – set to be the largest and most important event in the worker co-op movement for the last 20 years! Led by the Worker Co-op Council, we will be setting out a proposal for the future direction of our movement and we want your helping shaping it. Of course the event will also bring people together to connect, learn, share experiences and to have a lot of fun.
Designed and run by worker co-ops for worker co-ops, this annual gathering is a low-cost, self-organising event hosted again at Selgars Mill. In the main building and surrounding grounds there will be a full programme of co-designed workshops and sessions aimed at helping worker co-ops share learning and support each other’s growth. The draft programme is being actively created here, so check out the suggested sessions and please add your own.
There’s vegan friendly catering with food sourced from worker co-ops – as well as plenty of camaraderie around the campfire. Accommodation consists of camping, dorm rooms and a few private rooms (book early).
Join us and be part of shaping our future and so you can say “I was there when we did it!”
[From Cooperatives UK website]
Time
April 29 (Friday) - May 1 (Sunday)
Location
Selgars Mill, UK
Organizer
01mayalldayRhizome Culture Hack Fellowship
Event Details
Rhizome is a twelve month program for narrative change practitioners focused on the transition to a post Anthropocentric world. We are seeking storytellers, artists, system-economic thinkers, communicators, land defenders, researchers,
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Event Details
Rhizome is a twelve month program for narrative change practitioners focused on the transition to a post Anthropocentric world. We are seeking storytellers, artists, system-economic thinkers, communicators, land defenders, researchers, journalists, community organizers, and academics from diverse contexts. These fellows will come together to create culture hacking interventions in support of life.
The namesake of this program is an ode to the underground architecture of root-like structures which are interconnected, mutually reinforcing, heterogeneous, experimental and evolutionary. From its nodes, Rhizomes send out roots and shoots growing new life.
Application Closes Feb 25, 2022
Fellowship starts May 1, 2022
https://rhizome-fellowship.mailchimpsites.com/
Time
All Day (Sunday)
03may12:55 am12:55 amNASCO's Staff & Member Leadership Convening: Human Resources

Event Details
Registration is open for NASCO's Staff & Member Leadership Convening, taking place virtually June 22-24, 2022. The Staff & Member Leadership Convening is
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Time
(Tuesday) 12:55 am - 12:55 am
08mayallday2022 National Conference for Canada’s Credit Unions
Event Details
CCUA [Canadian Credit Union Association] is proud to present the first in-person event in over two years. Let’s gather safely together for the 2022 National Conference for Canada’s Credit
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Event Details
CCUA [Canadian Credit Union Association] is proud to present the first in-person event in over two years. Let’s gather safely together for the 2022 National Conference for Canada’s Credit Unions, an unforgettable learning experience you will not want to miss! Join us in Niagara Falls, Ontario, for a topical agenda designed specifically for our credit union members.
This year’s program will expand your knowledge and challenge your thinking with advanced discussions on system-wide priorities, important discussions about government relations, compliance and open banking issues facing credit unions. Hear prominent keynote presentations including Chris Skinner, financial technology expert and author of Digital Bank, and Heather McGowan, Future-of-Work Strategist. We will have many thought-provoking sessions to participate in as well as over five networking opportunities to meet your peers.
More details: https://ccua.com/events-conferences/events-listings/national-conference-for-canadas-credit-unions/
(Text from the conference website, CCUA)
Time
may 8 (Sunday) - 11 (Wednesday) EDT
Location
Niagara Falls, Canada
Organizer

Event Details
John Restakis of Synergia Co-operative Institute will be speaking on "Civilizing the State: Reclaiming Politics for the Common Good" Thursday, May 12, 1pm EDT As part of the Canadian Association for Studies
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Event Details
John Restakis of Synergia Co-operative Institute will be speaking on “Civilizing the State: Reclaiming Politics for the Common Good”
Thursday, May 12, 1pm EDT
As part of the Canadian Association for Studies in Co-operation Conference
JOHN RESTAKIS is a co-founder of Synergia Co-operative Institute and Instructor for Alternative Economies for Social Transformation at the University of Victoria. He is former Executive Director of Community Evolution Foundation and former ED of the BC Co-operative Association in Vancouver. He consults on international co-op and community economic development projects, researches and teaches on co-operative economies and the social economy, and lectures widely on globalization, regional development, and alternative economics. He is a founding member of the Advisory Committee for the MA Program in Community Development at the University of Victoria and was co-founder and Co-ordinator of the Bologna Summer Program for Co-operative Studies at the University of Bologna. John earned his BA at the University of Toronto with a Major degree in East Asian Studies and specialist studies in Sanskrit and Classical Greek. He holds a Masters Degree in Philosophy of Religion.
Time
(Thursday) 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT
Location
Online

Event Details
Christine Clarke of Freedom Dreams Co-op will be speaking on "Bringing our Whole Selves to Work: Creating Co-op Culture Welcoming to BIPOC" Friday, May 13, 1pm EDT CHRISTINE CLARKE is the Founder
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Christine Clarke of Freedom Dreams Co-op will be speaking on “Bringing our Whole Selves to Work: Creating Co-op Culture Welcoming to BIPOC”
Friday, May 13, 1pm EDT
CHRISTINE CLARKE is the Founder + Facilitator of Freedom Dreams Co-operative Education and Manager of Co-operative Food Systems of West Village Community Development Co-op. She is in the final year of CoopZone’s Co-op Development Training Program, sits on the Board of Directors of The Local Food and Farm Co-operative and is on the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee of the Canadian Worker Co-op Federation. Freedom Dreams Co-operative Education shares knowledge about the co-op movement from a BIPOC perspective and supports the development of BIPOC-led co-ops. It is a collaborative effort and is constantly seeking new partnerships with the ultimate goal that the program itself become a worker-owned educational co-operative.
Time
(Friday) 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT
Location
Online
13may2:00 pm3:00 pmWebinar: Global Consultation on the Cooperative Identity

Event Details
In recent times, and in the current global context, the need to foster cooperation has never been as urgent as it is today. The
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In recent times, and in the current global context, the need to foster cooperation has never been as urgent as it is today. The 33rd World Cooperative Congress held in December 2021 on the theme “Deepening our Cooperative Identity”, demonstrated how the relevance of cooperatives in building a better world lies in the genuine implementation and practice of cooperatives’ universal values and principles.
Our movement initiated a consultative process aimed at exploring how well the Statement on the Cooperative Identity is known and understood and if it has stood the test of time since its adoption in 1995. As a first concrete follow-up to the Congress and looking at what is next, the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) is organising an online discussion on 13 May 2022 (14h – 16h CEST) to:
- Inform widely on the main takeaways of the 33rd World Cooperative Congress,
- Create awareness about the global consultation on the ICA Statement on the Cooperative Identity being launched now,
- Thematically bring together cooperators and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) focusing on ILO’s standard-setting role, in particular through ILO Promotion of Cooperatives Recommendation, 2002 (n°193).
We look forward to the large participation of cooperators from all regions and sectors in both the webinar and the survey on the cooperative identity.
Time
(Friday) 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm CET
Location
Online
Organizer

Event Details
Webinar: Driving Action and Disclosure on ESG Risks and Opportunities Time: Tuesday, 24 May at 10:00 am CT Presented by the World Council of Credit Unions Credit unions are not immune from the
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Event Details
Webinar: Driving Action and Disclosure on ESG Risks and OpportunitiesTime: Tuesday, 24 May at 10:00 am CT Presented by the World Council of Credit Unions Credit unions are not immune from the dynamic Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) risks and opportunities that all organizations are grappling with. These issues (e.g. climate stress testing, diversity and inclusion challenges, etc.) require an updated governance framework and coherent communication to stakeholders including members, employees, business partners, communities, and regulators. This session introduces the double materiality concept as a way to analyze these issues and integrate them into your organizational governance. In addition, sustainability assurance methods are outlined to complement the growing importance of non-financial data to decision making and disclosure. Demonstrate to your stakeholders that you are systemically identifying, assessing and responding to sustainability issues. This session will be presented by: Christopher Geiger Director of Internal Audit for Lockheed Martin & Board of Director at Midflorida Credit Union
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Time
(Tuesday) 10:00 am - 11:00 am CT
Location
Online
Organizer
25may3:00 pm4:00 pmWEBINAR - Prelude to Pride: Cooperative Leadership, Inclusion and Ways Forward

Event Details
Hosted by NCBA CLUSA: As we work to build intentionally inclusive economies through the cooperative business model, it's essential to focus on who has been excluded from leading the movement. LGBTQIA+
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Event Details
Hosted by NCBA CLUSA:
As we work to build intentionally inclusive economies through the cooperative business model, it’s essential to focus on who has been excluded from leading the movement. LGBTQIA+ cooperators have always been crucial pillars of the cooperative movement, even when their contributions have gone unrecognized. Their ongoing fight for social and economic justice within the cooperative movement and broader community must be honored and highlighted.
We have all benefitted from the incremental progress toward greater LGBTQIA+ inclusion. As we enter Pride Month this June, cooperatives have a unique opportunity to consider our role in fostering social and economic equity for everyone. What does meaningful inclusion look like? How can we learn from our failures (especially complicit inaction) in the past to avoid repetition in the future? What can cooperatives do to combat the lingering exclusion of LGBTQIA+ folks within our communities? Which leaders should we pay attention to and how can we support them? In the face of reanimated polarization, let’s commit not only to asking these questions, but also to acting on them.
During this webinar, we’ll discuss the contributions of LGBTQIA+ cooperators to our co-ops, communities and governments. Our panelists will discuss their own experiences as cooperators, highlighting the challenges and opportunities for intentional inclusion, particularly in cooperative leadership and governance.
Speakers
[From May 17, 2022 e newsletter, NCBA]
Time
(Wednesday) 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT
Location
Zoom
29mayalldayCredit Union Leadership Program (Canada DE)

Event Details
Canada Development Education (DE) 2022: May 29-June 3, Halifax, NS *Note a virtual alternative will be offered if the program cannot proceed in person. This will be announced in March. About the
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Event Details
Canada Development Education (DE) 2022: May 29-June 3, Halifax, NS
*Note a virtual alternative will be offered if the program cannot proceed in person. This will be announced in March.
About the Program
The International Centre for Co-operative Management at Saint Mary’s University has brought something great to Canada and you’re invited. This program is a highly participatory and rewarding experience that will build your professional knowledge and network on a local to global scale.
This five and a half day leadership program will renew and deepen your understanding and appreciation for the co-operative and credit union sector at a local, national, and international level. The program tackles the pressing challenges that credit unions face today. It focuses on the member-centred credit union enterprise model, combined with the importance (and potential) to create social, environmental and economic impact. We have integrated the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) into the CanadaDE program; this is a unique opportunity to learn about UN SDGs in the context of your credit union.
Course content and facilitation
The facilitation team includes seasoned professionals – Tracey Kliesch (Co-Director of DE); Karen Miner (Saint Mary’s University, Canada); Carla Decker (CEO, DC Credit Union in Washington, DC, USA). Plus, subject matter experts are included as content providers, and a team of mentors (from Canada, Africa, Caribbean, USA) coach a team of participants through the program.
Who is the audience for this program?
Leave your “title” at the door during the program, but understand that CanadaDE is designed for individuals from the board level through to front line staff, with participants coming predominately from Canada, Africa, USA, and Caribbean countries.
Why do we have this program in Canada?
While 2017 marked the launch of DE in Canada, the international network of programs has been going strong since the launch of the US program in the early 1980s. Active programs also exist in the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The launch of CanadaDE demonstrates leadership by Saint Mary’s University to facilitate connections within Canada and among a diverse, international network.
Your path towards an International DE Designation
Complete CanadaDE and continue on the path to the international designation (I-CUDE): CanadaDE will help you achieve the distinctive International DE designation (I-CUDE), awarded through the World Council of Credit Unions at their international conference each year. Follow this link for more information on steps required to obtain the I-CUDE designation.
Testimonials
The Canada Credit Union Development Education (DE) program was a solid professional program that is international in scope and attendance. It is an opportunity to think about and discuss concrete ways to make your credit union relevant to its members and rekindle the passion and pride of being an ethical action oriented business. It is highly applicable to all credit union professionals. – Willy Robinson, Retired CU CEO. Master of Management, Co-operatives and Credit Unions (Saint Mary’s University); CanadaDE 2017 graduate; CanadaDE 2019 mentor.
The global tagline of co-operatives is “We Build Better Communities”. The CanadaDE program educates participants on why it’s important to work towards community development and also energizes credit unions to play a significant role. As a graduate of the program, I can acknowledge that it has assisted me tremendously in integrating the co-operative principles and values in our credit union through tangible initiatives. – Cory Munden, Leading Edge Credit Union. Management of Management, Co-operatives and Credit Unions (Saint Mary’s); CanadaDE 2017 graduate; CanadaDE and CaribDE mentor; I-CUDE 2019
As a graduate of CanadaDE, I can honestly say it was a good investment that served as a reminder of the power and continued relevance of the co-operative difference. As an employee of a values based financial institution like Assiniboine Credit Union, the DE experience was also a perfect complement to “money doing more” philosophy that guides our work. – Nigel R. Mohammed, Assiniboine Credit Union. CanadaDE 2017 graduate; CanadaDE and CaribDE mentor; I-CUDE 2019
Program fees
$3500 (plus 15% tax) CAN. Includes a CanadaDE shirt, all meals, and 7 days of residence accommodation on campus.
Through a partnership with the CaribDE program, a reduced program fee is offered to Caribbean and Latin American participants. Contact Melvin Edwards or Karen Miner for details.
Time
May 29 (Sunday) - June 3 (Friday) ADT
Location
Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS, Canada
Organizer
International Centre for Co-operative Management, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS, Canada
31mayalldayDeadline to apply for online, part-time co-op business programs

Event Details
Apply by May 31. The International Centre for Co-operative Management (Sobey School
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Event Details
Apply by May 31.
The International Centre for Co-operative Management (Sobey School of Business, Saint Mary’s) offers part-time, online degrees in Co-op and Credit Union Management. Applications are open until May 31. Join leaders from around the world who are deepening their co-op knowledge while expanding their network.
What Graduates Say
- 100% of graduates surveyed would recommend their program
- 98% said their education provided knowledge and tools to improve the social, economic and environmental performance of their co-operative organization
- Nearly 80% said the program significantly changed how they see, think about and do their jobs
More student and graduate testimonials here: https://www.smu.ca/coopdegrees/yourcommunity/studentandalumniprofiles/
Visit the website for more details on the programs and the application process: http://smu.ca/coopdegrees/index.html
Time
All Day (Tuesday)
Location
Online
Organizer
International Centre for Co-operative Management, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS, Canada