Anthill
Newsletter of the British Columbia
Institute for Co-operative Studies

BCICS will be hosting a forum for young people, May 24-27, 2003. It will be devoted to people aged 18 to 25 who are interested in the co-operative system, model, and values. The long-term goal of the forum is to attract young people to the co-operative and credit union system in terms of careers and consumer choices. In the short run, BCICS guarantees an exciting, interactive and informative forum.

BCICS is inviting co-operatives and credit unions to “partner” in the delivery of this forum. Partnerships involve a nominal commitment of $1,000. Partner organisations will be acknowledged in forum materials and will receive a discount registration fee for any participants they send. Current partner organisations are Federated Co-operatives Limited, Credit Union Central of BC and The Co-operators Group.

Participants will take part in four Plenary Sessions (don’t worry, no talking heads allowed!) that will acquaint them with co-operatives in various contexts, in Canada and around the world, and challenge them to think about ways that the principles of co-operation can be applied in their lives. As well, participants can select three of six different workshops that will provide the “nitty-gritty” on working through the ideas stage of “hey, let’s start a co-op,” to planning, marketing, operating, and governing co-operatives as well as finding a job, or volunteering, in the co-operative sector. And because everybody loves a story, the forum advisory committee has invited different co-ops to tell theirs, with the added bonus that these will be interactive learning sessions. There will be time for participants to attend three of the six True Stories. Storytellers include representatives from Calgary Co-op, Growing Circle Food Co-op, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Saskatoon Community Clinic, Student Co-op Federation (Quebec), and VanCity Savings Credit Union.

In the true spirit of co-operation a group of participants from the youth forum will be invited to share with delegates at the research congress “Mapping Co-operative Studies in the New Millennium,” which follows directly afterward.
“Building Co-operative Futures: A Forum for ‘Young’ People” is national and international in scope. BCICS hopes to foster interest in the future of the co-operative sector amongst young people and provide a solid understanding of the co-operative system.

To participate or become a partner please contact BCICS.