News archive
- 2013/2014 Call for CCCBE Fellowships
The Centre for Co-operative and Community-Based Economy at the University of Victoria is pleased to invite applications from faculty members, graduate students and interested members of the non-academic community, or scholars with no formal university affiliation, to take part as fellows, in the stimulating life of inquiry at our Centre.
The application deadline is October 31, 2012.
For details on the value, conditions and application procedures for each of the fellowships visit:
- STUDENT EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY – RESEARCH ASSISTANT
The Gustavson School of Business and the Centre for a Co-operative and Community-Based Economy (CCCBE) at UVic are working with the Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria to build a unique partnership in research and development of the social economy in the region.
We are looking for a graduate student to fill a part time temporary research position for one day a week (8 hours/week) for 13 weeks from the beginning of January. The position is funded by the Gustavson School of Business and pays an hourly rate. The pay rate is dependent on qualifications and experience.
Deadline for applications is January 7th, 2013 at 11:59pm - Call for Papers – Food Studies
Eighth Annual Assembly of the Canadian Association for Food Studies At the Edge Exploring the Boundaries of Food Studies June 1-4, 2013, University of Victoria Victoria, British Columbia
The Canadian Association for Food Studies (CAFS) will host its eighth annual assembly at the University of Victoria, Victoria (BC), from June 1-4, 2013 in conjunction with the 2013 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences.
Founded in 2005, CAFS promotes critical, interdisciplinary scholarship in the broad area of food systems: production, distribution, consumption, and waste management. CAFS members are drawn from an array of disciplines including adult education, agriculture, anthropology, economics, environmental studies, health studies, home economics, human nutrition, geography, literature, psychology, philosophy, policy studies, public health, rural studies, sociology, social work and urban planning. CAFS membership is open to academics, students, policy makers, community workers, professionals, practitioners, and others interested in food studies research.
CAFS recognizes the need for interdisciplinary research on food issues both within and outside of academia in response to societal needs such as informing policy makers, assessing the outcomes of community-based work, and demonstrating the health, social, cultural, spiritual and environmental impacts of food systems.
The 2013 CAFS conference theme, which reflects the Congress theme, is "At the Edge: Exploring the Boundaries of Food Studies." Our subject matter involves the bridging of many disciplines, ideas, places, and people. "At the edge" represents our individual and collective exploration of these boundaries-of disciplines, methods, forms of collaboration-and our sense of the need to embrace the periphery. The theme of "at the edge" encourages us to reflect on the realities of social inequality and how we can aim for greater inclusivity by bringing more marginalized voices to the centre of food studies. This relates to how we position food studies at larger scales-in broader social, academic, and policy debates-and how food may engage diverse actors, voices, and perspectives.
We invite submissions that deal with these "at the edge" questions within (but not limited to) food production, consumption and renewal, regional and local foodscapes, relationships between urban practices and rural environments, as well as investigations from community development to interdisciplinary education to crossings of art, technology, and food.
We also encourage proposals dealing with the following ongoing CAFS interests as they relate to interdisciplinary aspects of food or food studies:
-- program or project evaluation
-- research or funding directions
-- research methodology and practice
-- politics and policy
-- the political economy of food and agriculture -- ecological food and agriculture environments -- the sociology and culture of consumption -- activism, art and media -- gender, ethnicity/race, class and justice -- food insecurity and hunger -- sustainability -- food culture or history -- food ethics or philosophyCharles Z Levkoe
Canadian Association for Food Studies
c/o Centre for Studies in Food Security
Ryerson University
350 Victoria Street
Toronto, Ontario
Canada, M5B 2K3
CafsAdmin@foodstudies.ca
www.foodstudies.caWanda Martin, RN, PhD(c)
Research Associate, Equity Lens in Public Health (ELPH) School of Nursing and Centre for Addictions Research of BC Room 235 Technology Enterprise Facility University of Victoria, Victoria, BC Canada
250-721-6269
wmartin@uvic.ca
www.uvic.ca/elph - The Berkley Center's Annual Conference of Social Entrepreneurs
Dr. Ana María Peredo was invited to deliver a keynote speech at the Berkley Center's Annual Conference of Social Entrepreneurs in New York University Stern School of Business on Nov 2, 2011. In her presentation she addressed how trying to understand the recent global economic crisis can remind us of some lessons we have been slow to learn about the real nature of economies. The conference brought together more than 300 leading experts from the public, non-profit, for-profit, and academic fields.While Ana Maria was visiting New York, she had an opportunity to meet members of the "Occupy" movement. An article detailing her experience was published in The Ring.
- BCICS is now CCCBE
In October 2009 the centre was renamed "Centre for Co-operative and Community-Based Economy" (the old name being "British Columbia Institute for Co-operative Studes"). This new name not only reflects the natural breadth of our interest in co-operative and community-based ways of doing things, it is also a good way of recognizing our long-time interest in the diverse forms of co-operatives and other enterprises engaged in economic activities that provide for community needs.
- Community Micro Lending Celebration on Nov 27th
The Centre for Co-operative and Community-Based Economy is pleased to sponsor this upcoming event.
Community Micro Lending invites you to an evening of celebration,
Tuesday November 27th, 7-9:30pm
at the Atrium Building 1321 Blanshard St.
(short program begins at 7:30pm)Please click here to learn more.
Everyone who subscribes to the Community Micro Lending mailing list get in for free. For others, entrance is by donation at the door. Please feel free to pass this invite along toyour friends and neighbours.
We are pleased to welcome Founder and CEO of the Grameen Foundation, Mr. Alex Counts, as our keynote speaker and we're excited to hear his experiences of micro lending in the United States and around the world. You can read more about Alex here.
- Congratulations and welcome 2011/2012 fellows
We have a notable group of fellows at the CCCBE this year: Dr. Jo-Anne Lee, an Associate Professor in the Department of Women's Studies at UVic is joining as a faculty fellow. Our graduate fellows are Crystal Tremblay (Geography) and Tim Smith (Political Science). Jeanette Sheehy, Mark Reed, and Paula Johanson are community leaders who will be joining us as research fellows. We also have two visiting faculty fellows: Michela Giovannini, a PhD student at the School of Local Development and Global Dynamics at the University of Trento, Italy, and Chinosole, an emeritus faculty member from San Francisco State University. All of them are working in a range of sustainability issues from a community-based economic perspective. We are very much looking forward to supporting them and learning from their work!
Interested in our fellowship program?
- Building Resilient Neighbourhoods Series
Please to join us for the Building Resilient Neighbourhoods Series jointly presented by the Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria, Fraser Basin Council's Smart Planning for Communities, Transition Victoria. Graciously supported by the Vancouver Foundation.
A resilient community pro-actively responds and effectively adapts to external forces and internal challenges. Would you like to work closely with others to help make your neighbourhood more resilient? Come as an individual, or as a representative of a group, institution, government or organization, and participate in a series of workshops, discussions and planning about how to help your neighbourhood cooperate, survive and thrive amidst mounting challenges such as climate change, resource depletion and the unstable economy.
Click Here to view or download the poster.
Join us for one or all of the events in the series. Admission is free. Walk-ins are welcome, but pre-registration is appreciated at resilient-neighbourhoods.eventbrite.ca or at communitycouncil.ca
ABOUT THE SERIES
Strengthening Community Resilience: How to do it in your neighbourhood
An introduction and shared discussion about ways that communities are strengthening their resilience, plus an opportunity to meet others from your area and hear about the coming events in the Resilient Neighbourhood series. There are two opportunities to attend this introductory session.
Thursday, November 1, 2012, 7 p.m.-9 p.m.
Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre, Kinsmen Fieldhouse
1767 Island Highway, Colwood
OR
Tuesday, November 6, 2012, 7 p.m.-9 p.m.
Burnside Gorge Community Centre, Activity Room
471 Cecelia Road, Victoria
Resilient Neighbourhoods Workshop #1: Growing a "Resilient" Neighbourhood
Learn to evaluate your neighbourhood's adaptability to larger-scale or sudden changes, and techniques to strengthen resilience in every area of your community.
Thursday, November 15, 2012, 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m.
Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre, Kinsmen Fieldhouse
1767 Island Highway, Colwood
Resilient Neighbourhoods Workshop #2: Economic Change at the Local Level
An exploration of innovative ways to help strengthen locally-owned businesses, develop complementary trading and sharing systems, and revitalize local economies.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012, 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m.
Burnside Gorge Community Centre, Activity Room
471 Cecelia Road, Victoria
Resilient Neighbourhoods Workshop #3: Engaging Our Neighbours
A practical workshop and discussion for encouraging participation and collaboration towards positive social, environmental and economic change in your own neighbourhood.
Thursday, January 17, 2013, 6:30 p.m-9 p.m.
Victoria Native Friendship Centre
231 Regina Avenue, Victoria
For additional information please contact Sarah Amyot, Program Manager, Community Social Planning Council at Sarah@CommunityCouncil.ca or visit http://www.communitycouncil.ca/
- Responsible Investing for a Sustainable Future
Responsible Investing for a Sustainable Future
November 6th, 2012 at 7pm
Legacy Art Gallery (Yates and Broad)Student group CommonEnergy, supported by the Centre for Cooperative and Community Based Economics, the University of Victoria Student Society, and the University of Victoria Sustainability Project, invites you to a discussion around the question how can institutional investors like pension and endowment funds meet their financial needs while creating multiple social and environmental benefits?
Three experienced professionals and experts will answer this question and lead a dialogue on responsible investment, with a focus on large investors. Peter Chapman is the executive director of the Shareholder Association for Research and Engagement. Ben Richardson is a UBC Law professor specializing in fiduciary law and holds the senior Canada Research Chair in Law and Sustainability. Christine Bergeron is an investment manager and works with VanCity's Community Capital team. There will be time to converse with the speakers after their presentations.
View poster or Check out the event on Facebook.
- Regeneration Resistance or Resilience?
The organizers and sponsors of the Ethnographies of Neoliberal Governmentalities workshop invite you to a public lecture by one of the world’s leading experts on neo-liberalism and ‘post-welfarist’ governance. This public lecture by Professor Wendy Larner examines the new political-economic formations emerging after neoliberalism through a case study of Coexist.
Regeneration, Resistance or Resilience? The Coexist Project
November 8th, 2012 at 4pm
University of Victoria, David Strong Building C116This event is delivered as part of the SSHRC funded Ethnographies of Neoliberal Governmentalities workshop. Also sponsored by: Faculty of Human and Social Development; Centre for Co-operative and Community-Based Economy; Department of Political Science Speaker's series.
View poster
- 2011 SSHRC Congress in Fredericton: CCCBE symposium
We started the summer with a CCCBE symposium at the 2011 SSHRC Congress. It was a great opportunity to present our collective work on theorizing about co-operative and community-based economy. Doctoral student Lisa Passolli presented her work on child care, Ben Geselbracht presented his work on youth at risk and community gardens, and Nick Montgomery shared some foundational work on understanding co-operatives as part of the CURA project with CCCA.
- Samoa Conference: "Tracing Footprints For Tomorrow: Past Lessons, Present Stories And Future Lives"
Director Ana Maria Peredo was glad to have an opportunity to contribute to this conference and further her methodological thinking regarding community-based enterprise. It's great to learn that here is excitement among entrepreneurship colleagues from the Pacific South about engaging in community-based enterprise research.
- Affinity Credit Union Building a Better World
The Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada has today announced that Affinity Credit Union has committed $80,000 over the next four years to support the Build a Better World Campaign.
For many years, Affinity has taken a leadership role in community economic development across the province, focusing strongly on entry-level housing, financial literacy and support for disadvantaged and marginalized people. Through this significant donation, Affinity will enhance its support to people who are working to improve their lives and their communities through co-operatives and credit unions. "Affinity believes in being a socially responsible corporate citizen," said Mark Lane, CEO. "On this Credit Union day, it seems appropriate to announce our expanded support for community economic development, and the Build a Better World Campaign offered the perfect opportunity. We encourage other credit unions to make a significant commitment to this campaign." In addition to Affinity's corporate donation, their Board of Directors has also agreed to donate one per diem per year directly to the campaign.
The Build a Better World Campaign aims to develop and strengthen co-operatives and credit unions in marginalized communities throughout the world empowering thousands of co-op members and their families to lift themselves out of a cycle of hardship and deprivation. It seeks to raise $12 million over the next four years. According to Michael Barrett, Chair of the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada, "Co-operatives are among the most effective tools in reducing and eliminating poverty, and our long association with the international development program of the Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) has proven that time and time again through hundreds of projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America. We are excited that Affinity is supporting this important initiative in such a big way and joining us as we work to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of the world's poorest people. The funds raised from this campaign will allow the CCA to more aggressively pursue innovation and excellence in co-operative poverty reduction." Affinity Credit Union is the 10th largest union in Canada with $2.8 billion in managed assets and a network of 44 branches across the province of Saskatchewan. It offers access to a complete range of accounts and services including insurance, and wealth management products and is a leader in delivering investment and consulting services to First Nations. Affinity Credit Union is 100% owned by more than 95,000 members, all of whom have a voice in the way Affinity does business. For more information, visit: www.affinitycu.ca.
The Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada is a registered charitable organization. It raises money, mostly from Canadian co-operatives and co-op members, to help alleviate poverty by building and strengthening financial and non-financial co-ops in developing countries. Working with the Canadian Co-operative Association and other partners, it helps poor communities fight poverty and create more secure lives through community-owned co-ops. For more information, please visit www.cdfcanada.coop.
For more information, contact:
- Tina Merrifield - Corporate Communications Manager Affinity Credit Union - Tel: 306.934.4083 - tina.merrifield@affinitycu.ca
- Julie Breuer Director - Fundraising & Operations Co-operative Development Foundation - Tel: 613.238.6711 ext. 215 - julie.breuer@coopscanada.coop
- Central 1 Credit Union $1 Million in funding
CENTRAL 1 CREDIT UNION $1 MILLION GIFT FUNDS CO-OPERATIVE OUTREACH
APRIL 3, 2012Central 1 Credit Union is donating almost $1 million over the next five years to the University of Victoria’s Centre for Co-operative and Community-Based Economy (CCCBE)—a gift that could increase if the province’s 1.7 million credit union membership expands as well. The financial contribution is based on a unique funding arrangement of nine cents per British Columbia credit union member.
“This is an extraordinary gift, especially given that Central 1 Credit Union has already been extremely generous to the centre with previous contributions of over $1.24 million over the past 12 years,” says UVic Vice President External Relations Valerie Kuehne. “This generous gift will permit the centre to continue its focus on enhancing UVic’s connections to the credit union and cooperative sectors while increasing integration with the academic community, both at the university and beyond.” Press Release
- The Social Enterprise Forum 2011 in Melbourne
In Australia our director, Dr. Ana Maria Peredo, presented two keynote addresses at the University of Melbourne. The event was a great success, bringing together over 150 practitioners from NGOs, government and academics. Dr. Peredo also had the opportunity to visit some local initiatives. One of the most remarkable was the CERES: a not-for-profit, environment, and education centre and urban farm located in Merri Creek in East Brunswick, Melbourne. They started out on a municipal wasteland where no one wanted to be and made it into a thriving, vibrant community with community gardens, markets, a bakery, and shops. They represent a pluralist and interdependent ecology of business.
- OIKOS/UNDP Young Scholars Development Academy
Director Ana Maria Peredo had the privilege of being one of the faculty mentors at the 2011 OIKOS/UNDP Young Scholars Development Academy in Bangalore, India. This is a joint project of OIKOS (an international organization of students for sustainable economics and management) and the United Nations Development Programme. The academy brought together 15 PhD students from diverse parts of the world. It was an intensive and rewarding week of learning and sharing with talented students and colleagues. Other faculty members included Harry Barkema from the London School of Economics and Sourav Mukherji and Raghavan Srinivasan from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM). It was gratifying to learn that there is a substantial engagement of IIM with the co-operative movement in India.
- Businesses with a Difference: Balancing the Social and the Economic
Ana María Peredo’s pioneering work introduced the concept of community-based enterprise to academic business literature. Today she continues to bring research on community-based enterprises to the forefront. As part of a Community University Research Alliance (CURA) grant with the University of Toronto, Dr. Peredo and Dr. Ian MacPherson have published chapters in Businesses with a Difference: Balancing the Social and the Economic.
Dr. Ana María Peredo’s chapter is titled The Difference Culture Makes: The Competitive Advantage of Reciprocal, Non-monetary Exchange. Dr. Ian MacPheron’s chapter is titled Historic Changes in the Canadian Credit Union Movement. This publication explores the challenges and opportunities firms face when seeking a genuine balance between their social and economic objectives. It is edited by Laurie Mook, Jack Quarter and Sherida Ryan and is available through the University of Toronto Press.
- Crystal Tremblay receives teaching excellence award
Congratulations to Crystal Tremblay, CCCBE Graduate Student Fellow, who has been selected for a 2011 Andy Farquharson Teaching Excellence Award for Graduate students. Crystal is a dynamic, enthusiastic and engaging teacher, whom the students find stimulating and inspiring who is very deserving of this award nomination. - Imagine A Community Without Food Banks
After 30 years of charitable food giving, is food security for vulnerable Canadians getting better or worse?
Over coffee, and in small groups, we’ll talk about hunger in Canada as we – Imagine a Community Without Food Banks.
Guest Presenters include:
Elly Carlson, Former CCCBE Graduate Student Fellow and Researcher
Prof. Emeritus Graham Riches, UBC School of Social Work
Eleitha Bocskei, Researcher and Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist
Food Bank/Soup Kitchen Mangers
Food Bank clients from the CRDWhen: Sunday, February 19th, 2-4:30pm
Where: Grace Lutheran Church, 1273 Fort Street, Victoria, BC
- Call for papers - 2012 International Summit of Cooperatives
As part of the 2012 International Year of Cooperatives declared by the United Nations, a major international event will take place in Quebec City, Canada, from October 8 to 11, 2012: the 2012 International Summit of Cooperatives.
Organizers are calling for empirical or theoretical papers from researchers interested in cooperative issues.
Selected papers will be compiled in a volume to be published in advance and made available to 2,000 heads of small, medium and large cooperatives and mutuals who want to discuss their concerns about the current and future challenges they all share, both with one another and with invited international leaders.
Researchers will also be able to present their findings at the 2012 Summit.
Proposals must be related to the Summit’s unifying theme “The Amazing Power of Cooperatives” and to one of the four following sub-themes:- The role of cooperatives and mutuals in the global economy
- The performance of the cooperative and mutualist business model
- The evolution of the cooperative and mutualist business model
- The global socio-political influence of cooperatives and mutuals
For details please visit: Quebec International 2012 Summit of Cooperatives
- CDF Launches Campaign to "Build a Better World"
CDF Launches Campaign to "Build a Better World"Ottawa, March 5, 2012
The Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada (CDF) has today announced the launch of a campaign to raise 12 million dollars for global co-operative development over the next four years. To date, more than $1 million has already been pledged to the Build a Better World campaign by co-operatives and individuals. According to CDF Board Chair Michael Barrett, the campaign was inspired, in part, by the theme of the UN's International Year of Co-operatives - Co-operative Enterprises Build a Better World.
"Co-operatives are among the most effective tools in reducing and eliminating poverty, and our long association with the international development program of the Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) has proven that time and time again through hundreds of projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America. We believe that 2012, the International Year of Co-operatives, is the perfect time to take our support for poverty reduction to a new level." The Build a Better World campaign will seek support from co-operatives, credit unions, businesses associated with the co-operative movement, and individuals.
The Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada (CDF)is a registered charitable organization. It raises money, mostly from Canadian co-operatives and co-op members, to help alleviate poverty by building and strengthening financial and non-financial co-ops in developing countries. Working with the Canadian Co-operative Association and other partners, CDF helps poor communities fight poverty and create more secure lives through community-owned co-ops. For further information please contact: Julie Breuer Director, Co-operative Development Foundation (613) 238-6711 ext 215 Julie.breuer@coopscanada.coop
Click here to donate and for additional information.
- BC introduces act allowing social enterprise companies
B.C. introduces act allowing social enterprise companies, March 5, 2012
Changes to the Business Corporations Act would allow for a new hybrid type of company – the community contribution company – that combines socially beneficial purposes with a restricted ability to distribute profits to shareholders.
This new type of hybrid corporation responds to an emerging demand for socially focused investment options and can help foster social enterprise investments.
The changes were introduced in the legislature today as part of Bill 23, Finance Statutes Amendment Act, 2012.
Community contribution companies would be structured to combine both benefits to the community and limited investor returns within the context of a traditional for-profit company. They would be incorporated with the flexibility and certainty of regular companies, but under legislation that ensures they primarily benefit the community. These companies would allow an alternative business model not currently available through a regular business, whose primary focus is making money for shareholders or a non-profit society.
These companies would be subject to a higher degree of accountability than an ordinary company and required to publish an annual report detailing their social spending. Restrictions on corporate reorganizations would ensure that payout restrictions cannot be circumvented. On dissolution, the company would be subject to an “asset lock” — capping dividends on the company shares to ensure that profits are either retained by the company or directed to the community benefit.
Subject to passage of the legislation, government will continue to work in the coming months to develop the regulations necessary to implement the legislation.
The Finance Statutes Amendment Act also provides for changes to the following statutes:
Cooperative Association Act – changes will strengthen the procedural safeguards that protect co-op members on termination. Housing cooperatives will benefit from new, streamlined procedures for terminating membership if the member fails to pay rent or other occupancy charges.
Financial Institutions Act and Pensions Benefits Standards Act – Currently, the statutory responsibilities of the public servant who runs the Financial Institutions Commission are assigned by multiple processes. Amendments to these acts would streamline the processes, enhance accountability and ensure consistency with other commissions.
The Finance Statutes Amendment Act also revises the enabling statutes of a number of government organizations to expressly recognize and clarify the authority of the auditor general as laid out in the Auditor General Act and remove any conflicting language.
As well, it amends the Business Corporations Act, the Cooperative Association Act and the Partnership Act to ensure the continued effectiveness of each statute and support the expansion of online filing for partnerships. Amendments will increase consistency across the statutes, remove impediments to business and increase administrative efficiencies for Corporate Registry filings.
Media Contact:
Jamie Edwardson
Communications Director
Ministry of Finance
250 356-2821
Connect with the Province of B.C. at: www.gov.bc.ca/connect - Call for Submissions
Critical Management Studies - Professional Development Workshop at UMASS-Boston
Description: As part of the Critical Management Studies Professional Development Workshop programme for 2012 the division is sponsoring a one-day paper development workshop to be held at the University of Massachusetts Boston Campus (Boston Harbour).
Timetable: The workshop will run from 10.30am to 5.30am on Friday August 3 and includes six paper streams with a strict limit of six accepted papers per stream.
Aim: The aim of the workshop, as with previous events (the two day events that CMS has sponsored in Atlanta, Los Angeles and Montreal) is to maximise discussion around, and development of, full length papers in preparation for publication. In order to maximize discussion, authors will not present their own papers, but rather participants will be asked to present and discuss each others' papers. Please note also that this is a powerpoint free event!).
Location: The workshop will be held in the Campus Centre at the UMass Boston whom is sponsoring the event (details on how to travel to the location from AoM hotels/conference centre will be circulated closer to the time).
Streams:
1. Ethics and embodiment (Alison Pullen and Carl Rhodes)
2. Sex and organization (Albert Mills and Torkild Thamen)
3. Worker cooperatives as an organizational alternative (Ana Maria Peredo and George Cheney)
4. Critical perspectives on the globally mobile professional and managerial class (Steve McKenna and David Weir)
5. Organizing revolutions in everyday life (Sarah Stookey and Jonathan Murphy)
6. CMS and Business Journalism: Exploring a Difficult Relationship (Richard Hull and Todd Bridgman)
Abstracts: Abstract should be no less than 500 words in length (1 full A4 page in 12 point) and include full author details.
Deadlines: Abstract should be submitted by May 1 to the stream convenors. Stream convenors will endeavour to return abstract decisions by May 15. Full papers should be submitted to the stream convenors by July 1 for distribution to stream participants.
Paper Presentation: In order to maximize discussion, authors will not present their own papers, but rather participants will be asked to present and discuss other presenters‚ papers.
AoM papers: It is expected that papers submitted for inclusion in the workshop stream will not be scheduled for presentation in the main AoM Conference Programme.
Organizer: Craig Prichard (Massey University, Aotearoa-New Zealand)
Email: c.prichard@massey.ac.nz - Film Screening "Shift Change: Putting Democracy to Work"
Film Screening "Shift Change: Putting Democracy to Work": Worker Owned Enterprises, excerpt from Mondragon. Directors Melissa Young, Mark Dworkin, Tony Harrah and Carl Davidson. May 5th, 2012, 12:30 - 1:30pm in the McLauren Bldg, Room A144.
The film will be screened at the Global Studies Association North American Conference: Dystopia and Global Rebellion. For conference details and registration click here.
To help raise much needed funds to finish the documentary and to preview the film visit the Kickstarter campaign
- BC Libraries Cooperative
Administrative Assistant Posting
The BC Libraries Cooperative is hiring a part time Vancouver based administrative assistant.
The Cooperative is a community enterprise, strategically focussed on the delivery of shared operational infrastructure, brokered discounts and management expertise for libraries. Our mission is to help libraries help people. Leveraging our distributed workforce, we provide services to 94 organizations in two provinces and one territory. And we're just three years old...
Grounding our Vancouver office space, the ideal candidate is an organizational and communications mastermind, possessing precisely the right blend of tech savvy, book keeping prowess, meeting preparation and calendar coordination voodoo. You have successfully organized and supported boards and senior managers in high volume organizations. You anticipate needs. You respond proactively. You create solutions. You wrote the book on member services. Details make you sing.
Position details:
- Vancouver, BC location
- 20 hours a week
- Competitive salary
- Comprehensive benefits package, including pension plan
Required skills:
- Advanced proficiency with standard productivity software;
- If there's a credential granted for advanced mail-merging skills, you have it;
- 80 wpm or better typing please
- Experience recording minutes with discretion
- Demonstrated service provision excellence
- Experience updating websites using WYSIWYG content management solutions (e.g. Wordpress, Drupal)
- Minimum three years experience delivering administrative excellence
Other:
- Experience with QuickBooks is considered an asset
- Experience in a distributed workforce is considered an asset
Please respond in confidence to ben.hyman@bc.libraries.coop with a resume and cover letter (pdf format) that clearly demonstrate your suitability for this position no later than 4pm on Monday, June 18, 2012. More info: bc.libraries.coop
- Transitioning to Local Food Resilience: How can we address the gaps in the regional food supply?
On June 12th, 2012 the CCCBE partnered with Transition Victoria to host "Transitioning to Local Food Resilience: How Can We Address the Gaps in the Regional Food Supply."
Guest speaker Linda Geggie explained the role of the Capital Region Food and Agricultural Initiatives Roundtable (CR-FAIR) and the work they've been doing to develop a regional food strategy for the Capital Regional District. Participants included members of over 20 food-related organizations in the region. After the presentation, participants broke into groups to discuss particular themes and how to move forward on concrete initiatives related to regional food systems. A major focus was on links between access to farmland, land tenure systems, and community investment funds, emphasizing the links between resilient local food systems and community-based economies.
- Occupy, Economic Inequality and Business: Setting the Agenda
On August 4th, 2012, Dr. Ana Maria Peredo, Associate Professor Gustavson School of Business, University of Victoria and Director, Centre for Co-operative and Community-Based Economy is an expert panelist at the Occupy, Economic Inequality and Business: Setting the Agenda Professional Development Workshop at the Academy of Management in Boston. Panelists along with Ana Maria include: Dr. Gerald Davis, University of Michigan, Dr. Paul Shrivastava, Concordia University and Dr. Hugh Willmott, Cardiff University.
The expert panelists will discuss topics such as: What does economic inequality in society, as highlighted by the recent Occupy movement, mean to business? What is the effect of economic inequality on business and vice versa? Should business respond to economic inequality, and if so, how? Should policy makers respond to this issue with a focus on regulating business practices? The session concludes with roundtable discussions and feedback on participants’ ideas on this topic. For further details please visit: www.beif.net
Occupy, Economic Inequality and Business: Setting the Agenda
- Credit Union Governance Specialist - Workshop Facilitator
Volunteer Opportunity
WHERE: Entebbe, Uganda
DURATION: 2.5 weeks (including 5 days preparation time in Canada)
WHEN: Uganda September 20 - 26, 2012 plus travel time
APPLICATION PROCESS: Please submit a letter of interest along with a resume to sarah.feldberg@coopscanada.coop. Application deadline: July 31, 2012. *This is a voluntary assignment. All related costs including domestic airfare, ground transport, and a meal/incidental allowance will be covered by CCA. For more information contact Volunteer Co-ordinator, Sarah Feldberg.
BACKGROUND
The African Confederation of Savings and Credit Co-operatives (ACCOSCA) will be holding its 13th Annual Congress in Entebbe, Uganda from September 23 - 26, 2012. Each year ACCOSCA holds specialized training sessions in conjunction with the meeting. This year ACCOSCA will hold a governance training session for its Board of Directors in advance of the meeting. CCA is seeking an experienced governance specialist to facilitate a 2 day workshop for ACCOSCA's Board of Directors and deliver a 45 minute presentation on different models of board composition at the Congress on September 24th.
The governance training will consist of a two day workshop on September 21st and 22nd. While this is primarily a training session on governance it will include a special session on gender. The candidate may choose to facilitate the gender session as well or request that it be managed by a different facilitator.
Topics to cover should include:
o Measuring board performance
o Getting the board you need while respecting the democratic process
o Ensuring HR capacity develops in line with the institution requirements
o What is gender and why is it so important
o Conducting effective virtual board meetings
The plenary presentation will address the issue of differing board composition at different levels of the credit union movement. The working title of the presentation is " Balancing Representation and Effective Governance of Apex Organizations".
Questions should include:
o Why do some secondary/tertiary boards include management of primary institutions & directors?
o What are the pros and cons of having management on the board?
o How do you keep a balance between elected officials and paid officers?
The duration of the assignment is approximately 2.5 weeks allowing for 5 days preparation of materials and presentations, 4 days travel to and from Uganda and 7 days in the field.
Canadian Co-operative Association
The Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) is a national association for co-operatives in Canada, representing more than ten million co-operative and credit union members from over 2,000 organizations. Individual co-op members are represented by CCA either directly through their co-operative, through their provincial co-op associations or credit union central, or through sectoral organizations. CCA provides leadership to promote, develop, and unite co-operatives and credit unions for the benefit of people in Canada and around the world. For more information about the mentorship program, visit our website.
Core funding for this program is provided by the Partnership Program of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and CCA's charitable funding partner, the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada (CDF). - International Volunteer Opportunity: Insurance risk managment advisor, Ghana
WHERE: Accra, Ghana with some rural travel
DURATION: One month
WHEN: Flexible, as late as January 2013
APPLICATION PROCESS: Please submit a letter of interest along with a resume to sarah.feldberg@coopscanada.coop. Application deadline: September 5, 2012.
*This is a voluntary assignment. All related costs including domestic airfare, ground transport, and a meal/incidental allowance will be covered by CCA. For more information contact Volunteer Co-ordinator, Sarah Feldberg.BACKGROUND
The Ghana Co-operative Credit Union Association (CUA) Risk Management Program was established in 1986 as a separate department under CUA Ltd. The department houses an insurance program made up of two services, the Loan Protection Plan and Life Savings Plan. While the Risk Management Program is a substantial revenue generator for CUA, CUA recognizes the risk of maintaining these as self insured plans in a growing and maturing credit union system.
The emphasis of this volunteer assignment is to advise CUA on a medium to long term plan for re-engineering its insurance program. CUA envisions two main components for this assignment:
Review the sustainability of the the Loan Protection Plan and Life Savings Plan in order to recommend a phased implementation strategy. Ideally, this strategy would enable CUA to disengage without significantly impairing their revenue stream and improve the sustainability of the Risk Management Program.
Improve the management and product offerings of the Risk Management Program. The volunteer will be asked to review and recommend:
capital and premium rates
claims to premiums ratios
claims processing system
management processes and policies
the development of current and new products
contractual relationship between CUA and its member credit unionsThe ideal candidate will have practical experience in the day to day management of an insurance office as well actuarial experience. Experience in establishing a new insurance company is an asset.
You will also:
be a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant
have demonstrated flexibility and cultural sensitivity
be in good health
be willing to adapt to hot climate, rough roads, long days, little to no internet access, different food and other realities of developing countriesCanadian Co-operative Association
The Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) is a national association for co-operatives in Canada, representing more than ten million co-operative and credit union members from over 2,000 organizations. Individual co-op members are represented by CCA either directly through their co-operative, through their provincial co-op associations or credit union central, or through sectoral organizations. CCA provides leadership to promote, develop, and unite co-operatives and credit unions for the benefit of people in Canada and around the world. For more information about the mentorship program, visit our website.
Ghana Co-operative Credit Union Association (CUA) Ltd
As the name implies, the Ghana Co-operative Credit Union Association (CUA) Ltd. is the national association of credit unions in that West African country. Its membership includes approximately 400 credit unions throughout the country, from small rural credit unions to larger urban ones. The Canadian Co-operative Association has worked with CUA since 1988, both to strengthen its primary members and to strengthen CUA itself.
Core funding for this program is provided by the Partnership Program of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and CCA's charitable funding partner, the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada (CDF). - Series: First Nations' Rights: The Gap Between Law and Practice, Indigenous Rights in the UN system
Celebrating the 5th Anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Journalist and educator Kenneth Deer of the Mohawk Nation at Kahnawake and Robert Morales, lawyer and chief negotiator for Hul'quminum Treaty Group will present at UVic on Thursday, September 13, 2012 from 7:00-9:00pm in the Fraser Building, Room 159. Admission is free. Seating is limited.
- Community Social Planning Council 2012 AGM
The 2012 Annual General Meeting of the Community Social Planning Council will be held on Tuesday, September 25, 2012 11:30-1:30pm at the Ambrosia Conference and Event Centre. For details visit Community Council
- Creating Rural Connections Conference and Tradeshow 2012
The Alberta Rural Development Network (ARDN) in partnership with The Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation (CRRF) and Olds College is pleased to announce the third annual Creating Rural Connections 2012 Conference and Tradeshow: Regional Realities and Approaches:
When: October 11-13, 2012
Where: Olds College, Olds, Alberta
Conference website and Registration - Book Announcement
Beyond Caring to Provisioning Labour by S. Neysmith, M. Reitsma-Street, S. Baker Collins & E. Porter, has recently been published in print and as an ebook by University of Toronto Press, 2012. Using original research, the authors conceptualize how women define and value the work they do to provide for others in households, and in six innovative community organizations in Ontario and B.C.
For more information and to order visit: University of Toronto Press
