“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
                                       – Margaret Mead

Throughout our history, humans have always thrived when working together towards common goals. The power of our collective action has built cities, transformed entire societies and even changed the course of history. This very fundamental principle of human system interaction forms the core of what is known as cluster or co-location theory. This theory is premised on the notion that sharing space can be an effective way for smaller non-profit or social enterprise organizations to reduce their costs, expand their services and improve their operational efficiency. The idea that by sharing space we can capture and harness the creative energies of like minded people is not a new one, but it is one worth looking at again.

The research on co-location over the last two decades has found that the social, political and economic advantages of sharing space are profound. This is particularly important for non-profits or social enterprises that are more often than not: understaffed, underfunded and overworked. At a very mechanistic level, sharing space can reduce the administrative burden on non-profits through cost-sharing for common tools such as advertising, printing, heating and water costs etc. There are also political advantages to sharing space: the political leverage that can be exacted from having strategic clusters working together on bids or lobbying can be significantly more than a singular organization working towards the same ends. 

But there are also very important synergies that transcend these more technical advantages. The real magic of the shared space concept is predicated on the equation: Physical Space + Community = Social Innovation. The theory of co-location asserts that by sharing space (and costs) with driven, talented and like-minded individuals social innovation can occur at a more rapid and frequent pace. Essentially, by sharing space you will be able to multiply the number of ideas that you are exposed to which expands your capacity to generate, expand on, or reconceptualise new ideas. Being immersed in such a creative environment allows for continuous learning, inspiration and accelerated growth and development.

While it is tempting to believe that simply by dint of being strategically clustered your organization will immediately reap the benefits of social innovation – don’t’ be fooled! Manifesting social transformation requires more effort than simply co-locating, that’s just the first step! While sharing space with other organizations will result in immediate cost-sharing benefits, in order to fully realize the potential of co-location, you must animate the community that you are creating! This can prove more difficult than simply sharing space. But don’t worry! There are several ways to do this. My article covers these methods more in-depth, however a few key elements include:

• Providing a leadership role which is dedicated to managing the community animation aspect: someone who is a champion of co-location and can motivate and energize the community to engage meaningfully to create social innovation.
• Facilitating knowledge interaction is also paramount to a successful co-location model. Having formalized methods and timelines for sharing technical and practical information are absolutely necessary to ensure that plans are being developed collaboratively and that ideas are being generated to solve mutual problems (such as poverty in the inner city or environmental degradation)
• Communication rituals are also important for the effective functioning of a co-location model. This differs from the last point insofar as it is primarily concerned with developing the community identity of the shared space tenants. These rituals should foster the collaborative spirit and serve to strengthen connections between the organizations and their staff. These connections will create the familiarity and trust that is critical for generating social innovation.

In my quest to fully understand whether and to what extent the principle of sharing space could actually manifest social transformation, I sought out leaders in the field who were living the dream. I drew from the experience of several organizations from all across North America: The Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto; The Hub in Nova Scotia; and the Non-Profit Centers Network in San Francisco to name a few. The interviews were invaluable for providing insights that were not contained in the literature as they gave unedited, in-depth answers to questions that dealt with the more humanistic, as opposed to technical aspects of sharing space. The responses were heartening. All models of shared space seem to be thriving, in some instances seeing cost savings of up to $18 million over the last 9 years! So I’m not making this up folks – this is the real deal and I strongly suggest that if you are a non-profit and you are struggling, seek out a way to share space with fellow non-profits and start reaping the benefits of co-location! It will take time and effort to setup and to maintain, but it is worth it and together – we CAN make a difference!

Click here for more information and to download the paper and presentation

Seeking to address the investment financing challenge that co-operatives face, this research explores the potential for building on existing legislation in Manitoba to create a province-wide Community Development Investment Fund (CDIF) as a financial vehicle to raise equity capital for co-ops by leveraging the provincial Community Enterprise Development Tax Credit to encourage equity investments in co-operative start-ups and expansions. This research informs Manitoba’s co-operative community in its pursuit of new financing mechanisms for co-op development.

More precisely, the objectives of this research are to:

• Provide clarity on the legislative potential for the creation of a province-wide CDIF to act as a co-op equity investment fund that would raise capital for co-ops in Manitoba by leveraging the Community Enterprise Development Tax Credit.
• Identify models that provide equity capital for co-operative start-ups and growth, particularly those that are capitalized by individuals as investors, and identify the particular nature and structure of each model in order to understand the transferability or applicability to the Manitoba model.
• Identify the requirements for successfully developing a province-wide CDIF in Manitoba focused on co-ops, and some of the benefits and disadvantages

Download the PDF

The Gathering. I’ve heard about it, but never been lucky enough to attend. So imagine how excited I was when I started working with Spark (a service of CCEDNet) the week before the Gathering. I’d finally get to attend – and more than that, I’d get to help out, too.

 

I’ve been a believer in the importance of community for most of my life, and from what I’d heard, the Gathering seemed like it would be a place full of people who held the same value. More than that, it sounded like a place where people came together to think as a community about how to tackle some of the issues we face as conscientious Manitobans.

 

I was glad to discover that my initial impressions were right.

Most of my morning was spent at the registration table, but I managed to sneak away long enough to hear most of the keynote address by Charlene Lafreniere. Charlene is passionate about creating opportunities for Aboriginal people in Thompson, and redefining how the northern community sees itself. Her work to increase housing, educational, and business opportunities is inspiring.

Charlene sees Thompson with clear eyes, having helped create a community history to help the broader community deal with some of its past, and get a better sense of where to go in the future. Through a process of community involvement and consultation, she helped bring the Thompson Aboriginal Accord into being, a ground-breaking document recognizing the role of Aboriginal people in the city’s history, and affirming the city’s commitment to strengthening relationships with Aboriginal governments and people. The Accord’s commitments and goals benefit all of Thompson’s citizens, and are reported on every June 21.

Charlene also spoke about a cultural proficiency program that has made its way into businesses and schools, helping people see the impact of their attitudes and ignorance, and combating racism and misunderstanding through local and regional identity initiatives. As she put it, “power shifts can only happen if people know themselves and their neighbours.”

Thompson’s journey is far from over, but Charlene’s insights and inspiration set the right tone for the rest of the day. Each of us present at the Gathering is on a journey of some sort, but if we come together, we can go farther together than we could alone.

Over the course of the Gathering, I had a chance to hear Mike Toye explain the geese in CCEDNet’s logo. While I knew that geese travelled together to help optimize their efforts, I had no idea how great that impact is. Did you know that by flying together in a V, geese can go over 70% farther than if each goose flew alone? That’s pretty amazing. Talking about CCEDNet and geese, Mike summed it up this way: if you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together.

I had heard beforehand that the Gathering is kind of like a family gathering of people who have a passion for community change, and the number of happy reunions, hugs and genuine engagement I saw on Friday showed the truth of that statement. It truly was a place where people learned from each other, encouraged each other, supported each other, and worked together towards the goal of creating stronger, more sustainable communities.

 

Last October 21-24, a delegation from Japan’s Seikatsu Club landed in Québec City in order to catch up on the evolution of the social economy in Québec since their last visit in 2007.  The delegation was composed of three people from the Civil Policy Research Institute (CPRI), the research centre created by Seikatsu. 

The Seikatsu Club is a federation of 32 consumer co-operatives with 350,000 members in total, who purchase food directly from producers.  In 2012, Seikatsu’s overall revenues were approximately $1 billion (CAD).  For more information about Seikatsu, see CCEDNet’s 2011 webinar. 

I accompanied them over four intensive days of meetings, which allowed them to deepen their knowledge of the evolution of Québec’s social economy.  It is worth noting that, in Japan, government policies are not favourable for the social economy in general and co-operatives in particular.  For example, in practice it requires between 500 and 1,000 members to create a consumer co-operative and there is no law to create worker cooperatives.  As they did after their 2007 study tour (when 11 people came), their goal is to promote more enabling laws and public policy initiatives with governmental decision-makers in Japan.  Their visit was well timed, just two weeks after the the October 10th adoption of Québec’s new Social Economy Law. 

Here are some photos from a few of their meetings:

L-R : Émilio Lopez, Fonds d’emprunt Québec who presented the Microfinance Mutual (Québec); Yuko Wada, International Coordinator at CPRI; Takashi Sawaguchi, Board Chair of CPRI; Katsuyoshi Yokekura, Executive Director of CPRI; Linda Maziade, Fonds d’emprunt Québec, who presented the Pôle de l’économie sociale de la Capitale-Nationale; and me. 

With Nancy Neamtan and Béatrice Alain of the Chantier de l’économie sociale

With Marcel Arteau, Mee-Rang Ricard-Bouillon and Josée Tremblay
of the Conseil québécois de la coopération et de la mutualité (CQCM)

The group also met Jean Bergevin and Gérald Larose from the Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins, Gérard Perron, development consultant, Josée Arsenault from Service amicale Basse-Ville, Jacques Fiset from the Centre local de développement de Québec and Marie-Éve Myrand from the Fédération des Coopératives de développement régional.

These exchanges between organizations always provide rich learning opportunities and reinforce the learning and solidarity between the organizations and the people who are working for a better world.

Yvon Poirier is President of CCEDNet’s International Committee and Secretary of the Board.

 

Registration is now closed but walk-in participants are welcome!

October 25, 2013
Winnipeg, MB
Garden City Collegiate

The Gathering is an inspiring annual opportunity for people interested in community development and community economic development, to connect, learn, and celebrate together.

As we head into our second decade, let’s reflect on how we know our work is successful, how we can use that knowledge to move us forward, and how we can do this together!

Gathering Workshops:

The Manitoba CD/CED Gathering has something to offer  everyone. From co-ops to social enterprise, housing to food security, or new economy to international development, the Gathering has a workshop for your CED interests. Whether you want to strengthen your organization’s capacity, or are just hoping to learn something new, the Gathering is the place to be.

This year’s diverse roster of workshops are being facilitated by leaders in the commununity economic development field. Take a sneak-peak at the workshop line-up by clicking the link below.

[ GATHERING WORKSHOPS ]

Mix, Mingle & Learn Before the Gathering:

Free Screening of The Take
October 24 | 7:00pm
Menno Simons College | 520 Portage Ave.

Come kick-off the 2013 CD/CED Gathering with a film screening of Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein’s award winning documentary The Take. Delivered in partnership with Menno Simons College, please join us to network with like-minded alumni of this institution, as well as enjoying a free evening of thought-provoking entertainment.

Harvest of Hope and Food Sovereignty in Northern Manitoba
Dr. Shirley Thompson
October 24 | 7:00pm
Eckhardt-Gramatte Hall | University of Winnipeg

Dr. Shirley Thompson is an associate professor at the Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba. Dr. Thompson has a PhD in Adult Education and Community Development and for the last four years and is a board member of Food Secure Canada and the Association of Nonprofit and Social Economy Research. Dr. Thompson is working with four Island Lake communities as principal investigator for traditional land use planning and occupancy studies for sustainable community development.

A very full four days wrapped up today at the 5^th International Meeting of the Social Solidarity Economy (SSE) in Manila. 

My last blog post outlined the ambitious agenda organizers had laid out for the event, as well as the opportunities and challenges facing the development of the social solidarity economy globally that were identified on the opening day. 

Since then, I’ve attended (and presented at some) workshops presenting the diversity of SSE practices around the world, examining the connection between the SSE and place-based development, and strategizing about communications and profile of the SSE.  These were just a few of the numerous workshops (both planned and some spontaneously organized, like a session on gender and the SSE that CCEDNet member Ethel Côté was involved in pulling together) that rounded out the program. 

Discussion at the workshop on Asian, Australian and U.S. SSE experiences

On the afternoon of the second day, delegates were treated to different site visits, which began with a lunch hosted by the vice-mayor of Quezon City (the largest municipality of metro Manila), who described how the city is supporting co-operative development, promoting food security with community gardens, and actively engaging civil society partners in the shared development of policies and programs.  This was an impressive presentation, and I hope CCEDNet will be able to share the example of her leadership more broadly via a future webinar focusing on effective municipal practices in community economic development. 

Visit to the Payatas multi-purpose cooperative

Later that afternoon, our bus wound through ever-shrinking streets into a very poor neighbourhood where we visited a multi-purpose cooperative that creates income-generating opportunities for women through the production of handicrafts.  During the return bus ride, a group of Indonesian business students led a rousing sing-a-long of traditional songs.  Everyone was encouraged to contribute and defend their national honour, so we enjoyed songs from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, Germany, China, Spain and Canada (Mike Lewis was there to defend Canada’s musical honour, saving me and the country from embarrassment 🙂

A CCEDNet and Brazil hug:  Me with CCEDNet International Committee Chair Yvon Poirier, CCEDNet International Committee member Ethel Côté, Brazilian Secretary of the Solidarity Economy Paul Singer
and CCEDNet founding member Mike Lewis. 

I particularly enjoyed visits with Peter Uttering of the United Nations Research Institute on Social Development and Paul Singer, Secretary of the Solidarity Economy in the Brazilian government. 

There was also a meeting of North American continental network, which is a partnership of the US Solidarity Economy Network, the Chantier de l’économie sociale du Québec, the Groupe d’économie solidaire du Québec and the Canadian CED Network.  At this meeting, we identified study tours and other strategies for promoting cross-border learning as the priorities to strengthen collaboration. 

The Mayor of Quezon City speaks to participants during Wednesday’s lunch plenary

Government engagement, which is always a strategic focus for host nations of a RIPESS Forum, was impressive here in the Philippines.  On the last two days, representatives from the Association of South-East Asian Nations heard presentations from keynote speakers and participated in the closing plenary, and this afternoon the Philippine Senate Majority Leader came to hear the closing recommendations from the conference and endorse the need for a new economic model, confirm his commitment to co-sponsor a Social Solidarity Economy bill in the Senate. 

CCEDNet International Committee Chair Yvon Poirier reports back to the
closing plenary session on the results of the North American continental meeting

In the reporting back from the numerous workshops, participants acknowledged that, while the SSE may be advanced in jurisdictions like Brazil and Québec, it is in early stages of development elsewhere.  At the same time, much progress has been made in the development of national, continental and global networks, and participants affirmed their desire to continue strengthening information sharing and global connections to support a faster emergence of the social solidarity economy

The recommendations from the meeting to the post-2015 United Nations Development Agenda emphasized:

• Changes in indicators measuring poverty, inequality and development;
• Transitioning to a fair social solidarity economy;
• Adoption of a human-rights based approach to development;
• Participation and transparency in international institutions and processes. 

The plenary session decided, however, not to ratify these recommendations now, but to present them online for a fuller consultations in which more RIPESS members can have input before they are finalized. 

The conference concluded with appreciation for the dedicated organizing efforts of our hosts, the Asian Solidarity Economy Council, farewells to lots of new friends and allies, and a renewed energy to continue building more inclusive and sustainable economies in every corner of the world. 

Although CCEDNet members have been active in building the global network for over a decade, this was the first RIPESS conference I have attended.  What struck me most was what I also love about CCEDNet conferences:  the people are marvellous.  I don’t mean to be pollyannaish – they aren’t perfect; there are the usual conflicts and shortcomings and characters you’d expect in a broad, emerging, international coalition. But I think Peter Uttering was onto something when he said in his closing remarks that this was the most exciting conference he had attended in all his years at the UN (and I suspect he’s attended a few), and that the chances for our success were greater than many others because of our shared vision and values for economic transformation towards a fairer world.  The kind of people who are prepared to commit themselves to such a grand design are truly a special group.  And I’ve also noticed that both RIPESS and CCEDNet conference goers don’t need much convincing to get up and dance. =)

The 6th RIPESS Global Forum will be in 2017, likely in South America.  But until then, watch ripess.org and facebook.com/ripessintercontinental or join CCEDNet’s International Committee to stay up to date on the progress of SSE around the world. 

CCEDNet thanks the CDÉC de Québec, l’Alliance des caisses populaires de l’Ontario, la Caisse populaire Rideau-Vision d’Ottawa, and les Filles de la sagesse du Canada for their support of our participation in the Forum.

As a fitting part of New Economy Week and Co-op week, today 400 participants from 35 countries gathered in the Philippines to share strategies for growing the Social Solidarity Economy as an alternative economic model around the world.  This is the fifth global meeting organized by RIPESS, the Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of the Social Solidarity Economy, which CCEDNet has been involved in for nearly a decade. 

Several Canadians are playing a prominent role here:  Founding CCEDNet Member Mike Lewis, of the Canadian Centre for Community Renewal, gave the opening keynote this morning and Nancy Neamtan of the Chantier de l’économie sociale was one of the respondents.  The Chair of CCEDNet’s International Committee, Yvon Poirier, longtime International Committee member Ethel Côté and I will be giving a number of presentations at workshops over the course of the 4-day conference. 

Some of the participants from CCEDNet and the Chantier de l’économie sociale (L-R): Yvon Poirier,
Pierre Luc Vezina-Labelle, Ethel Côté, Mike Toye, Nancy Neamtan, Mike Lewis, Eric Lefebvre

Delegates were welcomed by Jun Simon, Vice-Chair of the Asian Solidarity Economy Council of the Philippines, who told a story about the Banaue rice terraces, called the eighth wonder of the world.  The terraces were built over a 200-year period nearly two millennia ago.  A legend says, when the project began, it was asked, “Who would benefit?”  The answer was that it would not be those who built it, but their great grandchildren.  Despite the urgency of change, the scope of our vision for the social solidarity economy implies a multi-generational project upon which our great grandchildren’s well-being depends. 

After the welcome, Mike Lewis spoke to the global audience, drawing on the ideas from his recent book The Resilience Imperative.  He outlined how strategic sectors of food, energy and shelter can be leveraged by reclaiming finance, revaluing the commons and democratizing and localizing ownership

Respondents Paul Singer, Brazilian Secretary of the Solidarity Economy, Peter Uttering from the United Nations Research Institute on Social Development and Nancy Neamtan from the Chantier de l’économie sociale, all identified strategic areas of progress as well as risks as the social solidarity economy (SSE) continues to grow and become increasingly mainstream.  These include: 

• the contribution of SSE to political empowerment and its capacity to provide for the needs of disadvantaged groups. 
• the need for a clear global vision; one that is inclusive and that gets to the heart of changing the economic system to one that is more democratic. 
• the need to build strong alliances with other movements who share common concerns but approach these issues from a different perspective.  
• the challenge of growing the SSE in the major economic sectors that are fundamental to our daily lives:  food, housing, energy. 
• the crucial role of governments to support but not direct the SSE agenda, and the vital involvement of civil society in the co-construction of public policies. 
• the urgency of scaling up communications and finding ways to better communicate amongst ourselves and with the general public. 
• the need to influence international debates with an effective international structure that is grounded in communities, in all continents, and aligned around a common vision that will allow us to speak in international fora in ways that reflect local, national and continental realities. 

Already, I have met some fascinating people from Sri Lanka, the United States, Morocco, the Philippines, Malaysia, India, Japan, France, China and Italy who I am eager to connect to CCEDNet members doing similar work. 

Over the four days of the conference, delegates will work to establish a better understanding of our different realities and build a common vision that resonates with participants coming from very different realities around the world. 

Many thanks to the CDÉC de Québec, l’Alliance des caisses populaires de l’Ontario, la Caisse populaire Rideau-Vision d’Ottawa, and les Filles de la sagesse du Canada for their support of CCEDNet’s participation in the conference.

Visit the conference website >>