Community Economic Development and Employability Corporation: Women on a Mission Cooperative Case Study

ORGANIZATION:
Community Economic Development and Employability Corporation

Year: 2014

This case study was requested by CEDEC—the Community Economic Development and Employability Corporation—as part of its role in helping communities throughout Quebec to identify, assess, and prepare to act on social, cultural, and economic development opportunities. The content is based on interviews with members of the cooperative on Grosse-Île as well as with representatives of organizations that have supported them in one way or another at different steps in the process of imagining, creating, starting up and continually developing their cooperative. A total of ten people were interviewed, representing seven different organizations. 

Cooperatives such as the Women on a Mission Coop in Grosse-Ile are enabling women to reconcile work and family responsibilities, build their capacity in the labour force, and develop entrepreneurial skills.
The success of the Women on a Mission Cooperative illustrates that cooperatives can be economic drivers in small communities.  This success story is documented as a case study which highlights successes, challenges and lessons learned over the course of the first year of operation – information that will be invaluable for other groups planning to develop a social enterprise.

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Contents:

INTRODUCTION
THE ENVIRONMENT: THE COMMUNITY OF GROSSE-ÎLE
PLANTING THE SEED
Motivations: Meeting community needs
Successes
Challenges faced
Lessons learned
GROWING THE PROJECT
Deciding on a cooperative structure
Steps in founding a cooperative
Garnering support
Start-up
Successes
Challenges faced
Lessons learned
BEARING FRUIT: THE CURRENT SITUATION
Multiplying activities
Learning curve
Successes
Current challenges
Lessons learned
SEEDS FOR THE FUTURE
Capacity building
Future challenges
CONCLUSION
Conditions contributing to the success of Women on a Mission
Recommendations for similar initiatives
Planting the seed
Letting it grow
Changing
Adapting to your environment