Contact
Kevin EdbergCooperative Development Services
kedberg@cdsus.coop
651-287-0184
When: Friday, November 8, 2013, 8:30am – 4:30pm (reception to follow)
Where: Thrivent Financial, 625 4th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN
Why: For over 150 years, cooperatively owned businesses have been a vibrant part of Minnesota’s economy, strengthening our local communities, creating jobs, and building wealth equitably for people throughout the state. Yet, despite their impressive track record of creating social and economic capital in multiple ways, cooperatives remain little understood and largely untapped as a strategy for community and economic development.
This one-day conference will begin to address that gap by providing a practical introduction to cooperatives. Attendees will see how cooperative enterprises are being used in the region to meet local needs, retaining and growing community wealth and jobs, and creating economic vitality. Attendees will also come away with connections to regional resources and expertise that can support new and existing cooperative enterprises in their communities.
Who should attend:
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Community and economic development professionals
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Local and regional policymakers and public managers
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Community organizers and social justice advocates
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Community and cooperative entrepreneurs
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Others with an interest in strategies for building a more sustainable economy.
Registration Cost: $45/person (includes lunch); students and professionals under 30, $20/person or what you can afford.
Registration opens on September 5 at www.cominnesota.coop.
Sponsors:
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Thrivent Financial / Brightpeak Financial Services
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Cooperative Development Services, Inc.
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Northcountry Cooperative Foundation
For more information, view the draft agenda for the conference.
This is one of the ongoing events sponsored by CoMinnesota an International Year of the Cooperative enterprise developed by an ad hoc group of some of CDS's 1000 Friends of Cooperation.
CoMinnesota intends to be a gathering spot for Minnesota cooperators and a tool for collaboration and publicity on projects and events promoting the cooperative business model.
If you can't make this event, please join CoMinnesota's mailing list so you learn about future activities.
Save the Date: Food for Change
The world premiere of Food For Change will take place at the legendary Fitzgerald Theater in St Paul, Minnesota, on October 20, 2013 at 7 PM with a simultaneous webcast to co-op communities across the country.
Food For Change is a feature-length work-in-progress documentary film focusing on food co-ops as a force for dynamic social and economic change in American culture. The movie tells the story of the cooperative movement in the U.S. through interviews, rare archival footage, and commentary by the filmmaker and social historians. This is the first film to examine the important historical role played by food co-ops, their pioneering quest for organic foods, and their current efforts to create regional food systems. Additionally, the film shows how the co-op movement strengthens communities where they are located, enhancing local economies and food security. The goal is to educate a wide national audience about the principles of cooperation with a focus on food.