ACE Institute
Today is the last day of the Association of Association of Cooperative Educators Institute in Cleveland. It has been a fascinating experience, and although it is related to my work, it somehow didn't feel like work. I met fascinating people and learned a lot about Ohio and the economic challenges people in this state and this country. Over the past two years, we have read and heard a lot about the impact of the economic crisis in the United States, but it wasn't until I came to Cleveland that it really hit home. Tales of abandoned factories, lost jobs, incredible economic hardship...and a lot of hope that co-operatives can be part of the solution. Ohio co-operators are trying very hard to make it happen: initiatives like Evergreen, which is creating jobs for low-income residents in Cleveland, and institutions like the Ohio Employee Ownership Center at Kent State University -- which has been instrumental in the creation of 80 employee-owned co-ops and the retention of some 14,000 jobs -- are very exciting.
The co-operative sector in Canada and the US have a lot in common, but I have also found some significant differences:
1) There is a lot more emphasis on employee ownership in the U.S. than in Canada. While Canada does have quite a few worker co-ops, they make up a tiny proportion of the Canadian co-op movement. At ACE, worker co-ops were mentioned more than any other sector.
2) Credit unions seem to have a much stronger presence -- and are more integrated into the broader co-op sector -- in Canada than in the United States. For example, when I asked why Evergreen obtained its financing from Key Bank (a big commercial bank) instead of from a credit union, I was told that most credit unions don't do business loans. In Canada, loans to businesses -- and especially small businesses -- are an integral part of credit union activities.
3) There seems to be a much more organized effort to engage youth in co-ops in the US than in Canada. While several provincial co-op associations have youth camps and other youth programs, there doesn't seem to be a Canadian equivalent of NASCO - a U.S.-based association of student co-operators. U.S. co-operators agree that engaging youth is a challenge: there just seems to be a more organized way of doing it here than at home.
Enough of work stuff. As of this afternoon, the conference is over and I'm officially on vacation. We're heading off to Lancaster, PA for the World Boardgaming Championships...and I promise the next couple of journal entries won't be about work!
The co-operative sector in Canada and the US have a lot in common, but I have also found some significant differences:
1) There is a lot more emphasis on employee ownership in the U.S. than in Canada. While Canada does have quite a few worker co-ops, they make up a tiny proportion of the Canadian co-op movement. At ACE, worker co-ops were mentioned more than any other sector.
2) Credit unions seem to have a much stronger presence -- and are more integrated into the broader co-op sector -- in Canada than in the United States. For example, when I asked why Evergreen obtained its financing from Key Bank (a big commercial bank) instead of from a credit union, I was told that most credit unions don't do business loans. In Canada, loans to businesses -- and especially small businesses -- are an integral part of credit union activities.
3) There seems to be a much more organized effort to engage youth in co-ops in the US than in Canada. While several provincial co-op associations have youth camps and other youth programs, there doesn't seem to be a Canadian equivalent of NASCO - a U.S.-based association of student co-operators. U.S. co-operators agree that engaging youth is a challenge: there just seems to be a more organized way of doing it here than at home.
Enough of work stuff. As of this afternoon, the conference is over and I'm officially on vacation. We're heading off to Lancaster, PA for the World Boardgaming Championships...and I promise the next couple of journal entries won't be about work!