Part Four: Conclusions and Recommendations

Conclusions

1. The papers and case studies included in this book are largely the result of contacts made through an emerging youth network that has been developing over the last five years, one that will continue to grow, judged by the successes of the ICA’s youth group and the development of international youth conferences associated with ICA and national co-operative gatherings. The success of the Building Co-operative Futures conferences, started at the University of Victoria in 2003, continued in Alberta and Saskatchewan in the two following years and planned for Manchester in 2006, also suggests the interest young people have in furthering their understanding of co-operative strategies for addressing contemporary issues.

2. Many young people, when the option is explained and available to them, are attracted to the co-operative model, its values and principles. They prize its emphasis on job fulfilment, democratic structures and commitment to community responsibility. They see co-operatives as places that prize autonomy, collaborative behaviour, team-building, responsible behaviour and greater accountability. They are also consistent in their appreciation: they admire most the co-operatives that walk the walk as well as talk the talk. They have an instinctive desire to operate their own organisations; they do not appreciate being patronized. Once they have the opportunity, as the papers and case studies abundantly testify, the personal experiences can be among the richest of their lives, creating careers, forming lifetime friendships, and opening doors to other cultures.

3. The papers and case studies are indicative of the situation regarding youth involvement in co-operatives, but they are not a systematic or complete analysis of an important but weakly comprehended dimension of the contemporary co-operative experience. The editors are convinced that there are many, many more examples of youth involvement in co-operatives happening around the world, but that the networks that might inform and sustain them are weak and need support. Hopefully, in another book or through one or more websites, their stories will become known for the benefit of others interested in pursuing the co-operative option or of people within co-operative movements interested in expanding youth participation in co-operative enterprise.

4. Broadly speaking, this volume reveals two kinds of youth involvement in co-operatives. The first is the kind of co-operative that is essentially the result of independent efforts by young people. As the case studies reveal, however, this is a rather arbitrary distinction; as in the past with most kinds of co-operatives (including most of those now well-established and flourishing), new co-operatives have been helped by other co-ops, government support, or assistance from like-minded movements. Nevertheless, there are some co-operatives among young people that have achieved a high degree of independence and that have essentially started out of the efforts of young people independent of others. Such co-ops seem qualitatively to be different from those that were started under the umbrella of established co-operative institutions or networks.

The second kind of involvement is that which results from efforts by established co-operatives to encourage youth participation. Several of the case studies reveal that many co-operative organisations have undertaken, and are undertaking, significant and useful work in trying to encourage youth participation in their organisations or in developing new co-operatives. They are to be commended for these efforts, which vary in purpose and structure considerably. The case studies reveal that any of several approaches can be successful and one should not hasten to judge them or necessarily prefer one over another. The point is that such efforts emerge out of different geopolitical and institutional frameworks and they are the results of the dominant ideological and cultural perspectives that dominate in given societies or among specific memberships and leadership cadres. That does not mean, however, that co-operatives cannot learn from what others are doing; in fact, we hope that one of the outcomes of this book will be a more thorough and complete discussion among co-operatives about how they can best activate and serve the youth in their midst.

5. Several of the case studies demonstrate that involvement in co-operatives provides an opportunity for young people to learn how to become entrepreneurs. This is most evident in the cases from the southern parts of the globe, where the co-operative model permits the accumulation of financial, social and human resources that would otherwise be impossible.

6. There is a need for further and more in-depth research to understand if these differences are indeed substantial and, if they are, what that means for successful youth applications of the co-operative model. In fact, these case studies offer numerous opportunities for further research, opportunities that we hope will particularly attract young researchers and activists.

7. There is a need for further research to understand more completely what kinds of issues young people encounter as they try to develop formal co-operatives. Are they different issues from those that confront more senior, more experienced, people undertaking similar objectives? Is there a need for a different or more intensive training programme? Can the education system be expected to meet those needs? If so, what does the educational system require in the way of teaching and training materials to undertake that task? What more can we learn from the experiences of such programmes as the institutions at the University of Massachusetts, whose work is briefly described in this book.

8. The paper and case studies indicate that most young people have to be in the right place at the right time to learn about co-operatives. Despite efforts made by some co-operatives to reach out to young people, it is clear that the message is not being widely received. Clearly, too, and most importantly, except for rare circumstances (such as in Malaysia), they do not learn about the co-operative model through their educational institutions. Several case studies also reveal that the few existing educational systems that do address co-operative themes merely adapt programmes designed for private enterprise without grounding in co-operative philosophy and experience.

This educational void is a question that governments and co-operative organisations need to address in the interests of providing a full and fair level playing field for the development of different kinds of economic and social institutions. There is a need for the development of teaching resources and programmes for engaging young people in the appropriate study of co-operatives within educational institutions, an initiative that needs to be initiated or reinvigorated within local, national and co-operative movements and addressed within the international organisations associated with the movement.

9. One clear issue that reappears in the case studies is the need for funding, a common issue in the formation of new co-operatives, but perhaps exacerbated with the complexities of lending to young people. Perhaps this is an opportunity for the more widespread application of some creative lending approaches, such as that being developed in South Africa or in India. Maybe there is a way to adapt more fully the techniques of peer lending and micro credit, adapted specifically to youth needs. Maybe more financial institutions can develop special lending programmes for young people, such as that used by Vancity Credit Union.

10. There are similarities within the youth initiatives described in these papers. Perhaps the most common one is that young people are interested in co-operatives primarily for the purpose of securing employment and building careers. That is arguably the main difference between co-operatives started essentially by young people and some of the co-operative programmes undertaken by well-established co-operatives. Another obvious similarity is the high level of pride and enthusiasm the young people involved with co-operatives have shown in their activities. In several instances, the enthusiasm can only be described as “catching” and inspirational. A third commonality is a deep interest in the environment: it is a clear motivation behind several of the case studies and it constantly reappears at youth gatherings. The fourth is a deep concern for community issues…a perspective that challenges established co-operatives, as it should. The most agonizing and difficult of these community challenges, of course, is the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa, but also evident in cases from other parts of the world as well.

11. There are also profound differences and it would be a mistake to think that there is a “one size fits all” approach to how young people might be encouraged to think about and, as they deem appropriate, use the co-operative model. The most obvious difference lies in culture. That is partly why international exchanges and internships are so valuable: young people learn from each other, understand that there is not just one way to accomplish a task, appreciate that there are different cultural, religious and social ways to understand and to accomplish…not just a banal abstraction but a genuine appreciation of difference. That is why the initiatives must emerge out of local circumstances and meet needs that youth define for themselves.

12. Young people want to have a choice in pursuing their objectives. They want to have the co-operative option as one of those choices, but the impediments to them having that choice, the lack of opportunities within educational institutions, the complexities in starting co-operatives, the challenges in becoming involved in existing co-operatives, all limit their possibilities.

13. The papers and case studies reveal an abundance of experience among young people who have tried to use the co-operative model. Several lessons have been learned, which might be summarized as follows, youth to youth.

• Become involved in existing co-operatives in whatever ways are open to you.
• Have the confidence to start your own co-operative…young people do it all the time and for all kinds of reasons.
• Develop a mutually supportive group of people to start the co-operative.
• Do not try to grow too fast.
• Establish strong ties with your community…however you define it.
• Involve all members of the co-operative in the decision-making processes.
• Welcome support, but not interference, from other organisations.
• Understand the distinct roles for members, elected leaders and employees.
• Develop a well-researched feasibility study.
• Develop a well-researched business plan and look for help in preparing it.
• Good funding ensures strong commitments.
• Understand, respect and apply the co-operative principles and adhere to co-operative values.
• Think carefully about who is elected to provide leadership.
• Co-operatives established within schools need the strong support of the administration and teachers.
• The business must be managed prudently.
• Develop a training programme to meet the needs of members, elected leaders, managers and employees.
• Like other co-operatives, youth co-operatives must consider their relationships with their communities.
• It is very important that governments and other co-operatives understand and view positively the possibilities of co-operative action.
• Every effort should be made to enlist the support of other co-operatives in the community.
• Make time for fun. Be tolerant. Be flexible.

14. As with their predecessors in earlier generations, today’s youth are starting co-operatives that can provide the beginnings of lifetime careers within the co-operative sector or that will provide valuable opportunities to enter the job market and to develop their entrepreneurial skills. They too can “grow older”, perhaps even old, within the organisations they have helped build or are building; they can move on, carrying with them valuable lessons for whatever field of activity they enter.

Recommendations

The work started in this project, understanding the possibilities and issues confronting young people wishing to engage the co-operative movement, should be expanded and developed more systematically. To further this objective, we make the following recommendations.

Recommendation One. International organisations, such as the International Co-operative Alliance and the International Labour Organisation, should continue and expand as possible their recently developed initiatives to encourage greater youth involvement in existing co-operatives and in the development of their own co-operatives. National, regional and local organisations engaged in youth programmes should be encouraged to continue that work and be recognized for it. In fact, it is noticeable that youth programmes are not widely acknowledged and celebrated within the co-operative movement by awards and recognition ceremonies (the main exception being parts of Asia).

Recommendation Two. This book should be the beginning of a general effort to find out more about youth programmes within established co-operatives and about co-operatives that young people have established, or are establishing, by themselves for their own purposes. This is a challenge to the general academic community, within and without universities, and, especially to young people. Co-operative researchers, particularly the International Co-operative Research Committee of the International Co-operative Alliance and its regional affiliates, should encourage participation by young people involved in developing co-operatives at their meetings. There are research issues of obvious importance in this area, such as understanding better the specific needs of youth, appraising the effectiveness of existing programmes, addressing funding issues, and understanding better how educational systems can meet the needs of youth developing co-operatives.

Recommendation Three. The information gathered through future research, as well as research previously undertaken but generally unknown, should be made available on various websites, national, regional, sectoral, and international with the co-operative movement. It should also be made available through the Co-operative Learning Centre being developed by the International Co-operative Alliance, the International Labour Office and the British Columbia Institute for Co-operative Studies. A special web page is being developed for this purpose.

Recommendation Four. Co-operative organizations, at the local, national, regional and international levels, regularly review their youth activities to see if there are ways that they can be improved and further developed. They should encourage and sponsor youth workshops, seminars and publications. They should help in the development of strong youth networks.

Recommendation Five. Local, national, regional and international co-operative organisations, teachers and researchers need to address systematically how the study of co-operatives and co-operative thought can be more effectively and accurately presented in elementary, secondary, post-secondary, technical and adult education programmes.