IYC Reports ~ Cluster Call information ~ Links

IYC Reports ~ Cluster Call information ~ Links

On Thursday, January 12th, cooperatives came together to show their pride in the co-op business model and what they have to offer the world. The United Nations General Assembly annouced the proclamation in 2009, and over the last three years excitement and plans gathered toward this single showing of cooperative spirit. Internationally, nationally, provincially - down to the very grass root communities in Alberta - celebrations joined in the united cause to "build a better world" through cooperative businesses.

The AFREA celebrates, not only its own cooperative status, but that of its cooperative members - Rural Electrification Associations (REA). We are unique - in Canada, REAs only exist in Alberta; we are small but strong - many member REAs celebrate 60+ years; we provide a service to rural consumers borne of those who joined forces in the late 1940s to bring power to even the farthest farmhouse.

The AFREA was asked to join other Alberta co-op representatives on the Alberta steering committee for IYC 2012 planning, including among others the United Farmers of Alberta (UFA), Servus Credit Union, Co-operators Insurance Agencies, and the Federation of Alberta Gas Co-ops. Several initiatives were discussed by the committee to bring provinical co-ops together. The province-wide IYC 2012 launch was just one and it is just the beginning. As we look forward to the upcoming year and beyond, we realize we must embrace the co-op model, create awareness, and enforce the benefits this type of business can offer in today's economy. Co-ops have been around for a long time but there is more work to do in order to increase the number of people who know what co-ops are and what they can do!



CO-OPS IN ALBERTA - a Google map is in the works to include all Alberta co-ops. Check out its progress and marvel at the number of cooperatives throughout the province. Zoom in to get an idea of the co-ops that operate in your own community.  

http://tinyurl.com/albertacoopsmap 



Create a Co-op Cluster - are you looking to celebrate? Combine your efforts with neighboring cooperatives to bring awareness and fun to your community. The IYC co-ordinator, Sarah Arthurs, is available for conference call consultations to encourage cluster events, discuss options, and share success stories. Working together we can create a buzz that will last all year long.

 

Next Cluster Conference Calls  

  • Thursday April 19 10:00 am
  • Thursday April 19 7:00 pm (For Housing Co-ops)
  • May 17 10:00 am
  • June 21 10:00 am 

Call in number 1 866 613 5223 Call in ID 4241718 

Please RSVP to sarah.arthurs@prairiesky.ab.ca

 

SHARE YOUR IDEAS - GETS SOME IDEAS - FIND OUT WHERE TO START - LEND A HAND = COOPERATIVES! 

 



Promotional material is available through the AFREA for members interested in handing out some IYC gifts - buttons, magnets, paper flags.... Please contact our office if you are planning an event. Quantities on hand are limited but they are also avaiable through the local Flag Shop. Use the link below - contact linda@afrea.ab.ca for more information.

http://iyc.flagshop.com/ 



Social Media Connections & News:

Alberta Co-op Cafe Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alberta-Co-op-Cafe/181455038572693  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alberta-Co-op-Cafe/181455038572693 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alberta-Co-op-Cafe/181455038572693 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alberta-Co-op-Cafe/181455038572693 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alberta-Co-op-Cafe/181455038572693   http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alberta-Co-op-Cafe/181455038572693 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alberta-Co-op-Cafe/181455038572693 

AFREA Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alberta-Federation-of-Rural-Electrification-Associations-Ltd/184529828226653?v=info 

Strathcona County Co-ops Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/IYC-2012-Strathcona-County/254371121292593 :   http://www.facebook.com/pages/IYC-2012-Strathcona-County/254371121292593 

IYC Alberta - follow us on Twitter @IYCalberta

AFREA - follow us on Twitter @AFREA1

Local news updates on ACCA web site: http://acca.coop/alberta-co-op-cafe/ 



Alberta Co-op Launch Video: http://clients.pyramidproductions.tv/html/clients/acca/ 



News Coverage:

Sherwood Park News January 17ths

 



Canadian Cooperatives Association - newsletter features stories and links from IYC 2012 Launch events including our own Alberta celebrations! http://www.afrea.ab.ca/filesaf/afrea/2012 Matters Issue 9.pdf
 
 

A POEM FOR COOPERATIVES - IN CELEBRATION:

The International Year of Co-operatives

by Mary Pinkoski, on the occasion of the IYC launch at the Mountain Equipment Co-op, Edmonton.

 

they say that it takes a village to raise a child,

but it also takes a village to raise a village

to raise a community

to raise a country

 

our country was built on the possibility

and the promise of a handshake between friends

 

built on the hope harboured in knowing that dirt under your fingernails

was the same dirt that was under the fingernails

of your father, your uncle and your grandfather

 

built on the coming together of women

in halls and around kitchen tables

 

despite the distance of geography

we have grown in community

despite the solitude of climate

we have borne the weight of responsibility for our neighbours

 

our country is a gift

that moves with the spirit of cooperation

and so, in celebrating this international year of cooperatives

 

this poem is for the group of Alberta farmers

who plowed fields and gathered grain together,

who raised barns and then sat in them for dances

the farmers who paused to watch the way

the prairie dust picked itself up just before a storm

and swirled in unison with struggle but did not back down

the farmers whose dreams did not stop at the edge of their fields,

the ones who stepped out onto ledge of the horizon,

swallowed the winds of change and fought to unite

the farmers brave enough to tie themselves to the land and to each other

knowing that strength is found in numbers

 

the poem is for the business owners

whose parents travelled here in steamships

with coins sewn into the seams of their clothing

this poem is for those who knew too well

the sound of ripping thread

to release the last of paycheque

who dreamt of wealth in a new way

who were not afraid to put words

like credit and union together

 

this poem is for the Nova Scotian students

who imagined new societies without company stores and houses

where people had the power

It is for the students that rewrote textbooks

Over songs of the dirty thirties dustbowl

the students that dared to sing while the country lamented

the students who taught communities to join hands

lest their circle be unbroken

 

this poem is for the group of outdoor adventurers from Vancouver

who found themselves scheming mountains in a rainy tent

on Mount Baker 40 years ago

a group who lived for the beauty of this country,

who longed for the potential of the shared experiences

offered by its diverse geography

a group who knew the value of a tying a strong knot in a climbing rope

who joined themselves together to bring

their passion of adventure and environment to Canadians

 

this poem is for the dairy farmers and the grocers

the insurance brokers and the bankers

all those who stand in community before wealth

who value democracy and volunteers

 

this poem is for possibility and promise

for the gift of hope harboured in community

for strength in unity

this poem is for the power of cooperation

 

 

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Cooperatives Matters 2012 June Issue 14.pdf847.48 KB