Inspired: Experiences at the ACE Institute and USA Cooperative Youth Council Youth Cohort by Meredith Bruster

A blog post reflection written by Aynah’s summer intern, Meredith Bruster, a junior at Luther College and a leader in Luther’s Aynah chapter.

Inspired. Experiences at the ACE Institute and USA Cooperative Youth Council Youth Cohort

“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”

                                                                   -Helen Keller

Cooperation, as voiced by Helen Keller, proves essential to enacting impactful change. To understand how the cooperative model offers opportunities to foster change, one must look to cooperative education. The Association of Cooperative Educators Institute and USA Cooperative Youth Council both gathered cooperative members, educators, and activists through shared learning about the cooperative movement in exchange of resources for shared education about cooperatives. This blog post explores cooperative education experiences among youth and cooperative educators by promoting future intergenerational collaboration, youth leadership, values-based relationships and inclusive spaces. Collectively, these values foster a culture of cooperation.

Inspired by vision and driven by values, these passion-evoking cooperative education experiences offered insight on leadership, teamwork and personal development by means of seven learning points that I can apply as an chapter leader and as a young leader in the co-op movement.

TOP SEVEN LEARNING POINTS

•      Icebreakers offer fundamental opportunities to energize and refocus

o   Icebreakers are activities that begin to help the group unite as a team. Icebreakers can be a simple and fun way to promote group bonding and check in. Whether group members are or are not familiar with each other, creating opportunities for group members to get to know each other and refocus will  promote group relationships and teamwork.

•      Gauge, communicate and ask about needs at the beginning

o   Begin an activity, meeting, or event by asking about individual needs. Whether needs are physical or emotional, communicating needs at the beginning is very important to fostering an open and inclusive space in which the group can grow. For example, at the end of the CYCs several individuals mentioned feeling tired. Orientation facilitators responded to this feedback by shortening the session to provide the group with extra time to recharge. In this instance, adapting the agenda to meet the needs of the group demonstrated respect for individuals’ time and energy levels, and helped foster an environment in which people communicate their needs.

•      Engage with different learning styles

o   In one session we learned about four different learning styles: visual, auditory, kinesthetic and demonstration. According to Esteban Kelly, a worker-owner of AORTA and a co-director of the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives, only 10% of auditory information is retained. Many people learn best by seeing, moving and practicing—or a combination of all three. By engaging in different learning styles, presenters, teachers and leaders can involve the group right away and provide for more opportunities for individuals to learn.

•      Learn about the communities in which you would like to work

o   Expressing interest and taking the time to learn about the communities allows the project to become collaborative and relevant. Without expressing interest and willingness to learn, building sustained relationships and joining together to create positive change is not possible.

•      Structure conversations around values

o   Networking is all about making connections between people—these connections are often more successful when individuals share their values and find meaningful ways to connect these values to a vision.  Avoid  listing accomplishments, projects, and goals. Effective networking begins with reflecting upon personal values and discovering ways to connect personal values, passions, experiences, and future aspirations

•      Search for alternative ways to explain concepts

o   Some words or concepts, such as “cooperative”, may be stigmatized, offensive or misunderstood by certain groups. Finding alternative ways to explain to explain key concepts and teach to the group may provide more opportunities for individuals to stay focused and learn without diverting attention to “road block” words and phrases.

•      Collaborate through communication of shared vision and values

o   Vision and values develop from within, however, true positive and impactful change takes root when individuals join together in shared values and vision.

Truly, the CYC cohort and ACE members who attended the ACE institute embody the energy, passion and values of cooperation. With newfound energy and relationships to guide our path, Aynah can collaborate with other educators in the cooperative movement—and together we can do so much.

Thank You & Farewell to Founding ED

Katie and two Luther students on Aynah’s spring break trip to North Carolina

Aynah’s commitment to advancing cooperative education and the cooperative movement has never been stronger. The recent Aynah Trip to North Carolina is the most recent example of this dedication. In North Carolina, we were able to launch new curricula and build relationships with area cooperatives in a way that truly engaged the participants in the region’s cooperative movement. Aynah continues to make a strong impact on an increasing number of college campuses through its on-site cooperative workshops and education programs. As Aynah continues to grow, we continue to empower more emerging cooperative leaders both among our student constituents and staff.

Part of the work of developing young leaders includes saying goodbye as they transition to new opportunities and experiences. This spring, after four years of work turning Aynah from a college club into a staffed non-profit organization, we are bidding farewell to our founding Executive Director, Katie Campbell, as she moves on this summer and makes space for new leaders within Aynah.

Please join us in celebrating Katie’s work and leadership. Among other accomplishments, Katie played a central role in growing our constituent base to include three campuses and over fifty engaged students, building out the organization’s budget to employ two full-time staff, and recruiting a strong, inaugural Board of Directors. Finding a balance between sharing ones vision and listening to others is often times difficult for a leader to find. However, this has been a cornerstone of Katie’s leadership – one that has allowed Aynah to both benefit from multiple points of view and stay true to the mission. A cornerstone of Katie’s leadership has been the ability to maintain a balance between sharing her own vision and listening to that of others. The resulting culture of collaboration Katie has built through her leadership will remain an asset for Aynah.

We thank Katie for her years of service and commitment to the work of cooperative education. We wish her the best in her future work, which we know will continue to take her to great places. We look forward to Aynah’s bright future that Katie has helped to ensure. Thank you for your continued support of Aynah and for joining us on this remarkable journey.

Gabriel Rysdahl
Aynah Board President
grysdahl@gmail.com

Best Practices – Some Things We Learned Leading a Cooperative Education Experience

Aynah trips are kind of like cooperative summer camp on wheels. Which sounds like the best thing ever. It’s also really hard. Several people having fun in a van talking about cooperation and social justice on long drives requires careful planning and intention. And also some times when you don’t plan or use any intention. We did some things really well this time around. We also fell short a number of times. In both cases we did a lot of learning. Here are our takeaways for future cooperative education experiences:

Orient Yourselves – Leave ample time at the beginning of the trip for folks to get to know each other and understand what they’re all bringing to the space. As tempting as it is to just jump right into the heart of what we’re learning about, group learning isn’t going to go well if the group hasn’t formed well.

Form a Knowledge Base – An introductory workshop on the topic of the trip is essential. Identify some basic knowledge everyone should have before the trip starts, turn it into a set of learning goals, and then create a space to achieve those goals together. Make it long enough to really dig into questions and insights that come up.

Check-In Often – At least once daily, create a space for folks to talk to each other about how things are going. Is there more basic information folks are wanting now that things have really started? How is everyone feeling? What things are going well? What could go better? Cooperation, justice, and group dynamics are all tough journeys, not one time events. Make sure you’re headed in the direction you want to be headed.

Create an Equitable Basic Living Situation – Figure out everyone’s needs for sustenance, comfort, health, and happiness. Find the highest common denominator between them and make sure that is the standard of living for your trip. Be careful not to call out anyone’s specific needs in creating this.

Move! – Lots of folks will give presentations that involve a lot of sitting and standing for young cooperators. Make sure to include some workshops or skill shares that involve more movement, play some games to start and end your day, and/or include walking/hiking in your daily schedule. It’s not really an experience if you’re passively taking it all in.

Keep a Basic Physical Care Kit Handy – Sometimes people fall when you’re trying to take the perfect group jumping picture. Sometimes they have sinus issues and struggle with a neti pot. As a leader, you should have access to basic first aid and cold care necessities for the little stuff that comes up. Being healthy is a necessary first step to doing some serious learning.

Vary Your Perspectives – Learning requires variety, especially when you’re digging into complex topics like cooperation and social justice. Prepare to engage in experiences that represent different understandings of the world, and potentially even contradict each other. Definitely make sure to experience examples of all the things you want students to take away. If they don’t experience it, they probably aren’t going to learn it.

Have Some Flexible Fun – Having fun is a given. We’re talking about cooperative summer camp on wheels, remember? But fun is different for everybody. Schedule some free time into your itinerary. Also schedule some intentional flex time that can be free or used for a fun group activity or can result in a spontaneous learning experience you plan together. Concrete plans and a mostly fixed itinerary make it possible to achieve learning goals. Some flexible fun time mixed in is what’s going to make the trip memorable and worth re-creating.

Expect and Accept a Lack of Closure – It’s not going to go perfectly. Not this time. Not any time. Everyone will be left with things they still want to know more about, things they wish they’d had more time for. This is all part of the education journey. Don’t try to create a perfect experience, try to create a worthwhile experience. Then learn what you can and embark on the wonderful life journey of constant improvement. What kind of educators would we be if we didn’t take our own learning seriously?

7 Things We Want to Do as a Result of the #Aynahtrip

What’s education worth if it doesn’t lead you to new perspectives and action? We’re not really sure. So we asked students what they were inspired to do after a week of exploring cooperatives in North Carolina. Here are the top 7 things they identified:

1. Make our student chapters an exhibit of cooperation by operating democratically and bring cooperative education to
   people that don’t know.
2. Incorporate cooperative principles into our everyday lives.
3. Seek out cooperative businesses in our lives at home.
4. Find ways to really be a part of community.
5. Present the idea of cooperation in any situation where we, along with other people, identify acommon economic, social, or cultural need.
6. Go on future Aynah trips.*
7. Move to North Carolina.

*We swear we didn’t plant this one. But it is our favorite. 🙂

Getting a “Picture” of the #Aynahtrip to North Carolina

It’s hard to explain this cooperative education experience in words. Take a look at the images from our trip below and stay tuned for further insights about what made this trip so worthwhile.

Associate Director, Natalie, facilitates a Co-ops 101 workshop in a small schoolyard in Virginia.

Luther College senior, GV, speaks with a Renaissance Community Coop board member at their monthly community meeting.

Why did the chicken cross the road? To take a picture with Aynah students on our exploration of Raleigh with the Executive Director of the Cooperative Council of North Carolina, Jennie Gentry, on National Agriculture Awareness Day.

Still donning our hair nets after a fascinating tour of all of the internal operations of Weaver Street Market, a multi-stakeholder grocery cooperative with some big plans to affect the accessibility of organic food.

Fellow #coopyouth, Yahya, facilitating an excellent workshop on consensus decision making.

The wall of the Dill Pickle Food Co-op in Chicago reminding us of the seven cooperative principles that connect all the things we’ve learned about on this trip into a movement worth joining.

Cooperative Education Grant Announcement!

Aynah receives a $65,000 Cooperative Education Grant

FROM THE CHS FOUNDATION

Read the full press release here: 2015 CHS Press Release

Why I didn’t visit Mondragon while in Spain

Written by Natalie Locke, Associate Director of Aynah

The northern part of Spain is cold and I didn’t want to be on trains for too long (#boring). Thanks for reading.

Okay, there’s a bit more to it than that.

A quick Google search of cooperatives in Spain pulls up links about Mondragon exclusively, at least on the first page. More specific searches of various cities in Spain, at least the larger ones like Barcelona and Madrid, will give you links to the cooperative federations around the country and some information about their cooperative futbol clubs.* With this information alone, I built a plan centered around a couple federation visits in Barcelona and Madrid and a couple of days to visit Mondragon.

On my first day walking around Barcelona, I stumbled upon this bookstore. A seven-person worker cooperative selling books and other resources on social justice and social change, plus trainings and workshops on cooperative business, including tours of cooperatives in various neighborhoods around Barcelona (#everythingiwant). Language barriers (#Catalan) prevented me from getting all the information I would have liked from the woman working at the bookstore. I also couldn’t find my way to the tour they were leading for this reason. When I mentioned my intended visit to Mondragon, she raised her eyebrows. “They export some of their labor to India so they’re not operating totally locally. Capitalist economy and cooperative economy don’t work together,” she said. She suggested that there were other co-ops to visit all over the country, if that’s what I wanted to do.

It was at this point that I cut Mondragon out of my travel plans. Why travel so far and so long to see one co-op when there’s a strong culture of cooperation in the rest of the Spain, too?

Folks at FAECTA in Sevilla informed me that worker cooperatives accounts for 13% of the economy in Andalusia, the southernmost autonomous community in Spain. Tourism accounts 12%. Women make up 50% of the worker owners in these cooperatives and there is even an organization supporting the intersection of the feminist economy and the cooperative economy, working under FAECTA. There is also a huge push to get more youth in co-ops in order to sustain the movement, and the folks at FAECTA recommended this book for more information about young cooperators worldwide (#coopyouth!). In regards to Mondragon, they said, “They market themselves well so they’re widely acknowledged, but cooperative culture is actually much richer and more widespread in the south.”For example, the commitment to local, organic food in Granada has sparked an agricultural cooperative movement in southeastern Spain. Las Torcas has 25 producer members in various climates in the region so they can provide fresh produce to their customers year round. In addition to CSA shares and farmers markets, they sell to cooperative buyer clubs, which keep prices low for consumers, and profit higher for producers. Olive oil producers, both conventional and organic, in the region have adopted this way of thinking too. La Flor, which shares many members with Las Torcas, informed me that most olive oil producers in Spain form cooperatives because the equipment is too expensive to buy alone. By cooperating, they cut out the middle man, once again keeping prices reasonable and profits at a maximum.

Avoiding the logistical nightmare of transit on rural mountain roads meant I missed out on this cooperative community of 2700 people. The nature of this community makes me wonder how the loose constitution in Spain, which accommodates a multi-lingual culture and the development of autonomous communities (#17), might be supporting a more cooperative culture. That one of the ICA’s cooperative principles is ‘Autonomy and Independence’ does not seem like a coincidence in this context.

I would still like to visit Mondragon and will put energy into making it happen the next time I am in Spain (#Aynahtrip?). I am most interested in how it fits in the context of cooperatives nationwide. I only scratched the surface of the cooperative sector in this varied country and am anxious to learn more about what treasures are buried deeper. Certainly Mondragon is a fascinating example of cooperation on a large scale, but to let the largest and best marketed organization become the face of cooperation for a whole country is to lose sight of the amazing work being done by smaller groups of passionate, dedicated people.

*The futbol fan ownership is actually really rad. I don’t have a good excuse for not finding out everything about that and going to a game to cheer for cooperative sports. #oops.

The 2014 Aynah Outreach Tour – a summary and reflection

Written by Natalie Locke, Associate Director of Aynah

Day 1: A friend and I took the long route to Chicago. Long route meant a stop in Viroqua, WI, which is home to one of the seven grocery co-ops in the country that participate in the P6 program. We were able to get a tour of Viroqua Food Co-op’s P6 programming, as well as sample some local P6 craft soda! It’s totally inspiring to see the national program that Seward Community Co-op created spreading wings and taking off around the country (#minneapolispride). It was also inspiring to meet folks on day one who were so eager to share what they’re working on cooperatively in their community. It bodes well for future Aynah programming.

Day 2: Busy day! Woke up at Koinonia House, which we were connected to through friends in Grand Aspirations and the USA Cooperative Youth Council (#youthempowerment). Drove to the opposite side of Chicago to meet with Brian Van Slyke of the Toolbox for Education and Social Action who is working with Aynah on collaborative cooperative education curriculum. Nothing like an in-person meeting to make you realize how they’re 1000x more productive than a series of video calls(#facetoface). Then on to Lansing, MI. Arrived in time for a quick dinner and then the Spartan Global Development Fund meeting at Michigan State University. Spartan Global was Aynah’s draw to this area and they didn’t disappoint. Six enthusiastic students showed up for some riveting (albeit long-winded) conversation about how to create power with a group instead of power over a group. And one of them offered me a couch for these few days!

Day 3: Woke up for a morning meeting with the student president of Spartan Global and unpacked some excellent partnership ideas related to ways that Aynah can support their microfinancing of cooperatives abroad. An afternoon exploration of East Lansing led me to the East Lansing Food Co-op and to Moosejaw, which is local recreational gear store that supports co-ops through a 15% discount to co-op members (#newsocks)! I also stumbled upon a co-op sticker on a pole on a median in the middle of a cross walk (#stealthco-ops).

Day 4: Exploration of Ann Arbor (#nomeetings)! Lots of reconnaissance for a potential Aynah trip here someday, though. We’d have loads of visits to choose from including the People’s Food Co-op, Zingerman’s Deli, and the University of Michigan’s Inter-Cooperative Council. Not to mention co-op support at bookstores and cherry shops (Yep! Cherry shops!). Maybe we could even go a cooperatively run scavenger hunt for all the fairy doors in town (#Aynahsurprise)? Visiting places in advance certainly gives me a confidence boost when I think about leading trips with students to these places.

Day 5: Started the day with the wonderful Paulette Stenzel, professor of cooperatives, fair trade, and sustainability at Michigan State University. She’s the advisor for Spartan Global in addition to the MSU chapter of Students Today, Leaders Forever. She’s also a total gem. We dreamt together about co-op development in East Lansing, all the folks I’ll meet with next time I visit, and elaborated on partnership potential for Spartan Global and Aynah, among other things. Paulette was fuel for my drive to Richmond, IN, home of Aynah’s Earlham Chapter. On the agenda for the evening: A three-hour meeting to plan for our upcoming trip to Costa Rica. As always, the students out-run me and I’m ready to crash at the end of the night (#feelingold).

Day 6: Workshop day! 12 students show up to Rose City Coffee Co-op (#CoFED) for games and conversation about cooperatives, testing out my education model that puts emphasis on interaction and body movement. Wanna start a cooperative movement? You better start moving! How do we create cooperative culture when we’ve been socialized to compete, to be individualistic, to form hierarchies? We play games to re-socialize! We pulled each other’s fingers, tied each others shoes, leaned on each other, and laughed together. This is cooperative education in action. For more on my inspiration for embodiment in education, check out this inspiring writing by Minneapolis-based social justice consultant, Heather Hackman. (Scroll down to ‘Training Tidbits’ for the part on ‘Remembering the Body.’

Day 7: On the seventh day, I drove across Indiana. There really isn’t much to say about that. 

Day 8: My morning meeting with a graduate student from China started with some confusion about two buildings having the same name (#outoftowner). She’s inspired by Aynah and wants to come on our trips and build capacity for a chapter at Purdue. This felt like the kind of capacity building that we’re looking for – international connections and inspired students. I spent the afternoon at Greyhouse, an affiliate of Greymob, catching up on emails. It was the founder of Greymob, Jason Tennenhouse, that made connections for us at Purdue. It was through two degrees of separation from him that I ended up meeting with the graduate student (#networkingFTW). From the window of Greyhouse, I could see this beautiful mural in creation. It can’t possibly have been coincidence. Then I drove to Madison, WI. 

Day 9: Got up for Anne Reynolds’ Cooperatives class, where I gave a five-minute introduction to Aynah through games and gathered some interested students’ names. Then Anne and I shared ideas, resources, and dreams for youth empowerment and cooperative education. She introduced me to the education resource Dr. Pop, which reminds a bit of Reweave, at least in terms of its use of online resources to provide education around the big issues that matter most. Inspired and rejuvenated, I bought some cheese curds and drove home, thinking:

There is incredible power in face to face interactions. The message of “you matter enough that I want to see your face,” the ability to feed off of each other’s energy towards common vision, the connection that comes from physical touch, a handshake or a hug. The deeper bond that is formed from an in-person meeting leads to a more sustainable working relationship, for which there is no replacement. At the root of Aynah’s success as a start-up non-profit are the relationships we’ve built. This outreach tour was an intentional investment in relationships, new and old, and I hope it becomes a regular part of our programming.

Aynah brings on new board members

Aynah’s board of directors is expanding! We are growing our five person board to eight with three additional directors. We look forward to the added skills, talents, and influence of our newest directors, Haaris, Nicole, and Ava. Please join us in welcoming them to Aynah’s board!

Haaris Pasha graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2011 with a degree in Political Science. He currently works as a Product Development Analyst at Travelers Bond & Financial Products in Saint Paul, MN. He is passionate about building and connecting coalitions of communities by identifying and emphasizing the common bonds that link us all together.

 

 

 

Nicole Ektnitphong grew up in Worthington, MN and is a current senior at Gustavus Adolphus College, where she is pursuing a degree in Political Science with an emphasis in Peace Studies and Civic Leadership.  Summer 2014, she facilitated “Be the Change: Leadership on Purpose,” a pilot program she created for young people that aims to cultivate holistic leadership in Southwest Minnesota.  The program curriculum was influenced partly by a deep passion for youth empowerment and her Social Justice, Peace + Development study abroad program in India.

 

Ava Suzuki-Lambrect has worked in nonprofit organizations since 2008, starting with the United States Peace Corps (Mauritania) and continuing with AmeriCorps (Conservation Corps of Minnesota and Iowa) and Saint David’s Center for Child & Family Development. Ava has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Gustavus Adolphus College and is currently earning a master’s in Nonprofit Management from Hamline University. Ava is currently part of a two-person administrative team that provides comprehensive support to the vice president of philanthropic services and the gift planning and partner relations teams at Minnesota Philanthropy Partners in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Outside of work, Ava continues volunteering, learning Japanese, and scouring the city for new coffee shops.

 

5 Things We Learned From Aynah Trip II

5 Things We Learned From Aynah Trip II

Written by Natalie Locke, Aynah Associate Director

After the great success of our first Aynah trip on cooperatives and development, we were really looking forward to the second rendition. We took all of the student feedback into account and created a trip full of presenters and workshops that we were really proud of. We booked a retreat center, a 15-passenger van, bought food for home-cooked meals, and planned a pizza party. We expected our networks would easily bring in 13 students and we didn’t want any more than that so we could all fit in the van together and conversations would allow space for everyone’s voices to be heard.

Then two things happened. First, outreach wasn’t as effective as we hoped and only nine students registered. And second, in the 24 hours before the trip all the registered students but three canceled. So we embraced the opportunity presented to us. After all, we never fail. We either succeed or we learn.

We canceled a few presentations, reduced the number of nights at the retreat center, forfeited the deposit on the van, and packed our workshops and three remaining presenters into 36 hours of serious experiential learning, for both ourselves and the students.

So we present: 5 Things We Learned From Aynah Trip II

1. Flexibility is key.
Presented with the dilemma of how best to address our student shortage, we avoided the easy answer – cancel the trip. Instead we contacted all the stakeholders involved, explained the circumstances, and figured out the best way to use our resources efficiently for the best possible experience. Had we not been flexible with our solutions, we would have lost the opportunity to have the amazing experience that we did.

2. Small is beautiful.
By embracing fully the three students that participated, and not wishing for more, the five of us had a remarkable and irreplaceable experience together. We dove deep into the issues we discussed, made time to truly hear everyone speak, played games we couldn’t have played with larger groups, and laughed harder and longer together because we came to know each other better. The small group turned out to be blessing for everyone that came.

3. Transparency wins.
At the end of the trip we sat down with students to debrief our time together and discuss ideas for moving forward. Rather than hiding our disappointment about so many students canceling, we spoke openly and honestly with our participants. In return they were open and honest with us and we have a whole host of ideas for refining our trip programming and retaining student interest in the future.

4. Cooperation is the best.
There’s nothing like an unexpected misfortune to help us figure out who’s on our side. The answer: everyone we’ve built relationships with. Why? Because they operate in the cooperative sector on some level and understand the importance of relationship-building, making mistakes, learning, and working together instead of against each other. We’re confident that we gracefully maintained all of our stakeholders and we owe that to the willingness of all partners to truly cooperate.

5. Whatever happens is the right thing.
The shape the trip took, the schedule we adopted, the people who came, were all exactly what they should have been. Perhaps we’re getting too spiritual now, but what use is there in wishing for something different when what we had was so good?