How co-op research can promote engagement across generations

Delegates at the Co-operative Education Conference in Manchester looked at different approaches to research. One case study came from the Algoma University in Canada, which runs a Community...

Delegates at the Co-operative Education Conference in Manchester looked at different approaches to research. One case study came from the Algoma University in Canada, which runs a Community Economic and Social Development (CESD) programme that promotes community-based research. The undergraduate programme has a strong practical component and includes an international development project.

Gayle Broad, associate professor at the Department of Community Development and Social Work is one of the academics involved in the undergraduate programme.

Gayle Broad
Gayle Broad

In 2009, she joined other academics and students on a journey by raft on the Kanogami and Albany rivers with an intergenerational group of community members from Fort Albany First Nation. The locals were given the chance to interact and interview each other while visiting and documenting a dozen sites of importance. “What we’re trying to do with this research is respond to the learning needs of the community. We work with them to develop a curricula that responds to needs and work with them afterwards,” explained Dr Broad.

She added: “Pedagogy based on traditional ecological knowledge and practices motivates learners to change behaviours, as well as increase knowledge and changes perceptions”.

In 2006, the university started working with the Association for Holistic Development of Rural Communities (ASOPRICOR), a secondary co-operative from Colombia that aims to help marginalised farmers adopt a strategy for self-sufficiency and economic diversification. In collaboration with the co-op and the university UNIMINUTO, Algoma University ran a five-year participatory action research project that included exchange visits from ASOPRICOR members to Canada and for CESD researchers to Colombia. The project also involved creating a post-secondary programme similar to the one run by the Algoma University – adapting it to the Colombian context.

Full coverage: Co-operative Education Conference 2016

In a separate presentation at the conference, Sally Hartley – a researcher and practitioner in international development – talked about her work with youth co-ops in Africa. While many states across the continent are facing growing rates of youth unemployment, the co-operative option is only seldom taken into account by young people. Her research looked at different case studies, such as youth co-ops in Lesotho and agricultural co-ops in Uganda. Another study assessed the involvement of young Zambians in co-ops. Similarly to the Algoma project, Ms Hartley’s research aimed to create a space for respondents to tell their stories.

The research revealed certain challenges in involving young people in co-ops, such as their perception of co-ops as tied to agriculture. Young people are also more likely to take payday loans, showed the paper. This is an area where saving and credit unions can tap into, said Mr Hartley. Co-ops are also important for giving young people access to work experience and valuable skills linked to membership.

She also highlighted that young people are embedded in their networks, such as schools, families, church and friends and that co-operatives should explore this opportunity.

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