How was the 2025 International Year of Cooperatives for you and your organisation?
2025 has been a landmark year for the global co-operative movement, especially with the United Nations officially declaring it as the International Year of Cooperatives. This recognition brought global momentum, visibility, and renewed unity across the movement.
For me personally, 2025 was especially meaningful. On 3 July 2025, I was elected president of the International Cooperative Alliance Youth Committee, marking the beginning of a new chapter for youth representation within ICA.
This year, our focus was on making the Youth Committee more inclusive and globally responsive. We launched Youth Connect, our new platform designed to strengthen communication, participation, and collaboration among young co-operators worldwide. We also laid the groundwork for deeper engagement with co-operative educational institutions across regions, acknowledging that real transformation starts with the next generation of learners.
Overall, 2025 was a year of building foundations, expanding inclusivity, defining long-term priorities, and setting the direction for a stronger, youth-driven global co-operative movement.
What are your hopes for 2026?
In 2026, our goal is to convert this year’s groundwork into meaningful implementation. One key priority is to establish formal collaborations with co-operative educational institutions, ensuring youth engagement is embedded from early stages of learning.
We’ll also expand Youth Connect into a global ecosystem for leadership development, community building, and co-operative innovation. A major milestone will be the international youth co-operation event in Kazan, which will provide a global space for young leaders to exchange perspectives and co-create future pathways.
Another central priority for 2026 is shaping a purposeful youth leadership journey, developing clearer pathways, mentorship structures, and leadership touchpoints so young co-operators can grow with intention and direction.
We also plan to strengthen and expand the Cooperative Cultural Heritage initiative that was launched this year in Brazil. In 2026, we aim to connect youth more deeply with co-operative identity, history, and cultural roots, turning heritage into a living, participatory experience.
Finally, we will be focusing strongly on improving access to funding for youth in co-operatives, ensuring young leaders have the resources they need to start, scale, and sustain co-operative enterprises.
I hope 2026 becomes a year of strengthening, implementing, and elevating youth leadership on a truly global scale.
