A £10,000 competition has been launched to help students set-up co-operatives.
Altgen, which supports young people to start co-operatives, has teamed up with Co-operatives UK and universities to launch the Young Co-operators Prize to recognise new student and graduate co-operatives.
The prize will support five groups of young people to set up their own co-operative enterprise by providing mentoring, business support and a £2,000 prize.
Ten universities have so far signed up as partners for the prize, signalling the commitment to help their students and graduates stop competing and start co-operating to create their own work. Over the coming months AltGen will be touring the country to run workshops with students in these institutions.
Petra Morris at Co-operatives UK said “We are delighted to inspire the next generation of co-operators and look forward to rewarding their innovative and collaborative ideas. It’s great that we will be able to provide the resources and practical support for young entrepreneurs to get their co-operative enterprise off the ground.”
Rhiannon Colvin of AltGen said: “The Young Co-operators Prize is about empowering young people to create a more equal and sustainable economy. We don’t have to accept the way work is today. If we stop fighting one another and start working together we can create work that allows us to generate a fair wage, do something we love and have a positive social impact. Co-operatives offer us a practical way of doing this.”
Prizes will be awarded in March to new and innovative ideas. For more details, visit: www.y-c-p.co.uk
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