Working together for a co-operative future – nine young co-operators share their stories

A new video tells the stories of nine young co-operators from different countries across the world. The video, produced by the International Organisation of Industrial and Service Co-operatives was launched on 11 November at the Global Conference of the International Co-operative Alliance.

Working together for a co-operative future was created collaboratively by organisations that represent worker co-operatives and co-operatives involved in the project. The 14 minute film has English subtitles and young co-operators talk about their co-operative journey in their own languages.

The co-operatives presented include Bases co-operative in Argentina, which edits El Megáfono, a weekly newspaper. Another co-operative mentioned is AGURIĪN, a social co-operative from Japan that produces renewable energy from used cooking oil. The co-op also works to integrate young people with psychological problems. Also featured is Ugu Coop Produce, a South African co-operative from the Natal region that produces organic vegetables.

As the number of employee-owned enterprises continues to grow in France, young workers from Atelier Reeb, a co-operative that specialises in water purification, have taken over the enterprise with the former owners’ support. The video tells their story.

Young co-operators from Japan, Argentina, Italy, Spain, France, United States, Brazil, Poland, and South Africa also share their experience.

“Young people are the present and future leaders of our co-operative movement; moreover they also hold the tools to transform their reality in a better world. The worker and social co-operatives, as enterprises controlled democratically by their workers, are especially prepared to achieve this goal as they already promote equality, solidarity, social justice: they are present to help us through this change”, declared Manuel Mariscal, President of CICOPA.

Youth committee chair of the Alliance, Gabriela Buffa, presented the video to the conference. She said the video reflected the fact that the youth choose the co-operative model “as a way of life because it allows them to work in a way which is coherent with their thinking, working with the others, and taking decisions between all”.