Elevating the performance and impact of co-operative enterprises through customized business education and research. Connect with us at managementstudies.coop.

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IN THIS EDITION Application time for Master's, Graduate Diploma and Certificate Programs Help us make co-operative management education accessible Join us for Executive Education courses in 2021 Black History Month Offering our gratitude to Daniel Côté Upcoming webinar: Global research on young people and co-operatives Exciting curriculum changes to our Master's, Graduate Diploma and Certificate Programs

IT'S APPLICATION TIME! BURSARIES AVAILABLE.   Online, part-time programs for co-operative and credit union professionals: - Master of Management, Co-operatives and Credit Unions (3 years) - Graduate Diploma in Co-operative Management (16 months) - Certificate in Co-operative Management (10 months) Join a growing network of leading co-operative practitioners, educators and academics from around the world and experience education in a co-operative learning environment. Deepen your understanding of the co-operative business model and develop tools to maximize its impact and your leadership performance, all while continuing to work full-time. Apply now to start in August 2021! Learn about our programs and our new streamlined admissions process!  We have made exciting program changes! See the bottom of this newsletter for more details. ATTEND A WEBINAR TO LEARN MORE Join us for an online informational webinar to learn more about our programs and opportunities from the comfort of your home or office. The next sessions will take place: March 10 at 12pm AST (11pm EST), Register here March 23 at 1 pm ADT (12pm EDT), Register here

CO-OPERATIVE MANAGEMENT EDUCATION BURSARY

Each year, up to 50 percent of our Master's and Diploma students draw on the support of the Leadership in Co-operative Management Bursary. Help us to grow the bursary fund. All funds go directly to students.

Donate today!

A message from a recipient of the bursary fund this year:

Iva Jankovic 1st year Masters student Co-operative Education Program Coordinator, BC Co-operative Association Founder of BuddyUp.coop Podcast host of The Common Denominator

I have thoroughly enjoyed my first term in the Masters of Management, Co-operatives and Credit Unions program. This semester has been full of rich reading, discussion, and reflection about the co-operative principles and values, the history of co-ops, and the role they might play in transformational social, political, and economic change. In particular, I have gotten a lot of value out of connecting with my new cohort members - I am certain that we will find many opportunities to collaborate in the future! I have also benefited from the wealth of experience and insight that I have gained from my professors this term, and I have begun to apply my learnings through my work at the BC Co-operative Association. My learning in the Master's program has been vital to my development as a co-operator and my organization's ability to adapt to the challenges that 2020 brought.

JOIN US FOR EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Virtual 2-day course Excellence in Member-centric Governance and Management September 15 & 16 Registration open! Discuss and debate the many facets of the membership aspect of co-operatives, including: people-centred management, ownership and control, and network governance. Grapple with the unique challenges inherent in leading and managing co-operatives while including voice, representation, participation, and engagement of people at the core. Special registration packages are offered for organizations registering five+ individuals. For more information, visit our website.

*NEW* Virtual 2-day course Operationalizing the Co-operative Identity – Strategy to Practice October 20 & 21, in collaboration with NCBA-CLUSA’s Co-operative IMPACT Conference. Dig deep into co-operative identity including how purpose, values, and principles translate into enterprise strategy and effective practice. Finish the course with a rich set of concepts, tools, and examples. Course registration is available through the Cooperative IMPACT Conference system. Until registration launches, we welcome expressions of interest to erinhancock@smu. For more information, please visit our website.

Highlights from February's Course 'Excellence in Member-centric Governance and Management' We had a fabulous course February 17-18, 2021. The course was facilitated by Karen Miner (ICCM, CMC), Dr. Sonja Novkovic, (ICCM, ICA CCR) with key presentations by Fred Freundlich (LANKI, University of Mondragon), Erbin Crowell (NFCA, NCBA CLUSA), Cornelius Blanding (FSC-LAF) and George Ombado (ACCOSCA) We were a group of 68 with 61 participants, as well as 7 trainers/staff/guests. We came together from all over the world - from the Basque Country (Spain), Belgium, Canada, Eswatini, the Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Switzerland, and the United States. We are grateful to the participants and presenters for bringing their enthusiasm and brilliance to this important learning opportunity. If you would like to participate in the next time we offer this, sign up for September 15-16 here.

I'm passionate about looking for solutions that support humanity, from education to health, transport, [addressing] conflict, climate change. Developing economies are seeking solutions relating to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We all have a role in the credit unions to contribute to that space. Guest presenter: George Y. Ombado, Executive Director, Africa Confederation of Co-operative Savings & Credit Associations

Co-operative Principle 6 is one of the more valuable principles in our work. Without us working together in this federation, I don't think co-operatives in the South would be where they are now. Because of the context and history of exploitation in this region, we work with low-income communities that face a lot of barriers, so by working together we reach a scale that can provide income and create wealth, education and assistance. Guest presenter: Cornelius Blanding, Executive Director of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund and NCBA-CLUSA Board Member

Black History Month February marks Black History Month in Canada (Turtle Island), USA (Turtle Island) and the United Kingdom. Like the many other actors in the co-operative and solidarity economy, we take this time to deepen our understanding of the long and rich legacy of black co-operation, to lift up voices of co-operators on the forefront of racial and economic justice movements, and to sit in questions about how we can infuse racial justice, equity, diversity and inclusion into our work. We acknowledge the legacies of colonialism, slavery and other forms of state-sanctioned economic and social subordination and exploitation. We acknowledge that the dominate economic model is rooted in these histories and does not provide for reparations, equity and justice, but rather continues to reproduce these power structures. We acknowledge that white supremacy and anti-black racism is still endemic. It is incumbent on all co-operators to dismantle these power structures in our organizations, in our communities and in our interpersonal relations. As principled and values-based organizations, co-operatives are positioned to advance racial justice, equity and social solidarity. We must embrace this call to action, together. Below, we have highlighted some important presentations and discussions that are pertinent to racial justice, economic justice and co-operation.

Interview with Cornelius Blanding, Federation of Southern Cooperatives/ Land Assistance Fund Erbin Crowell, Executive Director of Neighboring Food Cooperative Association, interviews Cornelius Blanding, Executive Director of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives / Land Assistance Fund, as part of the Centre's December 2020 training on Member-centric Governance & Management. The interview explores how the Federation flexes co-op Principle 6, it's historic intersections with the Civil Rights Movement in the South and the potential for co-operatives to realize greater social and economic justice for Black communities. Presentation from Jessica Gordon-Nembhard on the Challenge of Achieving Racial Equity In this session from NCBA CLUSA's 2020 Cooperative Impact Virtual Conference, co-operative professor and historian Jessica Gordon-Nembhard problematizes the notion that “co-ops can’t be racist,”citing that co-operatives' open membership and democratic member control does not go far enough to address the cumulative effects of structural and institutional racism.

Co-operatives Can Advance DEI: Lessons, Issues & Ways Forward In this session from NCBA CLUSA’s 2020 Co-op Impact Conference, Moderated by National Cooperative Bank’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs John Holdsclaw IV, co-operative change makers discuss the current state of diversity, equity and inclusion in the co-operative movement with a focus on how sectors are raising awareness and taking action on DEI. LaDonna Sanders Redmond: Living our Co-op Values: Applying an Intercultural Development Model Community activist, co-operator, DEI Trainer & Coach (Columinate) and a Master's Student with our Centre, LaDonna Sanders Redmond introduces an Intercultural Development Model that supports the implementation of practical governance and management processes that positively impact diversity, equity, and inclusion in our organizations.

Jessica Gordon Nembhard: Cooperative Economics and Civil Rights 'What role did economic co-operation play in the civil rights movement? As it turns out, a huge one. This forgotten history is the focus of Dr. Jessica Gordon Nembhard's book Collective Courage: A History of African-American Economic Thought and Practice.' Listen to her interview. THE BANKER LADIES- A DOCUMENTARY A documentary about Rotating Saving and Credit Associations (ROSCAs), co-operatives and mutual aid among Black Canadian women in Toronto, Canada. Directed by Esry Mondesir, this documentary is based on research by Caroline Shenaz Hossein (Associate Professor of Business & Society in the Department of Social Science at York University in Toronto, Canada and the Founder of the Diverse Solidarity Economies (DiSE) Collective). Caroline Shenaz Hossein will be offering a webinar 'Canada’s hidden cooperative system: The legacy of the Black Banker Ladies' on March 9, 2021. Register here.

Giving Thanks to Daniel Côte We want to express our sincerest thanks to Dr. Daniel Côte, who this year, retired from the Centre in his capacity as an instructor. We are grateful for his work with us from the beginning of our program and for inspiring so many students over the years to consider management practices that were bold and epitomized the possibilities of the co-operative model. Daniel Côté has been a leading thinker in co-operative management for decades and continues to consult with co-operatives on their strategy, serve on co-operative boards and write/theorize. A 2nd edition of his book 'Co-operative Management: An Effective Model Adapted to Future Challenges' will come out soon. Stay tuned! 

Photo: Daniel Côté discussed the co-operative identity crisis and the New Co-operative Paradigm with participants during the "Enhancing Business Performance through Co-operative Management Practices" course with the Centre hosted by Neighboring Food Co-op Association in Greenfield, MA

UPCOMING WEBINAR - GLOBAL RESEARCH ON YOUTH AND CO-OPS It’s time for a bold and renewed role for young people in co-operative movement. This webinar will explore latest research published under the International Cooperative Alliance- EU Partnership for international co-operative development, which surveyed young people in 20 countries on questions of employment, education, inequalities, entrepreneurship, and engagement. We are thrilled to host the Coops4dev ICA-EU Partnership research team on March 24 (12pm ADT; 11am EDT) for a free webinar, "Digging into the Global Research on Youth and Co-ops' with Jeffrey Moxom, Simren Singh and Melvin Khabenje - Register here! Their publication ‘Young people and cooperatives: a perfect match?’ is due to be published Wednesday, March 3rd. Stay tuned. This webinar is offered as part of our Strategic Co-operative Leadership Webinar Series. Check out our previous webinar recordings here.

Global Youth Forum - Cooperative Entrepreneurship 2021 Registration is open for the Global Youth Forum 2021 #GYF21 - March 25-27. GYF21 convenes young co-operators from around the world to offer them quality training sessions to improve their skills, knowledge, and motivation in a generative peer-to-peer learning environment. Learn more. 10, 000 Strong Campaign Kicks Off with 20 Countries Represented On Febuary 16, 2021, young credit union professional from 20 countries participated first WYCUP Affiliates Council meeting - suggesting an important new chapter of co-operation among young professional (YP) networks across the globe. We love to see Principle 6 in action! Learn more.

EXCITING PROGRAM CHANGES We strive to facilitate a rich, dynamic and meaningful learning experience for our students and to offer education programs that reflect the emergent needs of the co-operative sector. The following changes to our curriculum reflect these core commitments. Across programs:  The content across all courses has been updated  We welcomed some new instructors  There is more manageable group work to ease the burden of coordinating among schedules and time zones (class discussions remain)  There will be a live launch for each course and more live or dynamic recorded sessions throughout courses   Master’s Program:  Added/refined/overhauled courses on research methods, organizational behaviour, leadership, enterprise model, and others Added a current issues course that tackles emerging issues that aren't addressed in other areas of the program The study tour will happen in spring at the end of second year in the Master's program and not overlap with any other course  Added elective Graduate Diploma:  No longer has a research project component (all course-based)  Can include the study tour as an elective Certificate Program:  Comprised of 5 courses (6 weeks each) Students who continue on to do the other programs can get advanced standing for the 5 classes (7.5 credit hours) for either degree program

‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ International Centre for Co-operative Management cme@smu.ca | Socials: @CoopMgmt managementstudies.coop

The International Centre for Co-operative Management at Saint Mary's University located in Mi'kma'ki, the unceded and never surrendered territory of Mi'kmaq. The Mi'kmaq have stewarded this land since time immemorial. It is covered by the 18th century Treaties of Peace and Friendship.