International Committee Webinars and Teleconferences

2013

From Microcredit to Microfinance:  Grameen 2.0?

In recent years, microcredit has become widely used on every continent.  According to its proponents, it can reduce poverty levels for large numbers of people, particularly women.  But there is a growing awareness that not only is microcredit not a panacea, in some cases investors are even making money off the backs of the poor, and indebtedness is growing. 

CED and social economy organizations in Canada and around the world are developing approaches that prioritize the financial needs (credit, savings and insurance) of the poorest in our society while increasing their control over their own development. This webinar presents two mutuals, one in Guinea and one in Québec, that illustrate the power of democratic microfinance.  For more info >>

2012

Co-ops: The 'Swiss Army Knife' of Community Economies

To view the webinar that took place on Monday September 24, 2012 looking at the amazing versatility of co-ops around the world, click here.
 

Sustainable Tourism: Communities Growing their Economies while Safeguarding the Environment in Canada and Internationally

For more information or to view the webinar on Sustainable Tourism that took place on Tuesday May 1, 2012 click here.  
 

Women’s Economic Empowerment: Building Strong Economies and Communities in Canada and Internationally

For more information or to view the webinar on Women's Economic Empowerment that took place onTuesday January 31, 2012,  click here.

 

2011

Fair Trade and CED: What’s the Link?

On Dec 13, 2011, this session looked at how fair trade is strengthening communities in Canada and around the world.  Click here for more information. 

Food Security and Sovereignty: Building Local Food Systems in Canada and Japan

For more information about the webinar on Food Security and Sovereignty: Building Local Food Systems in Canada and Japan, on June 28, 2011 click here.

Co-Construction of Public Policy: the Mali Experience and the International Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy

For more information about the webinar on Co-construction of Public Policy: the Mali experience and the International Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy, on May 11, 2011 click here.

North-South CED Partnerships

On February 16, 2011, the International Committee teleconference on North-South CED Partnerships highlighted international partnerships on community forestry and microcredit. 

2010

The International Committee helped lead the International Stream of the National Summit on a People Centred Economy, hosting international participants, preparing a detailed issue paper, and formulating recommendations for action.  
 

2009

2009 NATIONAL CED CONFERENCE

The Canadian CED Network held its 2009 annual conference from June 3^rd to 6^th in Winnipeg. As in previous years, the international committee organized an international stream of workshops which brought 4 speakers from Bolivian and Guatemala to speak to themes of fair trade and local purchasing, microfinance and aboriginal CED. 2 of 3 plenary addresses at the conference were also given by international speakers.

To read a summary of the workshops, click here for the 2009 international conference stream report

CEBEM – IDRC KNOWLEDGE-SHARING PROJECT

In the fall of 2008, the Canadian CED Network began implementing a 2-year knowledge sharing and mobilization project funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The project involves numerous other Canadian and Latin American research institutions including McGill and Simon Fraser Universities and is managed by the Bolivian Centre for Multidisciplinary Studies (CEBEM), a partner of the Canadian CED Network. It is expected that the project will strengthen international networks and ties between social economy researchers and practitioners in Canada and Latin America and share knowledge and experiences in the social economy in this hemisphere.

The Canadian CED Network is planning to contribute to the project through the following activities:

-sharing of research results, case studies and other CED tools

-filling out a database of Canadian social economy professionals

-putting on a series of teleconferences, forums and practitioner generated courses on CED and the social economy

To date, the Canadian CED Network has implemented a number of activities in the context of this project which include:

• A Canadian Tele-Learning call exploring the modalities through which Canadian and Latin American youth could work together.
• A Canadia-Latin America Tele-Learning call on youth economic inclusion and micro-entrepreneurship. To view a summary of the call, click here.
• In collaboration with Simon Fraser University, a Canada-Latin America Tele-Learning call on models for Aboriginal CED. To view a summary of the call, click here.
• In the following months, the Canadian CED Network will be putting on a 6-week online forum and peer-learning course for Canadian and Latin American social economy practitioners. The forum will mobilize knowledge generated by the Canadian CED Network and other partners in through the Canadian Social Economy Research Project and will permit the sharing of practitioner-generated case studies of the policy supports and barriers to growing the social economy on this continent. To this end, it will also facilitate bilingual, asynchronous discussion between Canadian and Latin American social economy professionals.

INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL ECONOMY PROFILE ARTICLE

In the spring of 2009, the Canadian CED Network published an article profiling the work of Roberto Lay Ruiz. The article details how Roberto was instrumental in helping the Amazonian region of San Martin Peru recover from decades of cocaine production and trade, government repression and armed conflict through a reorganization around the principles of the social economy. The article was produced based on interviews and visits conducted by staff of the Canadian CED Network during the 2008 Peru – Bolivia trip.

Click here for the condensed version of the article. 

2008

CIDA INTERNATIONAL YOUTH INTERNSHIPS

In July 2008, the Canadian CED Network began implementing a CIDA internship project which placed 3 Canadian interns with a partner organization of the Canadian CED Network, COPEME in Peru, to work on supporting the micro enterprise development work of this organization. Prior to their overseas postings, interns spent 6 weeks in the Canadian CED Network's office in Victoria working on a variety of Network tasks and receiving extensive training in the social economy. Once in Peru, interns worked on a variety of projects to support micro entrepreneurs such as beekeepers’ cooperatives (Chiclayo), women’s garment makers (Lima) and furniture makers associations (Cuzco). The placements concluded at the end of February 2009.

Interns wrote articles on their experiences which were published in the newsletter: 

To view Amy Smart's article, click here.

To view Andres Alvarado's article, click here.

Yo view Samantha Hodder's article, click here.

To view an article written by Amy Smart and published in the magazine Transitions Abroad, click here.

PERU BOLIVIA TRIP

In February of 2008, with the support of the Uniterra program, the Executive Director and International Coordinator of the Canadian CED Network undertook a mission to Peru and Bolivia. The objectives of the trip were multiple, but it was to serve above all to strenghen relationships with partners in the region, thereby contributing to the consolidation of continental solidarity economy networks such as RIPESS and RIDELC. It was also to serve a fact-finding function which would help determine the possibilities which exist for further collaboration and for creating more concrete opportunities for social economy actors in Canada and the South.

In these respects, the trip produced a number of important outputs, which are summerized in detail in the Trip Report. Fruit of subsequent reflection by the Canadian CED Network's executive, the report also contains important recommendations for building upon the outputs of the Latin America trip. To view the full report, click here.

INTERNATIONAL STREAM OF CED CONFERENCE

The Canadian CED Network's 2008 National CED Conference  took place from May 20th to the 24th in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The International Committee organized a substantial international stream and brought participants from Mali, Ghana, Bolivia and Peru to share their CED experiences with Canadians. Some of the workshops organized with these guests included international partnership and solidairty economy movement building, and policy action planning.

To view a detailed report of the proceedings which summarizes the most important ideas advanced during the sessions, click here.

2007

INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP PROFILES

The Canadian CED Network and its International Committee have compiled four profiles of collaboration and partnership between Canadian CED Network initiatives and complimentary initiatives based in other countries. They are stories written in partnership with the organizations that demonstrate noteworthy innovation around complementary partnership across borders.

Profiled Projects:

• Compagnie F & INDECOS
• Economie Solidaire de l'Ontario & RENAPESS
• JustUs! Coffee Roasters Co-op
• The Rooftop Garden Project

SURVEY: INVOLVEMENT AND INTEREST IN INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT

This document was created to report on the beginning phase of the first project of the Canadian CED Network's International Committee. It will be shared with respondents and membership and used to gather feedback about the Canadian CED Network's potential international involvement at the 2007 National CED Conference.

This report presents the results of 70 members of the Canadian CED Network who responded to a survey. The survey was conducted by the Network as a first step toward designing and implementing an international mandate for the Network. This report provides a map of the Network in terms of three major themes: current and future interest and engagement in international development work; priority actions and outcomes for international engagement; and priorities for the role of the Canadian CED Network in representing and supporting its members in the international realm.

To download the full version of this report, please click here.