In response to the positive feedback we received from participants in the Gathering 2012, ACCA will host a Gathering in 2013. We will continue the tradition of creating an event rich in opportunities for you to:
• connect beyond your home co-op; to learn and plan with each other .
• learn from home grown experts (especially youth) and those from afar.
• be energized by exploring the possibilities of the co-op model.

The focus for the Gathering of Alberta Co-operative 2013 will be learning more about the audacious goal of the Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade to make cooperatives the fastest growing form of enterprise by 2020 and how Opportunity Development Co-ops (ODCs) can help make that happen.

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CoopZone is pleased to again be offering its co-op development training courses in 2013-14, starting in September.  CoopZone offers various levels of training:

Advanced Program (Years 1 and 2): for those who wish to become active developers (Sept - May);

Foundation Program for those who may become developers or work in the early stages of development (Sept. - May); and 

Shorter Introductory Course will be appropriate for people interested in understanding the types and roles of co-ops, and the basic co-op development process (Oct. - March).  This is for people who are not co-op developers and may work in CED organizations, larger co-ops or credit unions, relevant government departments, etc.

All of these on-line courses take a few hours per week, and are designed to fit around a full-time job.  The Course Director is Peter Hough, and experienced co-op developers provide mentoring to students.

Information session: For those who are thinking about taking one of the courses and would like to know more, there will be a webinar held on August 27th, at 12 noon Eastern Time for approximately 60 minutes.  Please RSVP to Peter Hough (training@coopzone.coop) by the end of the day prior; you will receive the dial-in information by the start of the day of the call.  (If you do not receive it by then, please write again at that time.)

For more information about the courses being offered and registration information, check out the CoopZone On-line Training Program website.

September 11th, 2013
12:00 - 1:00PM Eastern time

Lunch 'N Learn Webinar: "Strengths, Challenges and Opportunities of Farm and Food co-ops in Eastern Canada"
Presenter: Andrew Alford

This short report will provide a quick glimpse to small-scale farm and food co-ops across Eastern Canada (i.e., Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia). There will also be an in-depth focus on farm and food co-ops located in Ontario. It is composed of co-op visits that took place during the summer of 2013.

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About the Speaker

Over the past two years, he has dedicated his time to learning and practicing ecological agriculture on small-scale farms in the Guelph area. Recently, he has shown a keen interest to co-operative business structures - especially when it incorporates healthy, local food! He has committed the summer of 2013 to studying and supporting smallscale farm and food co-ops across Eastern Canada. In the near future, Andrew is interested in farming co-operatively and involving himself in local food policy.

August 14th, 2013
11:30AM TO 1:00PM Eastern time

Lunch N' Learn Webinar: "Co-op Conversions: Profiling the Aron Theatre and Moonbeam Co-operative"
Presenters: Russ Christianson, Independent Co-op Developer & Christian Howald, Co-op Developer, CCO

As part of our "Profiling New and Emerging Co-ops" mini series, Russ and Christian will review the origins, successes, challenges, learnings and future steps of two businesses that were transformed into co-operatives to ensure their local communities continued to thrive.

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About the Speakers

Russ Christianson is the President and founder of Rhythm Communications. He has a broad range of experience in strategic positioning, market research, feasibility studies, business planning, management systems, facilitation, and multi-stakeholder consultations. Russ is the developer of Whole Systems Feedback, a unique motivational research methodology.

Since 2010, Christian Howald is the Northern Ontario co-operative development agent for a francophone co-operative association that was founded in 1964: the CCO (le Conseil de la coopération de l’Ontario).Christian acquired a master’s degree in applied social research for which he specialized in community social and economic development in Northern Ontario: teaching people to work together. His passion for developing Northern Ontario comes from his children, who unless the system changes, will be forced to leave the region like so many others.

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