International

You are here

Home

New Economy Week 2014

What would it take to build the economy we need, one that works for people, place, and planet?

New Economy Week is a public exploration of creative resistance – an opportunity to shine a light on the thousands upon thousands of efforts that everyday people are making right now to build a new kind of economy. 

In Canada, October 13-19 is also Co-op Week, which is a perfect opportunity to celebrate the contributions co-ops make to a more sustainable and democratic economy.  

The New Economy Coalition (NEC) will be hosting live keynote panels, publishing powerful essays, and spotlighting member events (open-houses, info-sessions, film screenings, panel discussions, pot-lucks, etc.) from across the US and Canada — with the goal of raising the profile of those doing this work and diving into some of the questions that stand between us and a New Economy.

Learn more

Rewriting the Rural Narrative

4:00pm to 5:00pm Eastern Time

Brain drain—the loss of 18-29 year olds—dominates the conversation about rural population change. Yet at the same time, a lesser known migration is occurring.  A majority of rural counties are, in fact, experiencing “brain gains” as newcomers age 30-49 move in. 

Most communities aren’t tuned in to positive migration and miss out on the opportunities that come with newcomers. Ben Winchester, Research Fellow for the University of Minnesota Extension, Center for Community Vitality, has studied the trend and has great ideas for making the most of positive migration patterns.  

Join our next CommunityMatters® and Citizen’s Institute on Rural Design™ webinar to hear Ben’s research on rural migration trends and the impacts they have on social and economic opportunity. Learn how communities are responding to these trends and what can be done in your town.

Register now

Presentation by Ben Winchester, research fellow at the University of Minnesota Extension

Associated blog post:

Brain Drain or Brain Gain? A New Narrative for Rural America
Many rural counties are experiencing “brain gains” as newcomers age 30-49 move in. This migration is keeping small towns alive and contributing to a new narrative about rural places.

A Tour of Cuba's Co-operatives

Cuba has embarked on a fascinating journey toward a co-operative, people-centred economy.

Join Saint Mary's University's Sobey School of Business for a unique opportunity to explore this emerging co-operative economy.

When? February 14 (beginning at 6pm) through to the evening of February 21, 2015

Where? Based out of Havana, the tour will be an interactive week of dialogue, presentations, and site visits to a range of co-operatives within and outside of the city. Meet with Cuban co-operators, government representatives, researchers, and other key co-operative sector partners.

Who? We aim to have an international group of co-operative sector employees and board members, researchers, students, and others interested in experiencing co-operatives in Cuba.

$2,800 CDN*per person double occupancy (add $200 for single occupancy)
$100 CDN non-refundable deposit required (to be applied to cost of the trip). Balance due October 1, 2014.
*fee includes all tour related in-country costs: 8 nights accommodation (Feb 14 check-in; Feb 22 check-out), meals, ground transportation, translation, gratuities.
Please note: Airfare to/from Havana, Cuba and medical/travel insurance is the responsibility of the participant.

For more information: cathy.mason@smu.ca

To register: http://www.smu.ca/academics/extended-learning-registration.html

Co-op Week

Co-op week is the opportunity for Canadian co-operative and credit union members to celebrate the fact that they have collectively helped to build this country. Co-op Week is always celebrated during the same week as International Credit Union Day, which is the third Thursday in October of each year.

Co-op Week 2014 will take place from October 13-19, 2014. 

The History of Co-op Week in Canada

Co-op Week has been celebrated by francophones throughout Canada since 1958. In 1981 celebrations were held among anglophone co-ops in the Maritimes and Saskatchewan. The event went national in 1982 with the encouragement of the Co-operative Union of Canada, a predecessor of the Canadian Co-operative Association.

Co-op Week appears to be a uniquely Canadian phenomenon. In the US, October is Co-op Month, and the International Co-operative Alliance and United Nations have an International Day of Co-operatives on the first Saturday in July.

International Credit Union Day, co-ordinated by the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU),  has been celebrated on the third Thursday of October since 1948.

For more information check out the Ontario Co-operative Association's Co-op Week webpage: www.ontario.coop/all_about_cooperatives/coop_week

Social Enterprise World Forum 2014

The Social Enterprise World Forum is the international event for social enterprises all over the world to come together and discuss policy and practice, to learn from one another and to network. The event visits a new continent each year and has been in Scotland, Australia, USA, South Africa, Canada and Brazil. In 2014 the event will take place in South Korea where we expect 600+ delegates to attend globally. The number of delegates continues to surpass that of each previous year’s event and we predict there will be a continual increase over the next few years as SEWF gains greater importance within all business sectors worldwide. The high quality of the audience is represented from an eclectic mix of organizations, from community projects, large scale social enterprises and both the public and private sector. Delegates are encouraged to attend from any type of organization with an interest in social enterprise and in making a difference in the world. For further information on SEWF please click here.

The main theme at this year’s Social Enterprise World Forum is ‘Social Change through Social Enterprise’, where we will emphasize the need for social change through social enterprise and how it can contribute to solving one of the world's social problems -, job creation, and play a role in creating social values. The forum will look at how we can address social change specifically through examples of Social Innovation, Social Inclusion and Social Investment from some of the industry’s global leaders.

This event will showcase innovative concepts for sustainable development and growth of social enterprise. It will also establish a strategy for social integration, the key driver for social value creation through social innovation and social enterprise.

Check out the Program

Register Now

The main theme at this year’s Social Enterprise World Forum is ‘Social Change through Social Enterprise’, where we will emphasize the need for social change through social enterprise and how it can contribute to solving one of the world's social problems -, job creation, and play a role in creating social values. The forum will look at how we can address social change specifically through examples of Social Innovation, Social Inclusion and Social Investment from some of the industry’s global leaders.

This event will showcase innovative concepts for sustainable development and growth of social enterprise. It will also establish a strategy for social integration, the key driver for social value creation through social innovation and social enterprise

- See more at: http://www.sewf2014.org/en/?page_id=41#sthash.c0vQNk2I.dpuf
The Social Enterprise World Forum is the international event for social enterprises all over the world to come together and discuss policy and practice, to learn from one another and to network. The event visits a new continent each year and has been in Scotland, Australia, USA, South Africa, Canada and Brazil. In 2014 the event will take place in South Korea where we expect 600+ delegates to attend globally. The number of delegates continues to surpass that of each previous year’s event and we predict there will be a continual increase over the next few years as SEWF gains greater importance within all business sectors worldwide. The high quality of the audience is represented from an eclectic mix of organizations, from community projects, large scale social enterprises and both the public and private sector. Delegates are encouraged to attend from any type of organization with an interest in social enterprise and in making a difference in the world. For further information on SEWF please click here. - See more at: http://www.sewf2014.org/en/?page_id=41#sthash.c0vQNk2I.dpuf

Seeing Systems: Northwest Earth Institute’s Model for Community Building and Transformative Learning

September 30, 2014
11:00am (PST)
 
People working together can increase their power and impact for positive change. Engaged and inspired citizens, working together, can interact with the systems we’ve created on multiple levels to make them better and more ecologically sound. Thousands of people have already been doing this all around the globe — crowd-sourcing solutions and impacting their communities positively. Recognizing the interconnected systems of our world can be difficult, but it can also be a joyous and empowering realization — through these networks of relationships, people power can expand and together, we can make a real difference for good.

[ register here ]

Please note: all online events are listed in Pacific time.

For over twenty years, Northwest Earth Institute’s discussion course programs have given people a framework to talk about their relationship with the planet and to share in discovering new ways to live, work, create and consume. The self-facilitated discussion courses are designed to help participants break big issues into bite-sized pieces. And they help create a personal network of shared stories and support that makes it easy to take action in your own circle of influence. Through shared learning, shared stories and shared action, NWEI courses help foster a spirit of community and inspire change.
 
In this webinar, Lacy Cagle, NWEI’s Director of Learning and Engagement, will facilitate a ‘taster’ session of NWEI’s newest discussion course, Seeing Systems: Peace, Justice and Sustainability. The interactive session will overview an ecosystems perspective, environmental justice issues, stories of positive change, and tools for community action. Additionally, Lacy will discuss the educational and behavior change principles behind NWEI’s discussion course model for those who are interested. Each webinar attendee will receive a free sampler of the Seeing Systems discussion course book, as well as discount code for 10% off the full course book.

About the Speaker:

As the Director of Learning and Engagement at the Northwest Earth Institute (www.nwei.org), Lacy Cagle oversees the development of NWEI’s discussion course books and educational programs. Before joining NWEI in 2011, Lacy worked for seven years in higher education administration, teaching and research, at Greenville College and at Portland State University. She holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy with a focus on Leadership in Sustainability Education from Portland State University. She holds a Permaculture Design Consultant’s Certificate from the Permaculture Institute USA. Lacy has been a director at the Zahniser Institute for Environmental Studies (www.zahniserinstitute.org) since 2010.
 
One of Lacy’s favorite parts of working at NWEI is inspiration—being inspired by people’s stories of action and change, and being able to develop curricula that inspire some of those actions and changes, as well.

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - International