In This Issue
CED Profile: Ohpahow Wawesecikiwak Arts Marketing Co-operative
CEDTAS - The Community Economic Development Technical Assistance Service
It's Time to Renew Your Membership!
CED Tools
CoopZone
Streams of Hope - Social Franchising: A New Path to Wealth for Nonprofits
CED Profile: Ohpahow Wawesecikiwak Arts Marketing Co-operative
Located in rural Saskatchewan, the Ohpahow Wawesecikiwak Arts Marketing Co-operative first became certified in July 2008. It was established to provide the artisans of Big River First Nation with an outlet through which they could develop their skills and market their art collectively. The diverse group of artisans create works that inspire people, while preserving and promoting their traditional culture through authentic Cree art and hand made goods.
The co-op model was chosen for its inherent values of cooperation, consensus building and equality among its members. It has helped serve the purpose of bringing people in the community from all walks of life together, consisting of 35 members aging in range from 23 to 75.
Big River First Nation has recognized the economic stimulus of the co-operative model and is now developing a new worker co-op in the community. Fifteen participants have received 10 weeks of training and are developing business plans for 3 enterprises.
In a community of 3000, businesses are needed, and people can acquire new skills as they access work. "There is no reason to migrate to the cities right now as people are being laid off," said Marie Prebushewski, who works with the Big River First Nation co-ops. Hence, unemployed workers can look to the successes of the co-operatives as models that make entrepreneurship and quality jobs an option in their local community.
For more information, contact Marie Prebushewski, executive director of Thickwood Hills Business & Learning Centres at (306) 549-4726.
New Staff
Lydia Giles - National Learning Events Coordinator
With CCEDNet's National Conference happening in Winnipeg this June, Lydia Giles has joined us as our National Learning Events Coordinator. For the past ten years, Lydia worked as Executive Director of the Manitoba Arts Network. In this position she organized annual conferences to provide resources and professional development for rural and northern community arts organizations.
Janielle Brooks-Smith - Rural Engagement Coordinator
Janielle Brooks-Smith has joined us to increase our Network's ability connect and support CED in rural areas. Janielle is currently completing a Master's degree in Rural Development at Brandon University. Her graduate research explores micro-credit as a rural livelihood strategy in Manitoba, with a specific focus on small-business development. Janielle believes that rural communities across Canada can be engines of economic growth and is interested in working toward their sustainability.
CEDTAS - The Community Economic Development Technical Assistance Service
CCEDNet welcomes CEDTAS as its newest permanent program. CEDTAS matches professional service providers wanting to volunteer their skills with non-profit groups developing CED projects. Working to make this happen are two dedicated staff:
Julio Rivas - Project Coordinator
Robyn Webb - Volunteer Recruitment Coordinator
The partnership between CEDTAS and CCEDNet is based on a considerable overlap in the mission and day-to-day activities of both organizations, resulting in the better use of existing resources.
Social Enterprise Action Plan
On January 7th, twenty leading thinkers and actors from our sector came together to give their input into a Social Enterprise Action Plan. In response to the Manitoba CED community identifying social enterprise as one of the priorities of our network, CCEDNet has been leading this research and engagement project. The action plan will layout the critical resources and supports needed for a robust and growing social enterprise sector in Manitoba.
The first completed portion of this work was a paper by Alex Chernoff called Creating Capital Pools to Support Social Enterprise Development in Manitoba. The next portion of the action plan will come from the work of Garry Loewen and Brendan Reimer, who have been conducting interviews with people working on social enterprise in Manitoba, across Canada and the U.S.
It's Time to Renew Your Membership!
The new year is upon us with a mix of optimism, apprehension, and uncertainty. Optimism for the wind of change that has blown over the United States and elected the first black man and a former community organizer to the White House. Apprehension about the growing global economic downturn and what it will mean for both the communities we serve and our collective ability to respond. And uncertainty as the political landscape in Ottawa changes in unprecedented ways.
Since our founding in 1999, the Canadian CED Network has grown to over 600 members representing thousands of Canadians across the country. Over the last decade, our members and staff have worked on generating resources and support for locally-led innovative initiatives in poverty reduction, grassroots action, creating healthy communities and advancing policy improvements. Most important, our Network has enabled people working in CED across Canada to connect with one another, sharing innovations and learning about effective solutions to common problems. The regular failings and limitations of the market economy have often been the catalyst for community innovation demonstrated by our members time and again across the country. This means that our work building stronger local economies and sustainable communities is needed now more than ever.
In addition to serving as a national voice and platform for collective action, The Canadian CED Network continues to offer opportunities for peer learning, collaboration, regional and national networking, resources and a space for members to organize around specific issues. Regional and national member newsletters keep you informed of these and other activities. Making Waves examines the successes and challenges of our work from a front-line perspective, and our website (www.ccednet-rcdec.ca) offers new opportunities for on-line information sharing. CCEDNet's national conference continues to be the foremost opportunity for CED practitioners to engage with one another and address emerging issues, and of course membership provides substantial discounts on conference registration rates.
Your membership is essential to our success as a movement. Membership is based on the calendar year, meaning that it is time for membership renewal.
To renew your membership online, click here, or contact Bianca Mathieu at bmathieu@ccednet-rcdec.ca.
CoopZone
CoopZone is two things: a national network of co-operative developers, and an on-line clearinghouse of information, tools and resources. CoopZone provides tools, co-op development resources and advice on starting and growing co-operatives.
The website also is a great asset for keeping up-to-date with news, services, and training opportunities for your co-operative. Check it out at http://www.coopzone.coop
Streams of Hope - Social Franchising: A New Path to Wealth for Nonprofits
Authored and compiled by Community Wealth Ventures, a leading consulting firm to nonprofits and member of SEA, this publication is a must read for nonprofit organizations seeking new, more-reliable funding sources. Streams of Hope features a preface by Bill Shore (Chairman of Community Wealth Ventures), a forward by John Reynolds (President of the International Franchise Association's Education Foundation) and chapters by leaders in the franchise and nonprofit sectors. It serves as both an introduction to social franchising and a handbook for navigating this income stream.
National News and Event
Forum on the Solidarity Economy: Building Another World
March 19-22, 2009 at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst
This four day conference will include an inspiring range of solidarity economy tours, workshops, plenaries and cultural events. Solidarity economy practitioners and resource organizations, social movement activists, workers, academics, students, researchers, cultural workers, journalists and other fellow travelers are welcomed to come and be part of the growing global movement to build the solidarity economy.
Registration and workshop proposals forms are also available at:
Learn New Ways to Raise Money for your Ethno-cultural Organization
SEED Winnipeg has developed new workshops to assist ethno-cultural groups learn new ways to raise money for their organization. Free 2-hour workshops are being held at SEED Winnipeg in February of 2009 on ‘How to Start a Community-owned Business in Canada' and ‘How to Build a Strong Organization in Canada'.
Download the flyer
Ontario Poverty Reduction and Social Programs Stimulate Economy
The Caledon Institute has just released a paper calling for strong social programs to play a vital part in an economic stimulus package. Ottawa has at its disposal several effective social programs that can play an important part in an economic stimulus package to combat the recession. Boosting three geared-to-income programs - the Canada Child Tax Benefit, refundable GST credit and Working Income Tax Benefit - would put additional money into the hands of lower-income households who are most likely to spend it immediately. Employment Insurance, which now serves only four in ten unemployed Canadians, must be restored and strengthened. Ottawa should also bolster its transfers to the hardest hit provinces and territories so that they do not bear the full burden of social assistance and other recession-linked cost increases.
Job Postings
For the latest CED postings visit the National and Regional job pages on CCEDNet's website
National | AB | SK | MB | North
Positions to post? Send them to breimer@ccednet-rcdec.ca