Community Economic Development and Employability Corporation: Women on a Mission Cooperative Case Study

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Organization: 
Community Economic Development and Employability Corporation

This case study was requested by CEDEC—the Community Economic Development and Employability Corporation—as part of its role in helping communities throughout Quebec to identify, assess, and prepare to act on social, cultural, and economic development opportunities. The content is based on interviews with members of the cooperative on Grosse-Île as well as with representatives of organizations that have supported them in one way or another at different steps in the process of imagining, creating, starting up and continually developing their cooperative. A total of ten people were interviewed, representing seven different organizations. 

Cooperatives such as the Women on a Mission Coop in Grosse-Ile are enabling women to reconcile work and family responsibilities, build their capacity in the labour force, and develop entrepreneurial skills.
 
The success of the Women on a Mission Cooperative illustrates that cooperatives can be economic drivers in small communities.  This success story is documented as a case study which highlights successes, challenges and lessons learned over the course of the first year of operation – information that will be invaluable for other groups planning to develop a social enterprise.

Download the report

Contents:

INTRODUCTION
THE ENVIRONMENT: THE COMMUNITY OF GROSSE-ÎLE
PLANTING THE SEED
     Motivations: Meeting community needs
  Successes
  Challenges faced
  Lessons learned
GROWING THE PROJECT
  Deciding on a cooperative structure
  Steps in founding a cooperative
  Garnering support
  Start-up
  Successes
  Challenges faced
  Lessons learned
BEARING FRUIT: THE CURRENT SITUATION
  Multiplying activities
  Learning curve
  Successes
  Current challenges
  Lessons learned
SEEDS FOR THE FUTURE
  Capacity building
  Future challenges
CONCLUSION
  Conditions contributing to the success of Women on a Mission
  Recommendations for similar initiatives
  Planting the seed
  Letting it grow
  Changing
  Adapting to your environment

 

Year: 
2014
Format: 
Research report
Case study
Categories: 
Community Capacity Building
Co-operatives
Entrepreneurship & Business Development
Housing & Real Estate
Rural CED
Social Economy & Social Enterprise
Women
Source: 
Weblink
Org

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