CCEDNet Newsletter - April 2011 | Le Réseau canadien de DÉC

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1. Have you Renewed your Membership?
2. Call for Board Nominations and AGM Resolutions
3. Join us for the Annual General Meeting
4. Regional Conferences
5. Registration for the International Forum on the Social Solidarity Economy (FIESS) to Begin in April
6. National Policy Updates
7. CCEDNet Learning Opportunities
8. Congratulations to CreateAction Interns
9. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
10. Become a Member!

1. Have you Renewed your Membership?

In order to vote in Board elections and at the Annual General Meeting, the deadline for memberships to be in good standing is April 18, 2011.

If you aren’t sure about the status of your membership, communicate with Nikyta Mathieu Champagne at nmathieu@ccednet-rcdec.ca or 877-202-2268. To renew your membership on line or for more information on membership, visit:
http://www.ccednet-rcdec.ca/en/membership

2. Call for Board Nominations and AGM Resolutions

This year, three seats are up for election on CCEDNet’s Board of Directors. CCEDNet’s Board is the custodian of membership’s vision and leads efforts to build the CED movement in Canada. Any member who wants to be part of that leadership is encouraged to submit their candidacy. The deadline for Board nominations and AGM Resolutions is April 11.

For more information and to download the nomination form, see: http://www.ccednet-rcdec.ca/fr/node/9946

3. Join us for the Annual General Meeting

CCEDNet’s 2011 Annual General Meeting will be held in conjunction with the Ontario CED Conference, at the Learning Enrichment Foundation in Toronto. It will be June 7, at 7pm, the evening prior to the Ontario Conference. Participation via webinar or teleconference for members who cannot attend in person is being explored.

For more information, watch the 2011 AGM page on our website:
http://www.ccednet-rcdec.ca/en/node/9946

4. Regional Conferences

This year, CCEDNet is partnering with member organizations across the country to host a series of regional conferences. BC was the first region out of the gate, with a joint rural/urban event on March 3 and 4. Parallel activities in Vancouver and Smithers, BC were very successful, attracting over 200 people to a variety of workshops, keynote speakers, networking activities, a screening of The Economics of Happiness, and a community tour. Congratulations to all the organizers.

The next conference will be April 8 in Saskatoon, with John Restakis from the BC Cooperative Association giving the keynote on Humanizing the Economy.

For information on all the regional events, see:
http://www.ccednet-rcdec.ca/en/node/9919

5. Registration for the International Forum on the Social Solidarity Economy (FIESS) to Begin in April

Coming up in Montréal, October 17-20, 2011, the FIESS will showcase successful models of public

policy development that involve government and civil society partnerships from around the world to support the social and solidarity economy. Approximately 1,000 participants including practitioners, researchers, funders, and government officials from Quebec, Canada and more than 50 countries around the world are expected to take part in conferences, thematic workshops, cultural events and site tours.

If you work with government officials on a regular basis, consider attending the event with them. It would be an opportunity to strengthen relationships while learning about successful partnership models from around the world. A preliminary program will be launched when registration opens, which is expected in early April.

Funds are being sought to offset the travel costs of community participants, so if you are interested in attending, reserve the dates now and communicate with organizers once registration is underway.
http://www.fiess2011.org/en/

6. National Policy Updates

CCEDNet is working with our national partners to encourage all candidates and parties in the federal election to include supportive policies for a people-centred economy in their election commitments. But for parties to move, it is important for candidates to hear the message from their constituents directly too. We are preparing a page of election resources for use locally and we will send out a special bulletin once it is available.

In March, CCEDNet’s Board of Directors approved a new set of Policy Priorities, based on the recommendations from the 2010 National Summit on a People Centred Economy and input from the Network’s Policy Council. The full document also provides concrete examples of how effective initiatives are building stronger communities across the country, and form a solid basis for scaling up.
http://www.ccednet-rcdec.ca/en/node/9978

Also acting on Summit recommendations, in February, Summit partners sent a letter to the Canadian International Development Agency, proposing that CIDA make people-centred economic practices a priority in its development approach.
http://www.ccednet-rcdec.ca/en/node/9932

Earlier this year, the Board also endorsed a set of Manitoba Policy Resolutions produced by our members following a provincial summit last fall. The 15 resolutions, covering everything from ethical procurement to housing and green jobs, will guide CCEDNet’s activities in Manitoba for the coming year.

http://www.ccednet-rcdec.ca/en/node/9801

Finally, thanks to input from CCEDNet and members, this year’s Alternative Federal Budget included proposals for a federal CED policy framework, a People-Centred economy national roundtable, a national neighbourhood revitalization fund and a division of the proposed Canadian Development Bank focused on social enterprise, micro-credit, CED and cooperative initiatives. To find out more, see:
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/afb2011

7. CCEDNet Learning Opportunities

Did you know CCEDNet and Simon Fraser University offer a Certificate Program in CED? Classes are in Vancouver or with regional partners throughout BC and Alberta. For more information, see:
http://www.ccednet-rcdec.ca/en/SFU_Certificate_Program

CCEDNet-Manitoba is continuing its Strengthening Non-Profits Workshop Series this spring with sessions on community engagement, fundraising, financial sustainability and more.
http://www.ccednet-rcdec.ca/en/node/9913

CCEDNet International Committee’s next telelearning session will present the Mali experience in co-construction of public policy to support the social and solidarity economy, as well as others that will be presented at the International Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy in Montréal this fall. The session is April 20, at 12pm Eastern. Register now!
http://www.ccednet-rcdec.ca/en/node/9985

8. Congratulations to CreateAction Interns

At the end of March, 40 interns wrapped up 6-month internships in CCEDNet member organizations across the country. This round was the largest cohort of CreateAction interns yet, and evaluations of the program were once again very positive. The full list of host organizations is posted here:
http://www.ccednet-rcdec.ca/en/our_work/youth/createaction#What

Unfortunately, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada has informed us that there is no funding for this program in 2011-2012. We will inform you if this situation changes and CCEDNet is selected to deliver the program again.

9. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

Have a video you want to share? We post videos on our YouTube

Channel, such as this one on how an innovative Winnipeg social enterprise is renovating public housing, saving heating costs, and providing employment