Festival of Debate - The Future of Co-operation
Event
Principle 5, the Yorkshire Co-operative Resource Centre, presents the Festival of Debate 2022. This event sees co-operative activists and advisers working in different parts of the movement each present a case for facilitating people and organising their activities to work co-operatively.
Presented by Principle 5, the Yorkshire Co-operative Resource Centre, which runs an archive and library. It is based in Aizlewood’s Mill, Nursery Street, Sheffield, a co-operative-owned building also housing Sheffield Co-operative Development Group.
For many people, the past two years have been a time of isolation, loss and rising inequality. As we emerge from the pandemic, these societal divisions have the potential to grow and cause a landslide of further hardship.
We believe a more collective and co-operative future would address societal rifts and resource inequality. There is power and strength in organising ourselves co-operatively. We can have a greater positive impact if we work together.
But in a society which prioritises and rewards individualistic approaches, how do we enable and facilitate people to organise their activities and work co-operatively?
Do we focus on growth at scale and speed through engaging with established infrastructure and local government? Or do we concentrate our energies on developing the deep roots of cultural change through education and direct democracy?
Co-operative activists and advisers working in different parts of the movement will each present a case for taking a particular approach and will work with the audience to explore whether it's possible to combine approaches or develop something new. The event will illuminate cooperators' passion for change, analysis of possible strategies and the resources available to achieve it. We hope for a dialectical debate creating synergy, rather than winners and losers - the essence of co-operation.
Cath Muller is a worker and housing co-operator, with a background in radical collectives. For money and for love she advises new co-ops on how to embed values in their governance and practice and is currently setting up a commune in South Yorkshire.
Colette Harvey is the local coordinator for the Ownership Hub, a joint project between Co-operatives UK and the Employee Ownership Association supporting the #1MillionOwners campaign which aims to grow worker and employee business ownership across the UK, with the first pilot programme running here in South Yorkshire.