Promoting Worker Ownership Education Among Youth Ajamu Nangwaya Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/ University of Toronto Presented at Canadian Worker Cooperative Federation’s Conference/AGM November 17, 2005 Montreal, Quebec 13/05/2019

Objective of presentation To identify some of the organizing and educational issues in promoting worker self-management and co-operative entrepreneurship among youth 13/05/2019

Context for Worker Ownership: Push Factors Insecurity of the employment income Younger workers’ desire for participation, control & self-employment Globalization and the exploitive and oppressive power of the corporation Attack on the welfare state – engenders self-reliant attitude Politics without participation – cynicism More educated workforce and need for meaning through and in work 13/05/2019

Going after the 18-35 Group 6.7 million or 27.7% of Canadians between ages of 20-34 years (StatsCan, July 2005) 24 – 40 age group usually the point when new business formation is prominent Education and/or experience and confidence in abilities…enabling factors $$$$ not the prime reason for entrepreneurial desire among youth and youth adults Being own boss, use skills, family, over-come challenges major reasons Workplace experiences may make self-management appealing 13/05/2019

Challenges Facing Prospective Worker-owners Where to start? – fear of the unknown Recognizing business opportunities – pre-feasibility studies…eliminating guesswork Pulling together resources to go after opportunity No/little experience with workplace democracy Limited or no exposure to co-operative entrepreneurs and worker cooperatives Difficulty in getting start-up funds Finding potential worker cooperators 13/05/2019

Putting Out the Message – educating & organizing 1 Strong focus on cooperative values and principles, and vision of economic democracy – participatory democracy extends to politics Transformative and experiential learning principles as guides in outreach and co-op entrepreneurial education Focus appeal – fair trade/“anti-globalizers”, CED organizations, students in certain programs/courses, economically marginalized, workers in non-profit sector Get our message into the market square – conferences, community radio, newspaper, blogs, play, etc. Develop self-management educators & organizers 13/05/2019

Putting Out the Message – educating & organizing 2 Co-op entrepreneurship…basis of growing worker ownership…growth/expansion and creation of new o-ops Necessary elements - innovativeness, creativity, participatory culture, risk-taking culture, competitiveness, network with co-ops & social enterprise, movement perspective Co-op entrepreneurial education – (social & economic focus, systematic, experiential, etc. Movement controlled firm to aid prospective & existing co-ops 13/05/2019

Teaching for Cooperative Entrepreneurship: A Few Tools Analyze business sectors for opportunities – sector opportunity study Experiential exercises aimed at transforming social and economic perspective “Live” case studies of worker co-operatives One page business plan –group exercise Worker co-operators speak to learners Hunting for clients (marketing & sales exercise–non-profits, co-ops, etc. Creativity and innovation promoting exercises 13/05/2019

Implication Need to develop teaching tools and curriculum to facilitate co-operative entrepre-neurship education co-op in movement Develop organic cooperative networks on territorial basis – isolated co-ops won’t cut it Develop entity to facilitate creation of new worker co-ops and expand existing ones Cooperative must be relevant, experiential, transformative; promotes innovation Youth will be attracted to dynamic worker co-ops that make strong contribution to self & community 13/05/2019

Actionable Next Steps Create task force to examine the state and appropriateness of co-operative education in worker co-ops Build coalition with CED organizations to educate youth about worker ownership Work with business education departments to create community-based research and capacity building projects that create pre-feasibility studies & other aids to expanding worker ownership Study the feasibility of making existing worker co-ops growth-oriented, risk-taking, and innovative Redouble effort to encourage foundations to support self-employment through worker co-operatives 13/05/2019