December 2017

Breaking down the barriers to young
people in the co-op movement
The co-operative movement faces challenges when
it comes to engaging young people, who sometimes
see the model as outdated and struggle to rise
through the ranks of co-op organisations, a session
at the global conference heard.
The Youth Network of the International
Co-operative Alliance discussed its work on a
co-operative youth manifesto and strategic plan to
improve the situation.
The meeting also saw the network look to select
a new representative to the ICA board. Sébastien
Chaillou, from France, is set to take over the role
from Gabriela Buffa. He was elected by the network
by 48 votes to one abstention, with the appointment
to be ratified by the Alliance.
Andrea Sangiorgi, from Italy, was elected to the
Youth Network’s executive committee as memberat-large
from the European region.
The seat for Africa region received no nominees
and has been left vacant.
Delegates heard updates from regional networks
– the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Africa on
their work for the past two years. Representatives
said efforts have been made to develop business
opportunities, create networks, encourage
co-operative education, share information and
lobby governments.
The co-op manifesto for youth adopted at the
meeting was developed from studies of statements
made at youth events around the world over the
past few years. It notes that “youth have long
been, and increasingly are, disproportionately
affected by unemployment, underemployment,
disempowerment and disengagement”.
It adds: “Through effective involvement with
co-operatives, youth can work together with
governments, civil society and other stakeholders
to overcome these challenges.”
But it also notes problems within the movement,
with a generational divide “leading to difficulty
in integration of youth into the co-operative
movement.”
The manifesto warns that young people see
co-ops as “outdated” and says there are barriers
to promotion and representation for young cooperators,
and young people in the movement
often receive fewer resources, the event heard.
To tackle these issues, the meeting saw delegates
split into working groups on four initiative areas:
uCo-ordination: How the network can work via
regions, sectors and organisations such as the ILO
and EU
uConsultation: mapping co-op the youth
movement and gathering statistics
uParticipation: using meetings, virtual
meetings, networking to consult network members
uCommunication: using websites, emails, social
media to develop the network’s strategy.
Feedback from the session will be used
by network organisers as they go forward with
their strategy.
p Sébastien Chaillou
and Gabriela Buffa
lead a discussion at the
youth meeting
DECEMBER 2017 | 25