This year’s Ways Forward Conference brings together speakers ranging from leading lights of the UK co-op movement to those involved in efforts to create new economies in Rojava and Jackson, Mississippi.
Organisers of the event, held in Manchester on 5 April, say they want to explore the challenges posed by a future that looks “increasingly chaotic” and find ways “to create the next economy – co-operative, by the many, for the many”.
This year, organiser Co-operative Business Consultants (CBC) has partnered with the new Platform 6 Development Co-operative on the event. CBC hopes the conference will in future be organised by multiple partners.
Green MEP Molly Scott Cato will urge the co-op movement to rise to the challenges facing the world, while Shaun Fensom of the Digital Infrastructure Co-op will discuss the potential of co-operative ownership of production.
Ways Forward will also look at a number of initiatives which have attracted recent attention – including the new municipalism of the Preston model; platform co-ops and union co-ops; the Labour and Co-op Parties’ shared ambition to double the size of the co-operative economy; and the rise of autonomous housing co-ops and communities which are federating for power.
Workshops will cover practical subjects like housing, sociocratic governance and avoiding the problems that beset co-ops large and small.
A pre-conference getting-to-know-you meal and social is being held at the Eighth Day Cafe on Thursday 4 April.
Cath Muller from CBC said: “I am really pleased that we’ve secured enough sponsorship for more than 20 free places.
“Making events like Ways Forward accessible to a wider range of people brings a wider range of perspectives, experience and knowledge. And it surely benefits new co-operators to make co-operative connections so they can access opportunities and resources for their own co-ops.”
Programme:
9.45am: workshops
- Co-operative & Community-Led Housing – Kevin Wan (North West Housing Services), Sarah Hughes (Red Coop), Jo Bird (CBC) and David Alcock (Anthony Collins Solicitors)
- Sociocracy & Governance – Abbie Kempson (Unicorn Grocery)
- The Challenges of the New Municipalism and Co-op Development – Gareth Nash (Preston Co-op Development Network and Co-operative & Mutual Solutions), Cllr Martin Judd (Oldham Council and Co-operative Councils Innovation Network), Grace Brown (CLES)
- The New Lucas Plan & Co-operativising a Green New Deal – Ian Hewitt & Dave King (New Lucas Plan) and Matt Fawcett (Carbon Co-op)
10.40am: Morning plenary with keynote speakers
- Where are we now? Molly Scott-Cato will set out the challenges that society faces and lay down the gauntlet for the co-op movement to rise to those challenges. Molly is a Green Party MEP, economist and member of UK Society for Coop Studies advisory board
- Climbing back up the Value Chain: Shaun Fensom (The Digital Infrastructure Co-operative and Save Our Bank) on how the Coop Movement can build more economic power and autonomy
12.25pm: workshops
- Open Space – the hall will be available for extra participant-led discussions or presentations
- Secondary co-operatives as financial enablers for housing – Ai Van Kok (Student Co-op Homes) and Aneaka Kellay (Alliance of Cornerstone, Castle Rockdove and Equinox) talk about how pooling resources means small co-ops of people on low incomes can manage to afford more property and help new co-ops succeed.
- The Greater Manchester Co-operative Commission: Commissioners Shaun Fensom and Cllr Angeliki Stogia give an overview
- Union Co-ops: Solving the problems of conversion and co-ops at scale: Pat Conaty (Wales Co-operative Centre, Co-operatives UK & Synergia Institute) and Cilla Ross (Co-operative College) present the concept and global examples of union co-ops and discuss their potential for the UK
1.20pm: lunchtime fringe
Sheffield Co-operative Development Group host a lunchtime fringe session with Paul Bell (Unison), Cheryl Barrott (SCDG and ChangeAGEnts) and Leslie Huckfield
2.20pm: workshops
- Co-operatives as tools of liberation: Jo Taylor (Co-operation in Mesopotamia) hosts Sacajawea Hall (co-founder of Co-operation Jackson, Mississippi) and Huriye Semdin (general representative of Real Economy in Northern Syria for Aboriya Jin, Women’s Economy Committee) presenting and discussing their strategies and challenges via the internet.
- Financing the new economy – Graham Mitchell of Platform 6 Development Co-op on crowd-sourcing money & knowledge, Jenni Lloyd of NESTA on their recent joint report with Co-operatives UK and Dil Green of Open Credit on co-ops as the backbone for a mutual credit network for the UK.
- Co-operatives Unleashed: doubling the size of the co-op economy – Alex Bird (Consultancy.coop and Cardiff Institute of Co-operative Studies) and David Alcock (Anthony Collins Solicitors)
- Why co-ops go wrong and what we might do about it – Bob Cannell (Co-operative Business Consultants & ex-Suma Wholefoods)
3.30 pm: Afternoon plenary
Mark Simmonds (chair, Co-op Development Forum for Co-operatives UK) gives an update on Co-operatives UK’s National Co-op Development Strategy
Martin Meteyard (CBC) hosts a panel of speakers giving reflections on the day and any key proposals they’ve identified, followed by general discussion – with Jo Bird – founding member of Olive Coop and CBC; Vivian Woodell – vice president, Midcounties Co-operative, founding member of The Phone Co-op and of the Phone Co-op Foundation for Innovation; and Mark Simmonds.
- The event runs from 9.30-4.30 at Methodist Central Hall, Central Buildings, Oldham St, Manchester. Booking is required for the Thursday social, tickets are £10. Conference tickets are £60/individuals, £80/organisation reps. The Workers Co-op Solidarity Fund has provided six bursary places and some travel subsidy as well as general sponsorship. Other free places are still available for volunteers.
