Monday, November 26, 2007

This Holiday Season, Buy Union

Union members, college students, and all kinds of folks are doing the right thing by deciding to wear clothing made under decent conditions, in union shops instead of sweatshops. Click on the links below to find union-made, sweat-free suppliers.

Visit www.shopunionmade.org to buy items from artwork to chocolate, from books and clothing to clocks, computers, and vacation packages.

While you're planning your holiday trips, please visit our Union Hotel Guide (www.unitehere.org/hotelguide) and stay in UNITE HERE hotels across North America.

At Justice Clothing we don't think fashion should hurt. Justice Clothing's mission is to support democratic principles, workers' rights and economic sustainability through the sale and distribution of goods manufactured by workers protected by collective bargaining agreements. http://www.justiceclothing.com

Beyond grey pinstripes: Rankings of socially conscious business schools

Beyond Grey Pinstripes is a research survey and alternative ranking of business schools that spotlights innovative full-time MBA programs leading the way in the integration of issues concerning social and environmental stewardship in to the curriculum. These schools are preparing students for the reality of tomorrow's markets by equipping them with the social, environmental and economic perspectives required for business success in a competitive and fast changing world.

The Global 100

The Beyond Grey Pinstripes ranking is the result of over 18 months of rigorous research- designing the survey, outreach to full-time MBA programs around the world, data collection and analysis- looking at how well MBA programs incorporate social and environmental issues into the training of future business leaders. Over 40,000 pages of data were analyzed to come up with the 100 top MBA programs.


http://www.beyondgreypinstripes.org/rankings/index.cfm

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

News: Credit Union Directors' Forum

Guelph ON, November 8, 2007 

More than 180 volunteer credit union directors from across Ontario attended the 23rd annual Directors’ Forum on November 2 and 3, 2007.  The conference explored the theme of ‘The Changing Landscape’ through seven sessions and workshops, including a joint keynote address by Walter Palmer, a spokesman for Al Gore’s The Climate Project, and Derek Gent of Vancity, the largest credit union in Canada.
 
The 2007 Directors’ Forum encouraged credit union boards of directors to go beyond traditional ways of thinking about their membership, their communities and their competition.  Dr. Thomas Homer-Dixon, author and director of the Trudeau Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (and professor of political science at the University of Toronto), challenged directors to explore the opportunities that will come from the growth, breakdown and renewal of society.  In other sessions, directors had the opportunity to learn more about: climate change; the adoption of sustainability as a core value; attracting and retaining members through customer relationship management software; the development of “green” financial products; and the status of the merger between Credit Union Central of Ontario and Credit Union Central of British Columbia.
 
Sessions were interactive and designed to stimulate debate and discussion between speakers and the audience. One director, from a southern-Ontario credit union, said the sessions were “very practical and useful.” Another participant commented that what she learned would enable her to “…challenge my board and management, and to think outside the traditional approach.”
 
The conference, hosted by the Credit Union Directors of Ontario (CUDO), and held in Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York hotel, attracted board and committee members from more than 60 credit unions, as well as credit union system supporters, regulators and affiliates, and guests from other provinces.
 
During the annual general meeting, Bruce Corbett, a member of the CUDO executive since 1989, announced his retirement.  The two openings on the executive were filled by newcomer Shari Sekel of PenFinancial Credit Union, and returning director Dave Sitaram from Auto Workers Community Credit Union.  The AGM also included a presentation by Eve Sigfrid, a director with the boards of both Credit Union Central of Ontario and FirstOntario Credit Union, on her recent trip to Uganda as a credit union “coach”, and recognition of the most recent graduates of the Credit Union Director Achievement program.
 
Many of the presentations given during the 23rd annual Directors’ Forum are available for download from the Directors’ Forum pages of the Ontario Co-operative Association at www.ontario.coop/Directors.
 
The annual Directors’ Forum provides Ontario credit union directors and other credit union system volunteers with education, training and networking opportunities.  It is presented by the Credit Union Directors of Ontario (CUDO), an independent organization representing the boards of directors of Ontario’s credit unions.  Ontario, Canadian and international credit union/caisses populaires directors and committee members are invited to attend the Directors’ Forum.  No affiliation with Credit Union Central of Ontario is required.
 
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Mark Ventry, Member Services and Marketing Officer, Ontario Co-operative Association
Tel. 519.763.8271 x30 or 1.888.745.5521
www.ontario.coop/Directors

Call for Papers - Association for Nonprofit and Social Economy Research (ANSER)

Inaugural Annual Conference / Conférence annuelle inaugurale

ASSOCIATION FOR NONPROFIT AND SOCIAL ECONOMY RESEARCH (ANSER) /
L'ASSOCIATION DE RECHERCHE DES ORGANISMS SANS BUT LUCRATIVE ET DE L'ÉCONOMIE SOCIALE (ARES)
 
University of British Columbia, Vancouver
June 4 – 6, 2008

Deadline for receipt of proposals via email attachment / Date limite de présentation des propositions en pièce jointe par courrier électronique: January 14, 2008

La version française suit 

ANSER is a newly formed organization for the support and encouragement of research in the broad fields of social economy, the voluntary sector, and nonprofit organizations in Canada. We will hold our inaugural conference as part of the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences 2008 from June 4-6, 2008 at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. All those engaged in applied and theoretical research related to the ANSER mandate, including researchers from outside of Canada, are invited to submit proposals for papers, panels, and roundtables by January 14, 2008. ANSER is not limited to faculty and graduate students from universities and colleges; consultants and practitioners who engage in research are especially encouraged to submit proposals.

Examples of areas of interest include:

•       Accountability and performance evaluation in community organizations
•       Charitable giving and philanthropy
•       Citizen engagement, mobilization, and movements
•       Civil society
•       Community economic development
•       Community service learning/community-university partnerships
•       Conceptualizing the social economy
•       Foundations
•       Gender, race, diversity in the social economy
•       Governance, democracy, and participation in community organizations
•       Nonprofit mutual associations
•       Nonprofit sector/government relations
•       Organizational change in the social economy
•       Public policy
•       Regulatory and legal dimensions of nonprofits and the social economy
•       Social and environmental accounting
•       Social capital/informal co-operation
•       Social economy human resource management and labour relations
•       Social enterprises/social purpose businesses
•       Volunteering

Types of Proposals

Three types of proposals will be considered: individual papers, panels, and roundtables. Proposals should be submitted as email attachments in Microsoft Word to info@anser-ares.ca with the type of proposal indicated in the subject line (for example, paper, panel, or roundtable). Proposals will be subject to peer review and notification of acceptance will be provided by February 28th. Authors of accepted papers will be required to provide a 5-8 page (double spaced) summary of their paper by May 1, 2008, for publication in online conference proceedings (editor, Peter Elson).

Paper Proposals
Paper proposals typically are presentations of research findings and theory on a topic. Paper proposals can also be think pieces and discussions of research and thesis proposals. Paper proposals should include a cover sheet containing the paper's title, name and affiliation of presenter(s), and contact information of each presenter including email. This should be followed by an abstract of not more than two pages including the paper's title and key reference sources.

Panel Proposals
Panels are collections of three or four papers on a related theme. Ideally, these papers build upon each other, thereby adding to the coherence of the panel. For a panel, the cover sheet with contact information for the entire group should be the first page, followed by a one-page overview of the panel, including its title, and then up to 2 pages for each participant (as described under paper proposals).

Roundtables
Roundtables are discussion groups ideally suited for the discussion of research needs or research in progress around specific topics, e.g., "Current research needs in nonprofit organization governance," with a designated facilitator. Roundtables, typically consisting of three to four individuals, are ideally suited for a mix of researchers and leaders of community organizations. For a roundtable, the cover sheet with contact information for the entire group and the roundtable's title should be the first page, followed by a two-page summary of the primary issues to be addressed.

Conference Information

Participants in the ANSER 2008 Conference should register through the website of the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, which includes a reduction for early registration. The fees, posted on the website, include those for the Congress and the association. The Congress website also includes information on accommodation, discounts for travel, and local information. For more information, email and please check the ANSER website http://www.anser-ares.ca for updates.


Invitation à présenter des communications pour la Conférence inaugurale de l'ARES

L'ARES est une association canadienne créée depuis peu pour appuyer et promouvoir la recherche sur l'économie sociale, le secteur bénévole et communautaire et les organismes sans but lucratif au sens large au Canada. Notre Conférence inaugurale aura lieu dans le cadre du Congrès des sciences humaines, du 4 au 6 juin 2008, à l'Université de la Colombie-Britannique à Vancouver. Toutes les personnes qui participent à des travaux de recherche appliquée et théorique, pertinents par rapport à la vocation de l'ARES, y compris des chercheurs de pays étrangers, sont invités à proposer des communications, des panels et des tables rondes, pour le 14 janvier 2008. L'ARES n'est pas réservée aux enseignants et aux étudiants de cycle supérieur des universités et des collèges; les consultants et les intervenants impliqués dans des travaux de recherche sont vivement invités à soumettre leurs propositions.

Les domaines d'intérêt sont notamment les suivants :

•       apprentissage par le service communautaire/partenariats entre la collectivité et l'université;
•       associations mutuelles sans but lucratif;
•       bénévolat;
•       cadre réglementaire et juridique des organismes sans but lucratif et de l'économie sociale;
•       capital social et collaboration informelle;
•       comptabilité sociale et environnementale;
•       conceptualisation de l'économie sociale;
•       développement économique communautaire;
•       dons de charité et philanthropie;
•       entreprises sociales/entreprises à but social
•       évolution des organismes de l'économie sociale;
•       fondations;
•       gestion des ressources humaines et relations de travail dans les organismes communautaires;
•       gouvernance, démocratie et participation dans les organismes communautaires;
•       participation, mobilisation et mouvements de citoyens;
•       politiques publiques;
•       relations entre le secteur sans but lucratif et les gouvernements;
•       responsabilité et évaluation du rendement au sein des organismes communautaires;
•       sexe, race et diversité dans l'économie sociale;
•       société civile.
 

Types de propositions

Trois types de propositions seront mis à l'étude : les communications individuelles, les panels et les tables rondes. Ces propositions sont à transmettre en format Microsoft Word et en pièce jointe à info@anser-ares.ca en mentionnant le type de proposition dans la ligne-objet (communication, panel ou table ronde) . Ces propositions seront évaluées par les pairs et leur acceptation sera notifiée pour le 28 février. Les auteurs des communications acceptées seront priés de fournir un résumé de 5 à 8 pages (à double interligne) de leur communication pour le 1er mai 2008, en vue de sa publication dans les actes de la Conférence (coordonnateur : Peter Elson ).

Propositions de communication
Les propositions de communication exposent en principe des conclusions de travaux de recherche et une théorie sur un thème particulier. Les propositions de communication peuvent également être des textes de réflexion, ainsi que des commentaires de travaux de recherche et des propositions de thèse. Les propositions de communication doivent comporter un document de présentation, précisant le titre de la communication, le nom et l'organisme du ou des conférenciers et les coordonnées de chacun d'eux, y compris leur adresse électronique. Ce document devrait précéder un résumé de deux pages au plus, mentionnant le titre de la communication et les principaux ouvrages de référence.

Propositions de panel
Un panel est un groupe de trois ou quatre communications traitant de thèmes connexes. Ces communications s'appuient théoriquement l'une sur l'autre, ce qui augmente la cohérence du panel. Le document de présentation d'un panel devrait indiquer les coordonnées de tout le groupe et précéder une présentation générale du panel d'une page, mentionnant son titre, puis deux pages au maximum par participant (au contenu identique à celui décrit pour les propositions de communication).

Tables rondes
Les tables rondes sont des groupes de discussion constitués théoriquement pour débattre des besoins de recherche ou des travaux de recherche en cours sur des thèmes particuliers « p. ex., besoins de recherche actuels sur la gouvernance des organismes sans but lucratif ». Une personne est désignée pour les animer. Trois ou quatre personnes participent en principe aux tables rondes, qui conviennent parfaitement à un groupe composé à la fois de chercheurs et de dirigeants d'organisme communautaire. Pour une table ronde, le document de présentation du groupe entier sera la première page, qui indiquera son titre et qui précédera un résumé de deux pages des principales questions traitées.

Renseignements sur la Conférence

Les participants de la Conférence 2008 de l'ARES doivent s'inscrire à partir du site Web du Congrès des sciences humaines, qui offre une réduction pour les inscriptions hâtives. Les frais affichés sur ce site Web correspondent aux frais d'inscription au Congrès et d'adhésion à l'Association. Le site Web du Congrès contient également des informations sur l'hébergement, les tarifs de voyage à prix réduit et des informations locales. Adressez un courriel pour vous renseigner. Merci de bien vouloir consulter les mises à jour qui seront publiées sur le site Web de l'ARES http://www.anser-ares.ca/default_fr.asp.

Last Call for Papers & Posters - 5th Annual Organic Research Symposium

5th Annual Organic Research Symposium
January 25th, 2008, at the 27th Guelph Organic Conference

"Building Sustainable Organic Business"
Our theme for 2008

Natural Sciences researchers, click here: http://www.oacc.info/Docs/Guelph2008/guelph_call_natsci08.pdf

Social Sciences researchers, click here: http://www.oacc.info/Docs/SocialScienceConferences/call%20for%20papers%202008.pdf

Business of Education Conference – Exchanging Ideas for a Sustainable University

Registration for the 2007 Business of Education Conference – Exchanging Ideas for a Sustainable University is filling up fast. 
 
We are expecting a sold out room for this exciting event.  Come and hear about how the University is incorporating sustainability in all aspects of the institution – from recycling and food service to use of space and 25 years in the future.  Plenary sessions, breakout sessions as well as displays from University organizations that are committed to sustainability will be available to all registrants.
 
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
89 Chestnut Street Conference Centre
Toronto


To register, go to http://www.boe.utoronto.ca/
 

Co-Operative Internship Experience Program (CIEP) Looking for Host Organizations

This is the fifth year of On Co-op's Co-operative Internship Experience Program (CIEP).  Phase I is progressing, with a diverse list of co-op organizations about to play "host" to 15 interns.  Job titles include:  Community Development Intern; Administrative Assistant; Anniversary Planning Co-ordinator; Co-operative Development Intern; Membership and Volunteer Intern; Member Education and Programs Intern; Database Support Co-ordinator and Public Relations Co-ordinator.

The 26-week program provides Interns with real-world “co-operative” job experience at a decent wage, at a cost of just 8 weeks’ wages (less than $3000) to the host organization.  To qualify, interns must be 30 years old or younger, Canadian citizens or legally entitled to work in Canada, and have completed a post-secondary program at a college or university. 

Phase II of the program begins in April 2008. If your organization is interested in hosting one or more Interns for the next 26-week phase, contact the Internship and Public Affairs Co-ordinator, Audrey Aczel-Castillo at: 1.888.745-5521 x24 or acastillo@ontario.coop.

More information is available at: www.ontario.coop/Interns.

Social Economy Centre (SEC) Lunchbox Speaker Series, November 28

The Social Economy Centre of the University of Toronto invites you to the next event in its speaker series on Wednesday, November 28th: "Social Purpose Business for Persons with Psychiatric and Developmental Handicaps” with Carolyn Lemon (Board Member, Common Ground Co-operative), Laurie Hall (Executive Director, AWAY Express) and John Trainor (Director, Community Support and Research Unit, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health). The event will also be webcast live on the Internet. Please see the SEC website for detailed instructions at http://sec.oise.utoronto.ca/english/lectures.php.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
University of Toronto
252 Bloor St. West, Room 12-199
Toronto

Co-Operative Young Leaders 2008

Approximately 500 young people have gone through the Co-operative Young Leaders (CYL) program since it began 40 years ago.  Your participation in this unique youth leadership and self-confidence building experience ensures that our sector continues to develop the next generation of co-operative leaders.
 
CYL summer 2008 dates announced.  Registration will begin in early 2008. More details will be posted to www.ontario.coop/CYL shortly.

     Junior (A): June 28 - July 5. (B): July 5 - July 12. (C):  July 12 - July 19
     Intermediate (A): July 19 - July 26. (B): July 26 - August 2
     Senior (A):  August 9 - August 16. (B):  August 16 - August 23

Remember CYL when creating your annual budget.   On Co-op encourages all Ontario co-operatives and credit unions to take part in the CYL program:  (1) Sponsor one or more young people from your organization to attend a week of camp; (2) Become a corporate sponsor, and support an entire week of CYL - providing supplies and keeping camp costs affordable for all participants; (3) Send a staff or board member as a guest speaker or a week-long Facilitator. Contact us for all the details: e-mail youth@ontario.coop or call 519.763.8271.

You can help get the Co-operative Development Initiative renewed

Canada’s two national co-op associations have developed a proposal that will use co-operatives as a way to meet many of today’s federal policy challenges. The Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) and Conseil Canadien de la Coopération (CCC) want to renew and expand their current Co-operative Development Initiative (CDI) partnership with the federal government, which is set to end on March 31, 2008.

CCA, CCO, and their partners (including On Co-op) are looking for your support in helping get this important initiative renewed. Co-ops, credit unions and co-op sector supporters are urged to contact Secretary of State Christian Paradis and Agriculture & Agri-Food Minister Gerry Ritz to let them know how important it is to renew and expand the Co-operative Development Initiative.

Use the tools and resources at www.CoopsCanada.coop/CDI to: Access sample letters to the Minister and Secretary of State (Agriculture), and to create an auto e-mail to your MP.

Harness the Power of Co-operation: A new Co-operative Development Initiative for Canada was presented to Secretary of State (Agriculture) Christian Paradis by CCA President Dave Sitaram and CCC President Michel Rouleau during a visit to CCA’s offices on September 10, 2007. Download a copy of the proposal at http://www.CoopsCanada.coop/CDI.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Canadian Worker Cooperative Federation (CWCF) AGM/Conference 2007: Worker Co-ops and Community Sustainability

Thursday, November 22nd to Saturday, November 24th, 2007
Ancaster, Ont. (near Hamilton), Canterbury Hills Conference Centre

For more information: http://www.coopzone.coop/files/ConfProgram12Nov07.doc

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Workshop Nov 30/07: Greening your Organization So Everyone Wins

The Social Economy Centre is running a new workshop series/certificate on cutting edge issues affecting the social economy during the Fall 2007 and Winter/Spring 2008. The next workshop will be led by Paula Anderson from Peterborough Green-Up, on 'Greening your Organization So Everyone Wins', on November 30, 2007.

For more information, go to
http://socialeconomy.utoronto.ca and click on Workshops/Certificate, or contact Lisa White, Workshop Co-ordinator at secworkshops@oise.utoronto.ca

Saturday, November 03, 2007

Youth Reinventing Co-operatives Book Volume II Call for Submissions Due December 5, 2007

GET PUBLISHED!
MAKE YOUR CO-OP KNOWN AROUND THE WORLD!
HELP OTHERS ESTABLISH THEIR CO-OPS!

After the wonderful feedback from the first youth book, a second volume is now underway. Please submit your stories of youth co-ops today. We want your stories and pictures (lots of pictures)!!!

- Download Call for Submissions in English
- Download Call for Submissions in Spanish

Email youthco@uvic.ca if you have any questions, comments, or stories.

Please read all the information on submission guidelines and email us with your stories, resources and pictures. Don't miss out!
Submission guidelines, case study templates and more info >>