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Cooperative Resilience: Cultivating a Statewide Movement for Economic Democracy
The New York Cooperative Summit is a one-day event brings together New York State cooperative members, leaders, organizers, and allies to share practical tools and strategies for starting, sustaining, and scaling the co-op ecosystem across the state. In 2024 the Summit was held in Syracuse and attracted 100 attendees, and this year the event is moving to Albany and anticipating 150 people.
What should I expect from the summit?
This content for this year's summit focuses on how cooperatives can find technical assistance and develop the skills they need to grow and thrive, how they can work together to meet New Yorkers’ material needs, and how they act together as part of a broader movement for democracy and economic justice. The agenda features a dozen workshops with co-op leaders from across the State, a dynamic keynote panel, and facilitated networking spaces.
Our keynote panel will be a conversation between Melissa Marquez, the recently retired CEO of Rochester's Genesee Co-op Federal Credit Union and a lifelong co-op and community development leader, and India Walton, the former Democratic Nominee for Mayor of the City of Buffalo and a current worker-owner at Rose Jade Consulting and board member of Cooperation Buffalo.
Workshops will discuss a wide range of topics including strategies for converting existing business to cooperative ownership, an overview of active campaigns to pass state legislation to grow the cooperative movement, an introduction to the cooperative finance ecosystem, labor union and co-op collaboration, co-op development in immigrant communities, tools for better group decision-making and conflict management in co-ops, lessons from local co-op ecosystems around New York, lessons from efforts to build cohesive and political powerful co-op movements in other states, co-op start-up 101, and much much more.
Who is organizing the Summit?
The 2025 event is being co-organized by a coalition of leaders from the Adirondack North Country Association, The Alchemical Nursery Project, CNY Community Foundation, Cooperation Buffalo, Cooperative Federal Credit Union, Cooperative Fund of the Northeast, Democracy at Work Institute, Capital Bookkeeping Cooperative, ICA Group, NYC Network of Worker Cooperatives, The Worker Place, Westchester Cooperative Network, and others.
What's the event day schedule?
- 815-915 Registration
- 915-9:30 Intro + Grounding
- 9:45- 11:00 Breakout 1
- 11:15-12:30. Breakout 2
- 1230-1:15 Lunch
- 130-245. Breakout 3
- 3-3:45 Keynote remarks
- 3:45-5 Emergent breakouts
- 5:10-5:30 report back next step full group convo + closing remarks
COVID 19
- The Coordinating Team of the 2025 Cooperative Summit explicitly notes that masking is welcome and appreciated, but optional. We will have KN95 masks available at registration desk when checking in, and hand sanitizer readily available throughout the day.
- We Encourage rapid tests prior to travelling to the Summit as a preventative step; and ask that you consider not coming if you are sick, COVID or otherwise, and instead stay home and rest. We are planning on refunding registrations for sickness absences.
SPONSORS
$2,000: National Cooperative Bank, ICA Group, The Elias Foundation
$1,000: Electric City Food Co-op, CFNE/Cooperative Fund of the North East, CDI/Cooperative Development Institute, CDF/Cooperative Education Fund
$500: Genesee Co-op FCU, Capital Bookkeeping Cooperative, LEAF, GreenStar, NCBA/National Cooperative Business Association, Chatham Real Foods, DAWI/Democracy at Work Institute
$250: Walden Mutual, Start.coop, Food Co-op Initiative, Cooperation Buffalo, Alternatives FCU, Westchester Cooperative Network, Community Loan Fund of the Capital Region, Working World, Good Work Institute, Saint Mary’s University
By registering for this event, you also agree to receive promotional & event-related emails from the New York Cooperative Summit.
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Resiliencia Cooperativa: Cultivando un Movimiento en el Estado de NY por la Democracia Económica
La Cumbre Cooperativa de Nueva York es un evento de un día que reúne a miembros cooperativos, líderes, organizadores y aliados del estado de Nueva York para compartir herramientas y estrategias prácticas para iniciar, mantener y escalar el ecosistema cooperativo en todo el estado. En 2024, la Cumbre se celebró en Syracuse y atrajo a 100 asistentes, y este año el evento se traslada a Albany y se anticipan 150 participantes.
¿Qué debo esperar de la Cumbre?
El contenido para la cumbre de este año se centra en cómo las cooperativas pueden acceder a asistencia técnica y desarrollar las habilidades que necesitan para crecer y prosperar, cómo pueden colaborar para satisfacer las necesidades materiales de los neoyorquinos y cómo actúan juntas como parte de un movimiento más amplio por la democracia y la justicia económica. La agenda incluye una docena de talleres con líderes de cooperativas de todo el estado, un dinámico panel principal y espacios de networking facilitados
Nuestro panel principal será una conversación entre Melissa Márquez, directora ejecutiva recientemente jubilada de Genesee Co-op Federal Credit Union de Rochester e incesante líder del desarrollo comunitario y cooperativo, e India Walton, ex candidata demócrata a la alcaldía de la ciudad de Buffalo y actual trabajadora-propietaria de Rose Jade Consulting y miembro de la junta de Cooperation Buffalo.
Los talleres discutirán una amplia gama de temas que incluyen estrategias para convertir negocios existentes en propiedad cooperativa, una descripción de las campañas activas para aprobar legislación estatal para hacer crecer el movimiento cooperativo, una introducción al ecosistema de finanzas cooperativas, colaboración entre sindicatos y cooperativas, desarrollo cooperativo en comunidades de inmigrantes, herramientas para una mejor toma de decisiones grupales y manejo de conflictos en cooperativas, lecciones de los ecosistemas cooperativos locales en Nueva York, lecciones de los esfuerzos para construir movimientos cooperativos cohesivos y políticamente poderosos en otros estados, introducción a las cooperativas (Co-op 101) y mucho más.
Organizan:
Adirondack North Country Association, The Alchemical Nursery Project, CNY Community Foundation, Cooperation Buffalo, Cooperative Federal Credit Union, Cooperative Fund of the Northeast, Democracy at Work Institute, Capital Bookkeeping Cooperative, ICA Group, NYC Network of Worker Cooperatives, The Worker Place, Westchester Cooperative Network, and others.
Agenda del día:
- 8:15–9:15 Registro
- 9:15–9:30 Bienvenida
- 9:45–11:00 Sesión 1
- 11:15–12:30 Sesión 2
- 12:30–1:15 Almuerzo
- 1:30–2:45 Sesión 3
- 3:00–3:45 Conferencia principal
- 3:45–5:00 Sesiones emergentes
- 5:10–5:30 Conversación final y cierre
COVID 19
- El Equipo Coordinador de la Cumbre Cooperativa 2025 señala explícitamente que el uso de mascarillas es bienvenido y apreciado, pero opcional. Tendremos máscaras KN95 disponibles en el mostrador de registro al momento del check-in y desinfectante de manos disponible durante todo el día.
- Alentamos las pruebas rápidas antes de viajar a la Cumbre como medida preventiva; y le pedimos que considere no venir si está enfermo, COVID o de otro tipo, y en su lugar quédese en casa y descanse. Estamos planeando reembolsar las inscripciones por ausencias por enfermedad.
Patrocinadores principales:
$2,000: National Cooperative Bank, ICA Group, The Elias Foundation
$1,000: Electric City Food Co-op, CFNE/Cooperative Fund of the North East, CDI/Cooperative Development Institute, CDF/Cooperative Education Fund
$500: Genesee Co-op FCU, Capital Bookkeeping Cooperative, LEAF, GreenStar, NCBA/National Cooperative Business Association, Chatham Real Foods, DAWI/Democracy at Work Institute
$250: Walden Mutual, Start.coop, Food Co-op Initiative, Cooperation Buffalo, Alternatives FCU, Westchester Cooperative Network, Community Loan Fund of the Capital Region, Working World, Good Work Institute, Saint Mary’s University
Al registrarse para este evento, también acepta recibir correos electrónicos promocionales y relacionados con el evento de la Cumbre Cooperativa de Nueva York.
