This week, we're re-posting a video from several years ago that provides a wonderful introduction to the Arizmendi Association of Co-ops in the SF Bay Area. Not only is this a well produced piece of media about one of the US's most impressive groups of worker co-ops, but our intrepid volunteer Colin has been kind enough to provide a transcript.Â
Then, Jessica A. Rucker of the Ella Jo Baker Intentional Community Cooperative writes about the importance of physical and psychological rest for cooperators and activists, and calls on us to remember that the point of our efforts is create better lives for ourselves, not to create burnout or the need to be constantly "productive."
In other news, we've also managed to move ourselves away from PayPal - which has been the best of bad options for us for quite awhile - and onto the Give Butter platform. If you are a current or past contributor, you can now make your donation to GEO here. And we've also finally set up an account on Blue Sky, so look for us there if you are on that platform.
Arizmendi: A Co-op of Co-ops
by Transition Bus
Tim: The Arizmendi Association is one large co-operative made up of seven smaller cooperatives. Each of the bakeries is a separate co-operative, it's owned by the people who work there. And then there's my co-operative, which is a seventh, which is a technical assistance co-operative. Our job is to go create new cooperatives and support the existing ones. We do training and democratic decision making and conflict resolution. Bookkeeping is a lot of what we do for that. And all those co-operatives make up the Arizmendi Association.
We Who Believe in Freedom Must Rest
by Jessica A. Rucker
Grassroots activism and organizing are slow work, but they are also work that build us up and instead of tearing us down. Exhaustion is an invented byproduct of capitalism and is our body, mind, and spirits’ way of communicating to us that we have been used up by grind culture and capitalism.Â
UK Worker Co-ops BlueSky Starter Pack
BlueSky Directory — A list of worker co-ops and projects working on economic democracy and collective ownership at work, in the UK. And federations, alliances and co-op projects internationally with relevance to us in the UK. This list is not exhaustive!...
Visit Cuban Co-ops, June 15th - 25th
Center for Global Justice — Experience Cuba’s vibrant culture and people. Join one of our delegations of activists, scholars and cooperativists for a unique, in-depth look at a changing society. Learn about Cuba’s public goods such as free health care, and education provided by the state, Cuba's collective production in agricultural and urban cooperatives, its forms of democratic governance, its private businesses, its community projects and more...
2025 California Cooperative Conference
California Center for Cooperative Development — The 2025 California Cooperative Conference will convene in Davis, CA on May 16 and 17.
Mark your calendars and join us!...Early Bird registration discount active through March 19, 2025!...
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