On July 6th, International Cooperative Day (#CoopsDay), Worcester joined communities around the world in celebrating democracy in the workplace and calling for an economy that works for all of us.
Participants learned about local initiatives to create sustainable businesses that give back to the community and support Worcester youth in becoming civic leaders.
It was a family-friendly festival with music, food and drink, workshops, kids’ activities and a co-op marketplace featuring vendors from cooperatively-owned businesses. Proceeds from the festival went to the Worcester Roots Co-op Academy and the Worcester Youth Co-op.
Support for ethically run businesses is more important than ever as we face increasing income inequality and a climate crisis – problems caused by pursuing profit at the expense of communities.
We need to invest in solutions that benefit our communities, such as worker co-ops, housing co-ops, community-owned renewable energy, and community land trusts. To make a “just transition” we must confront the intersecting crises of climate change and inequality together. Because ultimately, how we relate to one another affects our work, and our work affects the earth.
Read the Telegram & Gazette coverage of the event here.
See the Worcester Magazine lead-up article here.
INterDEPENDENCE Day features worker cooperatives in particular. Worker co-ops are businesses where the people who work in a company own and govern the business democratically. So, ownership and control of the business come from working in the company, rather than investing capital in it.
Co-op members have increased job security, less wage inequality, and a greater voice within the workplace when compared to their non-coop counterparts. To learn more, read about this year’s CoopDay theme – Coops 4 Decent Work.
The Worcester Youth Cooperative embodies that spirit, saying, “We chose the cooperative model so that wealth stays within our communities by reinvesting profit into our projects and residents.”
July 6th, 2019 celebrated the connections in our communities and to call for the changes we need to create a more just, healthier, and brighter future for all of us.
When: Saturday July 6, 2019, 11am – 5pm
Where: Compass Tavern Parking Lot – 90 Harding St, Worcester, MA
CROWD FUNDING PAGE HERE
SPONSORED BY:
Recap / thank you video from Line Break Media and Future Focus Media:
