(this page is currently under construction)
“Sustainable human development is development that not only generates economic growth but distributes its benefits equitably; that regenerates the environment rather than destroying it; that empowers people rather than marginalizing them. It gives priority to the poor; enlarging their choices and opportunities, and provides for their participation in decisions affecting them. It is development that is pro-poor, pro-nature, pro-jobs, pro-democracy, pro-women, and pro-children.”
— James Gustav Speth, Former Administrator, UN Development Programme
“Development is building up the people so they can build a future for themselves. It is an experience of freedom as people choose what to do. Development comes from within people’s own understanding of their needs and rights. It is a difficult experience for those who have lived in dependence and without hope for a long time. To decide to do something brings dignity and self-respect. Development efforts should therefore start with the people’s potential, and proceed to their enhancement and growth.”
— Training for Transformation: A Handbook for Community Workers, by Anne Hope and Sally Timmel
“Go to the people: Live with them. Learn from them. Love them. Start with what they know. Build with what they have. But of the best leaders, when the job is done, the task accomplished, the people will all say, ‘We have done this ourselves.’”
— Lao Tse, China, 700 BCE
WHAT IS A COOPERATIVE?
As its name suggests, a cooperative is an organization where people cooperate with each other in the service of a larger mission. The International Co-operative Alliance further clarifies that “Co-operatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity. In the tradition of their founders, co-operative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others.”
OUR COOPERATIVE
There are many types of cooperatives including: worker cooperatives, housing cooperatives, farming cooperatives, social cooperatives, building cooperatives, consumer cooperatives, cooperative banks and credit unions, and employment cooperatives, to name a few. CEC will be a social cooperative, with the aim of bringing providers and beneficiaries of social services together as members for meaningful collaboration and exchange. CEC’s contention is that that everyone has something to teach and something to learn, and that your growth helps me and visa versa, because we are all connected.
CEC will be unlike most government programs and NGOs because our cooperative is simply about people doing for themselves, and helping each other get what we need to grow as human beings. It is not about hand-outs, but rather about exchanging and sharing, and building long lasting relationships based on the values of honesty and responsibility and trust. Everyone must do their part to make it work – everybody gives and everybody gains.
CEC seeks to to create a place that not only heals people, but inspires us to open up and explore ourselves. In the process we come up with new ideas, improve the way we see our work, and evolve spiritually and personally so we get better at everything we do in our own lives, and in the world. CEC is designed to be a beautiful, soft, homey, comfortable landing place where people can come rest and be themselves, and heal from the wear of their work in and around social justice. Because each staff member has the ability to design a gratifying work rhythm and learning opportunity for themselves, friendships and mentoring relationships arise naturally out of the ambiance of mutual respect, collaboration, and camaraderie. CEC members are naturally inspired to engage deeply, contribute, learn from each other, and be creative.
CEC’s Approach to Development
[Coming soon.]
CEC’s Project and Organizational Development
[Coming soon.]