International Cooperative Alliance & others
International Cooperative Alliance
2021
š Context and Publisher The report "Young people and cooperatives: a perfect match?" was developed through a collaborative global research initiative by the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), which is a global association of cooperatives promoting their interests. The report was co-produced with the support of the Co-operative College and contributions from the ICA Youth Network. This initiative aims to address pressing issues faced by young people today in various aspects of life, including sustainable housing. š Key Insights Based on 420 responses from young people across 20 countries, the report identifies five critical areas, known as the five 'E's: employment, education, (in)equalities, engagement, and entrepreneurship. These areas encompass the main challenges that youth encounter and highlight how cooperatives can effectively address these challenges while contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 8 (decent work) and SDG 4 (quality education). š„ Role of Cooperatives The report underscores the potential for cooperatives to play a significant role in mitigating the challenges faced by young people. It outlines strategies for increasing youth engagement in cooperatives, including enhancing awareness about cooperatives, improving their public image, creating youth-oriented structures within cooperative organizations, and promoting decent work opportunities. These strategies aim to foster a more inclusive environment that encourages young people to participate actively in cooperatives. š Case Studies and Recommendations The report includes various case studies demonstrating how cooperatives have positively contributed to employment, education, and the reduction of inequalities. It emphasizes the necessity for cooperatives to evolve and adapt to a digitized environment to effectively engage with the youth demographic. The findings indicate that while cooperatives possess the theoretical capacity to assist young people in overcoming their challenges, practical barriers must be addressed to realize this potential. ā” Call to Action Ultimately, the report serves as a call to action for cooperatives to intensify their efforts in supporting and engaging young people. It provides actionable conclusions and recommendations aimed at promoting youth cooperatives, enhancing youth employment and participation in cooperatives, and improving education related to cooperative principles and practices. This initiative is crucial not only for fostering youth involvement but also for contributing to sustainable housing solutions and community development across Europe.
The report titled "Young people and cooperatives: a perfect match?" is a comprehensive global research initiative co-produced by all regional offices of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) with support from the Co-operative College and input from the ICA Youth Network. The report is structured into five main chapters, referred to as the five 'E's: employment, education, (in)equalities, engagement, and entrepreneurship. It is based on 420 responses from young people in 20 countries and aims to provide insights into the key challenges facing youth today, and how cooperatives can address these challenges and improve engagement with young people.
The report highlights the potential of cooperatives to play a crucial role in solving the challenges of young people, while also contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 8 on decent work and SDG 4 on quality education. It identifies strategies to engage more youth in cooperatives, such as improving knowledge of cooperatives among young people, boosting the image of cooperatives, developing genuine youth-oriented structures within cooperatives, and promoting decent work opportunities through cooperatives.
The report also includes case studies and examples of cooperative contributions to employment, education, and reducing inequalities. It emphasizes the need for cooperatives to adapt to the digitized world to better engage young people and suggests that cooperatives need to be more visible as an alternative for employment opportunities. The research indicates that while cooperatives theoretically have the capacity to help youth overcome challenges, there are still obstacles that need to be addressed to ensure this potential is realized in practice.
Overall, the report serves as a call to action for cooperatives to strengthen their support and engagement towards young people and provides actionable conclusions and recommendations for the cooperative movement to promote youth cooperatives, youth employment and participation in cooperatives, as well as education on cooperatives.