Events + Offerings
What//Que: COOP 101 w/ Co-op Hudson Valley & Rock Steady Farm // Introducción a las Cooperativas con Co-Op Hudson Valley y Rock Steady Farm
When/Cuando: Monday, December 9th 6pm EST-8:30pm EST // lunes, 9 de diciembre 6pm-8:30pm hora este
Where/Donde: The Environmental Cooperative at Vassar Barns, 50 Vassar Farm Ln, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
***Español Abajo***
Are you excited by the idea of owning a business with others? Are you curious about co-ops? Whether you are new to co-ops or are early in your journey of starting any type of cooperative project, join Rock Steady Farm team members and co-op developers from Co-op Hudson Valley to learn more about how the worker-owned cooperative model works!
We’ll dig deeper into the worker co-op culture and governance of Rock Steady Farm and one other case study with these topics:
Co-op origins, principles, and values
Worker-ownership essentials, such as profit sharing
Tools and practices for cooperative culture and decision-making
Bring your co-op questions, curiosities, and co-op dreams…in-person! Food will be provided and childcare is available. This in-person workshop will be a bilingual space with English facilitation and Spanish interpretation.
Sliding scale ticket price $0-$50.
Access Notes:
COVID-19 Safety: Please stay home if you feel sick, suspect you have been exposed to COVID-19 within the past week, are recovering from COVID-19 and/or live/share indoor space with someone who currently has COVID-19 in order to minimize spread.
Please take a rapid test before attending. Proof of negative rapid test (taken within 24 hours) will be required to participate. We will have rapid tests available, and there will be rapid testing set up next to our registration table to take your test if you do not have access to one before arrival.
Masks are required for this indoor event. Please bring your own mask (ideally N95 masks, we will have a limited amount available). We will have hand sanitizer available throughout the space.
Setting & Terrain Notes: please refer to The Environmental Cooperative at Vassar Barns website.
For questions please contact programs@rocksteadyfarm.com.
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Estás entusiasmado con la idea de ser propietario de un negocio con otros? Tienes curiosidad por las cooperativas? Ya sea que seas nuevo en las cooperativas o estés al principio de tu viaje de comenzar cualquier tipo de proyecto cooperativo, únete a los miembros del equipo de Rock Steady Farm y desarrolladores cooperativos de Co-op Hudson Valley para aprender más sobre cómo funciona el modelo cooperativo propiedad de los trabajadores!
Profundizaremos en la cultura y la gobernanza de la cooperativa de trabajadores de Rock Steady Farm y otro estudio de caso con estas temas:
Los origines de las cooperativas, principios y valores
Elementos esenciales de la propiedad de los trabajadores, como la participación en las ganancias
Herramientas y prácticas para la cultura cooperativa y la toma de decisiones
Tráete sus preguntas, curiosidades, y sueños cooperativas… en persona! Aperitivos y cuidado de los niños estarán disponibles.
Este taller en persona será un espacio bilingüe con facilitación en Inglés, interpretación en Español.
Boletos de costo variable $0-$50.
Notas de acceso:
Seguridad COVID-19: Por favor quédese en casa si se siente enfermo, sospecha que ha estado expuesto al COVID-19 en la última semana, se está recuperando del COVID-19 y/o vive/comparte espacio interior con alguien que actualmente tiene COVID-19 para minimizar la propagación.
Por favor, tome una prueba rápida antes de asistir. Se requerirá prueba de prueba rápida negativa (tomada dentro de las 24 horas) para participar. Tendremos pruebas rápidas disponibles, y habrá pruebas rápidas configuradas junto a nuestra tabla de registro para tomar su prueba si no tiene acceso a una antes de su llegada.
Las máscaras son necesarias para este evento. Por favor traiga su propia máscara (idealmente N95 máscaras, tendremos una cantidad limitada disponible). Tendremos desinfectante de manos disponible en todo el espacio.
Notas de acceso sobre el sitio: por favor refiere al la página web de The Environmental Cooperative at Vassar Barns.
Si tiene preguntas, comuníquese con programs@rocksteadyfarm.com
Join Co-op Hudson Valley and Rock Steady Farm for an introductory workshop about cooperative businesses. This workshop is geared towards folks that are early in their journey of forming a cooperative project, and for people interested in seeing how the worker cooperative model works in an existing farm business.
This workshop will take place on zoom.
Bilingual: Facilitation in English with interpretation in Spanish
What we’ll cover:
What is a co-op?
Types of cooperatives
Co-op governance & structure
Profit sharing in co-ops
We will use Rock Steady Farm as a case study to dig deeper into the details of how a worker cooperative is governed, how profits can be shared, and how decisions are made. Bring your questions, curiosities and co-op dreams! We will have a sliding scale ticket price for this event, $0-$45.
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Saludos amigüis!
Estaremos presentando este taller sobre cooperativas de trabajadores dirigido por Co-op Hudson Valley. Esta sesión tendrá interpretación en inglés y español. Este taller se llevará en Zoom.
Bilingüe: facilitación en Inglés, interpretación en Español
Juntes aprenderemos sobre:
¿Qué es una cooperativa?
Tipos de cooperativas
Cómo gobernar una cooperativa
Las ganancias de una cooperativa
Usaremos el ejemplo de Rock Steady Farm para profundizar los detalles de cómo se gobierna una cooperativa de trabajadores, cómo se pueden compartir las ganancias y cómo se toman las decisiones.
Traete tus preguntas, curiosidades y sueños de cooperativas!
Boletos de costo variable $0-$45
October is Co-op Month! We’re excited to amplify and celebrate the work of local co-op businesses and inspiring co-ops all over the world. We’ll also be celebrating Co-op Month at the Hudson Valley Co-op Mixer–a regional gathering of people who are passionate about local, self determined, and community-led economic development.
We, the hosts, live and work in the Hudson Valley as co-op members and developers. The gathering is recurring and encourages ongoing connection and resource-sharing. We’re invested in strengthening the emerging solidarity economy and ecosystem in our region, so we invite you and all of our neighbors who share this enthusiasm to join us. We have the pleasure of hosting October’s mixer at the space of one of Co-op HV’s supported co-ops—Found & Fixed–a sustainable furniture cooperative in Highland, NY!
Hudson Valley Co-op Mixer
Thursday, October 10, 2024 | 6-9 pm
Found & Fixed
Thanks to support from Hudson Valley Credit Union, we’ll be providing some delicious big bites from Poughkeepsie’s Chef David Cruz of Reconnect Foods! Feel free to bring some small bites or something sweet to share :-) Thank you for testing for COVID in advance of our gathering; masks will be available at the door.
Let’s build a sustainable, regional ecosystem where our economies work for all!
Cooperatively Yours,
Co-op HV & The HV Co-op Mixer Team
PAST OFFERINGS & EVENTS
Democratizing Work: Ways of Sharing Power, Leadership and Decision Making (3 Virtual Sessions)
SEPTEMBER 18, 20, 24 | 2024 | 9:30 am to 12:30 pm EST
Join the Good Work Institute and Co-op Hudson Valley as we explore the tools, policies, practices, culture, frameworks, and models of shared leadership and democratic decision making.
In this three-part series, we will get into the nuts and bolts of tools, policies and practices that support democratic decision making, and discuss the kinds of relational shifts that facilitate a culture of shared leadership. We will explore the broader context of shared leadership, including motivations, frameworks and models applicable to different types of organizations, both businesses and nonprofits.
In 2019, the Good Work Institute team made the collective decision to move from a hierarchical organization to a Worker Self-Directed Nonprofit. Together, we built a system of shared governance that serves the needs of our organization while honoring our unique individual contributions. Since 2021, Co-op Hudson Valley has been supporting worker-owned cooperative businesses to start and grow. This series draws on the direct experience of these two organizations that have coached, facilitated and supported workers in a wide variety of contexts to navigate the challenges and experience the benefits of bringing democratic values into the way we work and building deeper connections to our impact, purpose, and each other.
Rather than provide a specific template approach, this series is designed to support participating organizations to see opportunities to evolve their own structure and processes. Together, we will explore:
Frameworks and Models of Shared Leadership
GWI Case Study: Policies, Practices and Culture of a Worker Self-Directed Nonprofit
Tools that Support Democratic Ways of Working and Making Decisions Together
We request that participating organizations send a minimum of two workers, and that participants attend all three workshops. Shared leadership is a collaborative practice, and we believe that the more workers present, the easier it will be for an organization to engage with this work. Our recommended best practice is to send a delegation of workers that represent different professional backgrounds and different levels of authority within the organization.
Registration: We have a limited number of spots available for this workshop, depending on the number of organizations and workers per organization that sign up. If you are interested we ask that you sign up as soon as possible. We plan to close registration on September 13th, possibly sooner based on the number of worker signups.
Fee: Ticket prices are per organization, and you are able to register up to five workers for each ticket. We request that each participating organization register at least two workers, and that participating workers come from diverse professional backgrounds and levels of authority within the organization. This is a multi-session workshop and we expect all participants to attend all three sessions. Once you provide basic registration information for your organization’s workers, they will each receive a form to complete their registration details.
The fee for this workshop is on a sliding scale, determined by the annual budget of your organization. Each ticket covers all three sessions and includes registration for up to five workers at rates as low as $30-$120 per person depending on organization budget size and number of workers participating. We request that at least two workers from your organization participate, and recommend registering as many workers as are available to participate.
$150 For up to 5 people if your organization’s annual budget is less than $250,000
$300 For up to 5 people if your organization’s annual budget is $250,000 to $500,000
$450 For up to 5 people if your organization’s annual budget is $500,000 to $750,000
$600 For up to 5 people if your organization’s annual budget is greater than $750,000
Facilitators
Angela DeFelice (she/her) grew up in a rural, working class community in Western NY, and for the last 13 years has lived in and around Mohican-Munsee Lenape land (Poughkeepsie, NY). Her journey into the cooperative ecosystem began as co-founder and worker owner of Rock Steady Farm, a queer owned cooperative enterprise. Angela is excited by the power-building potential of community and worker ownership, and brings this energy to her current work as Project Steward with Co-op Hudson Valley.
DeeArah Wright (she/they) is a Black, Southern-born artist, archivist, writer, and mama who resides on Mohican-Munsee Lenape land (Poughkeepsie, NY). Based in the Northeast for over 25 years, DeeArah has facilitated adventurous, transformative experiments in learning and collaboration steeped in reverence for relationships and everyday magic. DeeArah is a Project Steward of Co-op Hudson Valley and brings deep experience in and passion for cooperative values, popular and radical education, and practicing the just communities of our dreams.
Micah (he/him) is of mixed race (Black and white) and mixed religion, and grew up in two different socio-economic homes. He is a cisgendered, working/middle class parent of two living on Munsee/Lenape land in the Mahicantuck Valley, commonly referred today as Kingston, NY. As a Worker Trustee of the Good Work Institute and a member of the Community Fund, Democratizing Work, Fiscal Sponsorship and Greenhouse Circles, he is working to prove possibility and to liberate the imagination in order to see a Just Transition.
Susan Grove (she/her) is a white, working/middle class, cisgendered parent. As a Worker Trustee and Learning Steward of the Good Work Institute and a member of the Community Engagement and Democratizing Work Circles, she is energized by opportunities to learn and facilitate learning; to design participatory gatherings and organize information; to tap into the power of effective collaboration and the generative potential of conflict; to connect across differences and contribute toward more equitable futures in her communities based in Poughkeepsie, NY and the wider Mahicantuck Valley.
Other GWI Worker Trustees may also be present to facilitate portions of this workshop series.
Here’s what a couple of participants from our most recent series had to say about the workshops:
These workshops have been a wonderful team-learning experience and a very timely response to our ongoing questions/inquiries into moving into a worker-directed collective. The resources, technical tools, frameworks, and approaches are truly invaluable and an incredible value-add. Through these workshops, our team has been introduced to and challenged to build shared language around power, leadership, structure, and decision-making. SOOOOOO good! – Shawn W.
I came into this process totally green to the idea of democratized work, but now feel I have a good grasp of the potential for our company, as well as great practical tools and resources, and clear next steps for how to approach these changes. – Lauren M.
HV Co-op Mixer | August 8th, 6-9pm
65 St. James Street, Kingston (Good Work Institute)
This event is a gathering of people who are passionate about local, self determined, community led, economic development of the mid Hudson Valley region. The organizers are cooperative developers of economic democracy living and working in the region. While we are focused on and passionate about cooperatives, the space is open to any individual and organization that is engaged or interested in regional economic, social and ecological development. We are hosting regular mixers to connect the emerging community and build the future we want. There will be a brief round of introductions and community announcements, followed by open space for mingling. There will be snacks and drinks, and you are welcome to bring treats to share! RSVP here
Shared Leadership Skill Share & Mixer
September 28th, 6-8pm, GWI Greenhouse Kingston
Is your business, org, or working group engaged in the practice of sharing power, leadership and decision-making? Come to the GWI Greenhouse to share experiences with your peers!
Learn more about the event, and sign up here!
Co-op 101 Workshop / Taller de Cooperativas
October 12th, 5:30-8pm, Rock Steady Farm, Millerton
Bilingual: facilitation in English with interpretation in Spanish
Join Co-op Hudson Valley and Rock Steady Farm for an introductory workshop about cooperative businesses. This in person workshop is geared towards folks that are early in their journey of forming a cooperative project, and for people interested to see how the Worker Cooperative model works in an existing farm business. This workshop will take place at Rock Steady Farm in Millerton, in a yurt, masks are required.
Learn more and register here!
12 de Octubre, 5:30-8pm, Rock Steady Farm, Millerton
Bilingüe: facilitación en Inglés, interpretación en Español.
Este taller está dirigido a personas que se encuentra en las primeras etapas de formar una cooperativa y para personas interesesadas en ver cómo funciona el modela de una cooperativa de trabajadores en un negocio existente. Este taller se llevará a cabo en Rock Steady Farm en Millerton, en una yurta, se requieren máscaras.
Aprende mas y registrarse aqui!
Democratizing Work: Ways of Sharing Power, Leadership and Decision Making
October 18th, 20th, 24th — 9:30am-12:30pm each day
Join Co-op Hudson Valley and the Good Work Institute for a three-part series to explore the tools, policies, practices, culture, frameworks, and models of shared leadership and democratic decision making.
Click here for more information and to register!
NYS Cooperative Summit (postponed until 2024)
The NY Cooperative Network is hosting a day long summit for cooperators. All are co-ops are welcome - start-ups or conversions, consumer or worker, marketing or purchasing, agriculture or electric, food or financial, housing or anyone curious about how the cooperative model works to save legacy businesses, provide for social and racial equity by reducing wealth and income gaps, and create resilient communities today and into the future through democratic ownership.
Co-op Hudson Valley will co-host a session with Cooperative Fund on the Northeast on getting lender ready.