Each month we host a guest to start a conversation that reflects cooperative values.
This month we'll speak with Michaela from the City of New York Worker Cooperative Business Development Initiative.
Michaela helps coop developers access city resources to do their work developing the coop economy. We'll explore the ways that NYC as a city is helping coops, as well as the opportunities and challenges visible when trying to build a ‘new economy’ or ‘solidarity economy’ in partnership with a public agency.
Following an initial presentation, we'll break into group discussions to identify the support that cooperatives need in order to do their most impactful work. This will allow us to provide opportunities to support each other, while also exploring what a government that supports the solidarity economy could look like.
Michaela has conducted research on worker cooperatives and their role in international social and solidarity economy movements--particularly in Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, and Canada. Her love for coops comes out of the food justice movement. Since acting as the General Coordinator of her university's food cooperative, she has been interested in collective-problem solving and solidarity-building organizations.
