From today's inbox:

How can we reclaim our local economy? How can we begin to transform the economy into a sustainable and just space that provides jobs while meeting community needs?

On Friday, June 1st and Saturday, June 2nd, members of the TESC and Olympia communities will meet to learn about cooperatives and discuss the ways that cooperatives could contribute to—and transform—our local economy.

Members of CECOSESOLA, a 45-year old cooperative in Venezuela, will share their experiences of building a social economy. CECOSESOLA has 1,200 members and 20,000 affiliated members, makes all decisions by consensus, and has developed a cooperative funeral parlor, health care system, appliance purchasing consortium and an integrated food system that includes organic farms, food processors and food distribution.

Students from the academic program Venezuela: Building Economic and Social Justice will share their experiences and analysis of the cooperative movement in Venezuela.

Featuring presentations and workshops on: Cooperative Principles; Cooperative Decision-Making; Skills Sharing; What to do with our Profit, and more.

With the participation of:

CECOSESOLA
The Olympia Food Co-op
Flaming Eggplant Café
Equal Exchange
MIJAS
The Northwest Cooperative Development Center
The Manufactured Home Cooperative
Students from the Venezuela Program
Faculty members from: Reinterpreting Liberation; Civic Intelligence and Collective Action; and Venezuela: Building Economic and Social Justice

Free and Open to all—no registration necessary
Childcare provided on Saturday
English-Spanish translation available

Friday, June 1, 6pm – 8:30pm
Governor House, Washington Room
Downtown Olympia, across from Sylvester Park

Saturday, June 2, 9:30am – 6:30pm
Library Underground (below the Library Circulation Desk)
The Evergreen State College

For more information, see:
www.one-world.org/olycoop2012

***The United Nations has declared 2012 the International Year of Cooperatives and has called for “further action to promote the growth of cooperatives as…social enterprises that can contribute to sustainable development, eradication of poverty, and livelihoods in various economic sectors in urban and rural areas.”