Learn about co-ops for collective liberation!

“It is our duty to fight for our freedom.

It is our duty to win.

We must love each other and support each other.

We have nothing to lose but our chains.”

-Assata Shakur

The Academy is June 17-23, 2019 at Earthseed Land Cooperative in Durham, NC

Applications are now closed!

CoFED’s Summer Co-op Academy (SCA) is a week-long education intensive designed with love for Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian and Pacific Islander youth who are working in co-ops and collectives to grow community health and wealth through food and land. Cooperative economics have always been vital to our collective survival, especially for Black and Brown folks on this continent and around the world. And as folks who are building co-ops and collectives for your people, you deserve to be supported with resources and processes that feel both relevant and liberating. At the SCA, you'll learn more about the cooperative hxstory, politics, economics and practices necessary to create community-led solutions that address issues of food and land sovereignty, sustainability and social justice. We are committed to practicing a community of care that is trauma-informed, centers healing and inclusive of diverse needs. We'll hold space, build power and reconnect to the earth and our ancestors. 

Here's a snapshot of one day at the Summer Co-op Academy:

As an SCA participant, you'll join a dynamic cohort of 7-10 cooperative and collective teams from across the US and Canada -- and a powerful community of peers. Summer Co-op Academy alumni belong to many different cooperatives and collectives, from immigrant-owned farms and herbal wellness centers to grocery stores, cafes and community gardens. We hope you'll take the connections, experiences, and tools you'll gain at Summer Co-op Academy back to your people, wherever your truth and vision lead you. 

Come throw down for liberation with us and apply to Summer Co-op Academy today! Full and partial scholarships are available, and no one will be turned away due to lack of funds.

Eligibility

We accept applications from teams of 2-3 people. You should apply if:

• You are part of a cooperative or collective food and land justice project
• 2-3 members of the project can attend the full program from June 17-23
• Participating team members are age 30 or under; folks under 18 are able to attend with a waiver
• Participating team members identify as Black, Brown, Indigenous or PoC (person of color, explicitly including folks of African, Latinx, Asian and/or Pacific Islander heritage)

Cost of Registration & Scholarships

CoFED is committed to making SCA as accessible and equitable as possible. To make SCA affordable for everyone, please pay what you can. The full cost of registration is an estimated $1,500/person and includes all housing, food, programming and ground transportation during the program. Registration does not include transportation to and from the program’s host city, but airport pickup/dropoff is available. Sliding scale registration per person is as follows:

$200 - Annual household income of $40,000 or less

$350 - Annual household income between $40,001 - $60,000

$500 - Annual household income between $60,001 - $80,000

$750 - Annual household income between $80,001 - $100,000

$1,500 - Annual household income of $100,000 or more

CoFED dues-paying members also enjoy a 5% discount.

If needed, your team has several places to turn to for scholarship and funding:

1. Funding can be obtained through your host co-op or organization. Consider professional development or programmatic budgets, or funding set aside for technical assistance and organizational development. College students can look to campus funds such as student clubs, sustainability commitments, academic departments' conference and travel budgets, etc.
   
   
2. Try some community fundraising! CoFED believes deeply in community wealth-building, and living in collective abundance. We can help connect you to your local and regional community of aligned cooperatives, cooperative associations, and credit unions. Or you can implement you own fundraising idea! For example, a team in California found financial support from a local grocery cooperative as well as a regional non-profit whose mission is to advance health and food access. Not only did it lead to financial support; it also created new partnerships for their project that they continue to benefit from today.
   
   
3. Scholarships may be available through the Ralph K. Morris Foundation Cooperative Leadership Fund. Please visit their website at www.ralphkmorrisfoundation.org for more information. We will walk you through the process of applying if you are accepted to the Academy; you'll need CoFED to sign off on your application.