Cooperation opportunities for young co-operative leaders in Europe

Co-operatives have a long history of building partnerships and networks amongs themselves. After all, co-operation among co-operatives is the seventh co-operative principle.

In a globalised world, the challenge for the co-operative movement is to improve the capacity of building partnerships and networks at international level. At the same time this offers many opportunities for young co-operators to grow into new leadership roles required for that internationalisation strategy.

The 2012 International Year of Co-operatives provided a perfect platform for putting young co-operators higher on the European co-operative agenda. Cooperatives Europe together with its Bulgarian member CCU and Euro Coop organised a Young Co-operative Leaders’ forum in Bulgaria in June 2012. The forum brought around 40 young co-operators from around Europe together, who developed first recommendations for strengthening their role within the European co-operative movement.

Further actions are under preparation at Cooperatives Europe to use the international year as a springboard for building new skills, new partnerships and networks of co-operatives in Europe with a particular focus on young co-operators.