CC who?

CCA = The Canadian Co-operative Association

It is thanks to the Canadian Co-operative Association International Development Program that I have this wonderful opportunity.  The CCA has been working internationally (and yes if you are wondering this does include Canada) to establish and grow co-operatives, credit unions and community based organizations to reduce poverty, build sustainable livelihoods and improve civil society.

Credit Unions and co-ops are creating jobs and opportunities, loans to start a business, savings for the future, insurance against catastrophe, children in school, better health, the list goes on.  Our goal as coaches is to help local credit unions to work towards “the common good” as it is referred to in Mongolia, so that members can move out of poverty…for good.  It is part of a larger effort by CCA to turn poverty into prosperity.  A daunting task!

We start our assignment with a three day briefing in Ottawa.  Note books are handed out and we are strongly advised to keep a journal…good advice as it turns out, so much is happening that I am constantly finding myself returning the pages of my journal to sort out the days.  The first sentence in my journal is “Co-ops are often referred to as “the best kept secret, we need to blow this thinking out of the water”.  I couldn’t agree more, but how do we do that?  As corporate social responsibility (CSR) becomes the ‘in thing’, and we all know that it is, then how do we differentiate ourselves from this mass entrance of larger companies into traditional credit union territory. 

CSR is an interesting conversation for credit unions; after all it is our foundation, governed as we are by the 7 co-operative principles.  How do we truly maintain our integrity as we grow?  How do we change with the times, without diluting the model so much that it becomes ineffective, or worse loses its core principles? 

I believe that we need to capture the pioneer spirit we started with.  Mongolia I hope will help me do that.  We live in a time were people are questioning the status quo.  My role in Mongolia is to help to develop trust in the Credit Union system by creating relationships and sharing knowledge.  It has been my experience in life that the sharing of knowledge is always a two way street.  I’m looking forward to learning all that I can.   

 Left to Right, Joan Burdeniuk, Charlie Collura,Neil Cooper,
Chris Galloway, Graham Mickleborough, Heather O'Hare, Trudy Rasmuson,
and Sue Klassen

Our picture is taken as we get ready to leave, already friends we jockey for position around the 2012 International Year of Co-Operatives banner.  Interestingly enough it was the Mongolian Co-operative movement that put forward the motion to the UN to declare 2012 the International Year of Co-Operatives.  It seems fitting that this is the country that we will now travel to.