Empowering Students Through Cooperative Living
Who We Are
Students for Cooperation Canada (S4CC), is an organization founded by a group of students, along with Professor Darryl Reed, Director of the Business and Society program at York University, in 2017 to organize around and generate greater awareness of cooperative organizations amongst students and young people.
Our activities including serving as a network for student and youth cooperative organizations, helping in the development of new cooperatives and cooperative sector growth, educate about cooperatives, help build partnerships with the sector and connect young people with opportunities in cooperatives.
S4C organizes and educates affordable group equity co-ops and their members in collaboration with NASCO (North American Students of Cooperation), as they have no legal entity in Canada. This allows us the autonomy to pursue and develop cooperative projects in Canada, while receiving support from NASCO. S4CC also works with cooperative federations and organizations, but what sets us apart is our unique mission and our ability to build and leverage relationships within the sector to promote and advance co-operatives.
Uniquely, S4CC is well situated to secure funding and financing opportunities for housing and other cooperative development. The most notable gaps facing student cooperatives include a lack of financing options and support for the development of new or existing student cooperatives, and a general lack of awareness about cooperative organizations. That is why S4CC, in collaboration with more eight existing student housing cooperatives across Canada, is working to develop a Cooperative Investment Fund dedicated to supporting the growth and (re-)development of student housing cooperatives. We are also organizing on-campuses to generate greater awareness of cooperative organizations as an alternative economic model that balances the need of business and community.
Our Mission
To foster self-reliance and self-determination among students, youth and young adults by connecting housing cooperatives and providing support for their growth and success.
To realize a socially and financially self-sufficient and vibrant student cooperative and social economic sector for all people and organizations, applying the principle and practises of cooperation.
What We Do
S4CC serves as a representative, democratic federation of existing student and young adult co-operatives in Canada.
We support the development of new and emerging student and young adult co-operatives in Canada, by providing mentoring, networking within the sector, assistance (e.g. securing financing or business supports), with the long-term goal of establishing a co-operative entrepreneurial incubator program in partnership with a larger co-operative organization and/or Canadian university.
Organizing a National Student and Young Adult Co-operative Annual Conference, in collaboration with NASCO (North American Students of Cooperation), CASC (Canadian Association for Studies in Co-operation) and Co-opalooza. This conference aims to provide enhanced networking and training opportunities for young co-operators strengthening the sector.
Securing more financial support from co-operatives and the private sector to support young co-operators, including scholarships, grants and financing for new and emerging student and young adult co-operatives.
Building connections to educational institutions to advance awareness of the co-operative sector and provide opportunities for students in the co-operative sector (e.g. placements, research) while promoting academic programs related to the co-operative and social economy sectors.
