Navigating Change with Our Cooperative Values
Submitted by Audrey Aczel, Communications & Event Manager, OCA
Benoit André, the International Co-operative Alliance’s Executive Director, nailed it with this quote. Now more than ever, co-operatives are poised to be solution providers to the challenges we are currently facing, and for what lies ahead of us.
One only has to read all the newsletters and social media posts from across the country to see how co-operatives are stepping up and in, to make the lives of their members and their communities a little easier during the COVID-19 pandemic. Check out the article “Canada’s co-operatives: Helping communities during and after the coronavirus,” to read about some of the awesome initiatives taking place across the country!
Many examples abound in Ontario as well. Libro Credit Union donated $300K to United Way Emergency Response Programs. The Co-operators is offering a reduction in auto-insurance premiums. Many credit unions have cut credit card interest charges to help their members facing hardships, to name a few.
None of this is surprising of course. The co-operative principles are the values that lie at the core of everything we do, and that drive us to do better. Co-operation among Co-operatives and Concern for Community are values we regularly practice (at least we should be) year-round. These are the same principles that will help us navigate these challenging times. (Check out “All Things Co-op” — a bi-weekly podcast hosted by Democracy at Work, who are currently doing a series dedicated to exploring the principles!)
The bottom line is, co-operatives were born out of need. Now more than ever, the world needs a principles-based, value-driven business model that puts people first. This is how we will get through today, and how we will rebuild tomorrow.
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