Nine youth-led ventures from across the world will receive funding through the ICA Youth Network’s Replication Project to help them develop cooperatives.
The Youth Network has received over 150 applications for the Replication Project, which were reviewed by members of the Youth Network Executive Committee and a representative from the International Summit of Cooperatives.
The panel of judges selected the following winning projects:
1. The Young Peoples’ Multipurpose Coop from Zimbabwe, to install solar panels in housing cooperatives
2. The Enhancing Organic Food Cropping Cooperative (ENOFOCC) from Cameroon, to collect manure to create organic fertilisers
3. RedRoot from Philippines, an IT coop to create an event management tool for cooperatives
4. PerMaTa from Indonesia, to recycle waste - the project is led by young people affected by leprosy
5. Fashion Design from Guatemala, to design and sell fashion items using unique Mayan textiles
6. Revolusar from Brazil, to install solar panels in favelas
7. Fundacja Splot Spoleczny (FSS) from Poland, to tackle pollution and implement waste management solutions
8. The Guild from Turkey, to set up an interpreters’ workers cooperative
9. FACTTIC youth network from Argentina, to help two of their applicants:
- AfriCo Online from South Africa to create an online marketplace to promote fair and local products across southern Africa
- Brand K Communications Coop Technologies from Kenya to set up an IT cooperative
Each project will receive a maximum of €10,000 along with support from mentors.
In September the Youth Network launched a call for volunteer mentors, whose skills and knowledge will be matched to the selected projects. The different types of mentors needed for each project are mentioned on each project’s webpage. If you have some additional funds or skills to help youth cooperatives develop, email us. Learn more about becoming a mentor here.
While resources were limited and could only support nine projects, the Youth Network was impressed by the high quality of the applications received and would like to try to find additional funding to support some of the other inspiring projects pitched.
To do so, the network will be launching web pages for six additional projects:
1. AfriCo Online from South Africa - which runs a marketplace for cooperatives in South Africa
2. Brand K Communications Coop Technologies from Kenya – to support African community and cooperative businesses to achieve their full potential, be creative, self-sustaining and independent.
3. Upcycling SEWA from India, a sustainable fashion project
4. Coop & Go from Canada, a group of young people who want to offer a range of services to homeowners, parents and local businesses, including babysitting, tutoring, yard work and grocery shopping
5. Mecha from Venezuela, to produce and develop animation videos
6. The Kitchen from Hungary, to build a kitchen in a cooperative house
The #coopyouth Replication Project is an initiative of the ICA Youth Network lead and managed by its Executive Committee. It was launched in February to help both existing youth cooperatives and groups of young people who wish to create a youth cooperative. The project was funded by a donation from the International Summit of Cooperatives.
More information of these projects is available here.
