Drawing on the insights of experienced co-op developers locally, across the country and internationally, our research examines critical factors that affect the success of co-operatives and highlights effective practices to support their development.
The BCICS, in collaboration with CCEDNEt, was the host organization for the Canadian Social Economy Hub. The Hub is a five year project which seeks to understand how the approaches of the Social Economy can be better understood and applied within Canadian communties and organisations.
We examine the role co-operatives take in contributing to the maintainance and building of peace in areas affected by conflict, crisis, and natural disasters. Our work provides an interesting view of how co-operatives are responding to conflict, contributing to democratic processes and rebuilding in the societies they operate in.
BCICS seeks to engage youth interested in the co-operative model and co-operation. Through conferences, books and fun/educational online resources, we attempt provide much needed youth-oriented information on co-ops. Our research also explores how youth think about and use co-operatives to meet their social and economic needs.
Much of the early history of British Columbia's co-operative movement is unknown and not researched, however through our many collected stories and case studies we seek to show the vital roles co-operatives played, and today continue to have, within the different sectors of BC's economy, rural communities, and among ethnic and religious groups in our province.
"Credit Unions occupy a unique and important place within the co-operative movement because they are co-op units themselves and can, and should, furnish the financial basis on which to build other co-operative insitutions." - Arthur J. Warwick, BC Credit Unionist, 1943
The values of the Open Source software movement parallel those of the co-operative movement. All BCICS’s online projects and its web servers run entirely on Open Source software. BCICS trains all its technical and non-technical staff to use Open Source technologies.
BCICS works with community groups and co-operators locally, nationally and beyond to organise educational forums and materials about the co-op model and the application of that model for meeting social and economic needs. BCICS staff and students are involved in the local community and actively support community projects.
