Ontario Student Co-op Association
CO-OP 2.0*: Creating our Place in the 21st Century
10th Annual OSCA Conference, October 15-17, 2010, Toronto
OSCA is the Ontario Student Co-operatives Association, a collaboration of five student-owned, student-run co-ops that provide housing to post-secondary students from Queen's University, George Brown College, St. Lawrence College, Ontario College of Arts and Design, Ryerson University, University of Toronto, York University, University of Guelph, Conestoga College, University of Waterloo, and Wilfred Laurier University.
This year, it is Campus Co-op’s turn to organize the conference. Currently, we are soliciting proposals by presenters. Please return to this page frequently for updated information.
Request for Proposals
Co-op 2.0 is an open conference: we are soliciting proposals from groups or individuals to present lectures, workshops, and discussions on the present concerns and the future potential of student co-operatives. In addition to members of the OSCA community, we invite individuals from academia, the business community and social enterprise, as well as representatives of community groups and other co-operatives. General themes include:
Adapting to a new generation: Can student housing co-operatives, founded on the Rochdale Principles survive and flourish in the present material, economic, cultural, political, social and psychological context? How can we engage today’s students in the democratic process? Can, or should student co-operatives morph into a different kind of organization? What would that organization look like? Would such a change be desirable?
Strategic planning: What are the opportunities and responsibilities of today’s co-op leadership vis-à-vis our current and future membership? What does it mean for a co-operative to be fiscally prudent and sustainable in light of the current economic realities? How can we become more proactive in planning for our co-ops’ future?
Community building: What role should social media play in co-operative communities? If we still think face-to-face time is important, how do we get people off their computers? Are we truly interested in a co-operative ethics in a society that extols the rights and interests of the individual? How best to accommodate different life styles, standards and expectations of members with culturally, ethnically or sexually diverse backgrounds living in close proximity?
Alternative revenue streams: What role does finance play within a self-funding, not-for-profit organization? What options do co-ops have for using their assets to create sources of secondary revenue? How do our activities related to securing revenue help us achieve the primary goals of the co-operative? What is the optimal relationship between financial growth and other achievements? How can we encourage our members to participate actively, and contribute equitably to the capital of our co-operatives?
Inter co-op co-operation: What kinds of integration between co-ops are made possible by new technological developments? What kinds of alliances are made more difficult? How can we pool our resources and expertise to strengthen the co-operative movement by working together through local, national, regional and international structures? Could we compare notes on how each co-op deals with chronic/severe un-cooperative behavior, in light of the less than helpful legislative restrictions concerning eviction? Is the OSCA community ready to engage in a dialogue with the government to share concerns specific to our population and seek improvements?
Please send a brief proposal via email, including a description of your area of expertise, a summary of your presentation (abstract), and your preferred method of delivery (i.e., lecture, workshop, open space, mediated discussion, panel discussion, interactive “games”, etc.) to Beata Gallay, Campus Co-op Life Facilitator, bgallay@campus.coop, by July 1, 2010. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call 416-979-2161 ext. 226.
The proposals will be reviewed by the OSCA Organizing Committee of Campus Co-op Residence Inc. by August 1, and participants selected will be notified by email.
*2.0 stands for our preferred approach to a conference with user-created, user-sourced, user-directed content; it means transparency and accountability to our members and to the community at large. In essence – it is developing the conditions for genuine democratic participation in the 21st century. An essential component of the 2.0 approach is web-integration. All talks and discussions will be filmed (pending permission) and posted on accessible websites for the benefit of all members of OSCA co-ops. We will also be preparing executive summaries of each session, which will be compiled into a free PDF book circulated throughout OSCA and available to all through the OSCA website.
