MAIS focusing on setting up a care co-operative

After our public event in 2021 showcasing two care co-operatives (recording at link), and a well attended strategy meeting in December 2021, Mutual Aid in Sussex has been focusing on helping setting up a care co-operative in Brighton & Hove.

A small group of us have been meeting regularly since the beginning of 2022 to try to set up a care co-operative in Brighton & Hove, because unlike in other parts of the UK, none exists here.

If you are interested in finding out more and/or getting involved please email mais@riseup.net

We also have a facebook group for the care co-operative – join it if you are interested in supporting, following and/or getting involved (actively or passively): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1278317259362911/

Some inspiration from our public event:

“Could we replace the current care system that relies on underpaid and overworked carers, with an alternative that’s built on worker and service-user democracy, fair pay and cooperation?

“Cooperatives in the care sector function similarly to other care agencies. The real difference is that the organisation is owned and managed by its members – in Shepshed’s case, the members are the care workers themselves. Shepshed has been going for over 27 years and has over 50 workers!

“In North West Care Cooperative, a newer organisation, there are three types of member – the carers, the service users and the parents of the service users. In both co-operatives, the members have a say in decision making, pay structures and how care is provided. You can change the organisation to work how you want it – you just have to decide on it together. There are already many examples of care cooperatives in the UK, and the number is growing…

“Could such a care co-operative exist in Brighton & Hove?”

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Care Co-operative Strategy Meeting

Join us on 16th December to discuss setting up a care co-operative in Brighton and Hove. This is a meeting for local carers, service users, and anyone with an interest in radical care alternatives, to discuss setting up and/or supporting a care co-operative in Brighton & Hove. Care cooperatives allows carers, and those cared for, to co-own and have a say in the running of the organisation. This allows members to prioritise care needs over profit.

This event will take place on Thursday 16th December at 2pm on Zoom (link below).


This is a follow-up to our (recorded) event titled: ‘Our Care System is Broken: It’s Time to Create Co-operative Alternatives’, which encouraged us to consider the potential for setting up a local care organisation based on fair pay, cooperation and worker and service-user democracy.

If you’re interested in getting involved but can’t attend this meeting, please email mais@riseup.net and we will invite you to future meetings with the care co-operative group.

Join us by following this link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81163423151?pwd=U0hnaXUwSGk3Q1Y0TWRkQTZaOGYwQT09#success

PASSCODE: 123893

This event will take place on Thursday 16th December at 2pm on Zoom.

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The care system is broken! It’s time to create Cooperative Alternatives

The recording from this talk can now be found below:

Join us on 10th June to hear Sarah Pollard (Shepshed Carers workers’ Co-op) and John Roberts (North West Care Co-op) talk about their care cooperatives and what they’ve learnt about building carer organisations based on fair pay, cooperation and worker and service-user democracy.

Please register on eventbrite. This event will take place on Thursday 10 June 2021 from 7pm on Zoom.

As the third national lockdown is easing, it’s worth remembering how hard care professionals have been working. But the same workers that have been caring for us have been subject to huge amounts of stress and unfair treatment during this preventable national crisis. Sadly, this isn’t simply because of the pandemic. For decades, care work has been undermined and undervalued. And, unlike other forms of healthcare which we rightly expect to be provided by the NHS, care work has been increasingly turned into a exploitative and profit-making enterprise for businesses.

But could we replace the current care system that relies on underpaid and overworked carers, with an alternative that’s built on worker and service-user democracy, fair pay and cooperation? Come hear how Shepshed Carers workers’ co-op in Leicester and North West Care Cooperative in Chester are doing it!

Cooperatives in the care sector function similarly to other care agencies. The real difference is that the organisation is owned and managed by its members – in Shepshed’s case, the members are the care workers themselves. Shepshed has been going for over 27 years and has over 50 workers!

In North West Care Cooperative, a newer organisation, there are three types of member – the carers, the service users and the parents of the service users. In both co-operatives, the members have a say in decision making, pay structures and how care is provided. You can change the organisation to work how you want it – you just have to decide on it together. There are already many examples of care cooperatives in the UK, and the number is growing…

Could such a care co-operative exist in Brighton & Hove? There will be time at the end to discuss the possibility of a local care co-operative being set up

Please register on eventbrite. This event will take place on Thursday 10 June 2021 from 7pm on Zoom.

Please note: We recognise that the vast majority of care work is unpaid. We understand the importance of systemic change around the labour of care. In this event we have narrowed the parameters to explore how paid care work could be arranged through a cooperative model, that is, where the carers and cared for have a say in the running of the organisation. A care co-op looks like carers and the people they care for being co-owners of the organisation and thus prioritising each of their needs over profit.

 

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Mutual aid in a time of Covid-19

Several mutual aid groups have been set up across Sussex to build local support networks during the Covid-19 pandemic and (hopefully) beyond! All the groups can be found on this map – they include Brighton & Hove, Eastbourne, Worthing and many many more! Many places are split into smaller areas so people can connect with people nearest to them.

There are now thousands of local groups across the country. Find out more, including how to set up a group in your area here: covidmutualaid.org

For those in co-ops and other community businesses, there is also a UK-wide Community Business Mutual Aid group. They are holding weekly Zoom calls on Tuesdays at 11.30am to discuss issues and share best practice. Calls are split into ‘breakout rooms’ covering specific themes. Find out more here: cbmutualaid.co.uk

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Brighton Co-op Connections

Want to connect with more co-operators in Brighton & Hove? Is your co-op grappling with a problem? Join Co-operatives UK for this Co-op Connections event in Brighton on Tuesday, 9 July 2019 – 5:30pm to 7:30pm at Infinity Foods Kitchen, 50 Gardner Street, BN1 1UN.

Members of co-ops and societies from across the city will be getting together to connect and learn from each other. It is a good opportunity to meet other like-minded people.

Be the fresh eyes that help colleagues or fellow members break through challenges. Attendees can come prepared with a challenge or an issue they’re willing to share. In return you’ll benefit from dedicated time on this work issue that’s handled sensitively by unbiased peers. The aim is to leave with a new or clearer understanding of potential next steps. Alternatively members can just come and hang out with others who are inspired to ‘do work together’.

Find out more and book your place for this free event here. Contact membership@uk.coop if you have any questions or a particular discussion point worth sharing.

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Building the solidarity economy: Cooperation Jackson style

Can we replace the current economic system of exploitation, exclusion and the destruction of the environment with an alternative that’s built on equity, cooperation, worker democracy, and environmental sustainability? That’s what Cooperation Jackson are trying to do in Jackson, Mississippi.

Sacajawea “Saki” Hall and Kali Akuno – two of the founders of this radical cooperative network – are coming to Brighton on Friday 24 May as part of a tour of the UK. They will talk about the Cooperation Jackson story and what they’ve learned along the way about transforming their community and building a local economy based on solidarity, not profit.

Book your place here at Eventbrite

Cooperatives are owned and run by their members. Cooperation Jackson includes of a federation of emerging local worker cooperatives, a cooperative education and training centre, a cooperative bank, and a Community Land Trust (CLT). They run people’s assemblies as a way to revitalise local democracy.

Cooperation Jackson draws on the long history of black-led cooperatives and community collectives in Mississippi, as well as the organising of the Black Power movement era. They see self-organisation as key to improving the quality of life for working class people in one of the poorest cities in the US, and want to politicise cooperatives and infuse them with class consciousness.

“When marginalized and excluded workers and communities are organized in democratic organizations and social movements they become a force capable of making transformative social advances….” Co-operation Jackson.

This event will take place on Friday 24 May 2019 from 5.45pm until 7.45pm in the Lecture Room at the Friends Meeting House, Ship Street, Brighton, BN1 1AF. The talk will begin at 6.00pm. Book your place here.

Kali Akuno was in the political administration of the late Chokwe Lumumba, the first Black mayor of Jackson, elected in 2013. Find out more about him and Cooperation Jackson in this interview in STIR To Action.

Cooperation Jackson website

The venue is wheelchair accesible and located in central Brighton.

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Mayday! Mayday! Sail Cargo Tasting Event

Sail Boat Project is a Workers’ Co-operative aiming to widen access to the sea and working towards zero emission transport for their products. On Wednesday 1 May, from 7pm there will be a chance to try and buy some of them at Brighton Sailing Club.

There will be organic olive oils, whole olives, sea salt and a selection of Portuguese wines from the Douro region, all brought to our shores by the power of wind.

You can also hear from Sail Boat’s partners Xisto Wines and New Dawn Traders, as well as find out more about the story of this local worker co-op and how it works.

Sail cargo in a nutshell: Olives grown grown by the Reigado family in Portugal, found by olive sommeliers Passeite, brokered by New Dawn Traders, shipped to Torbay by Fairtransport via the French Isle of Noirmoutier to collect Fleur de Sel, all loaded aboard Sail Boat’s Jalapeno with amazing Xisto wines and sailed to Brighton and Newhaven for collection onboard or delivery to your door Zedify cycle couriers. Also available with your veg box from Barcombe Nurseries.

All surplus from the Sail Cargo work goes to Sail Boat’s Community Sailing Fund, established to help people from community groups in Sussex access their sailing activities.

The event takes place on Wednesday 1 May 2019, 7.00-10.00pm at Brighton Sailing Club, 109-111 Kings Road, Brighton, BN1 2FN. There will be some food. Please book your free place here.

Find out more about Sail Boat Project and their Sail Cargo here

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Getting your message out there: promotion on a budget

Running a co-operative, social enterprise or community group and looking for tips on raising your profile or getting more people involved?

Join us on Monday 19 November to hear local co-operators share their experiences and what they have learned about social media, getting more members/volunteers and marketing on a budget.

Book a free ticket here https://promotion-workshop.eventbrite.co.uk

Hear from:

Lisa Hartley from SEASALT Housing Co-operative (South EAst Students Autonomously living together)

Dhara Thompson from the Sail Boat Project, a Brighton based Workers’ Co-operative which provides aims to widen access to the sea, offering sail training to individuals and community groups. They are also involved in sail transport of cargo.

Felix Lozano from Wave, a graphic design co-operative, working in both print and digital media.

At Mutual Aid In Sussex (MAIS) we like to encourage co-operation and mutual support among co-operatives and community focused organisations. So, after we have heard from the speakers there will be the chance for all of us to share our promotion tips and challenges with each other.

There will be time for questions and getting to know each other.

Some of us will go to the pub afterwards, please join us! Continue reading

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Co-operation under Occupation: The story of the Palestinian Women In Hebron co-operative

Nawal Slemiah co-founded the Women In Hebron co-operative in 2005 in the West Bank, Palestine. It began by selling handicrafts in the Old City market of Hebron – an area which is under Israeli military control. Nawal will be speaking in Brighton on Tuesday 23 October to tell the story of the co-operative and what it is like to operate under the Israeli Occupation.

Sign up here at Eventbrite

The co-operative now has more than 150 women producing items sold across the Hebron district. The co-op is part of the Idna Cooperative Association for Embroidery and Handicrafts which has been able to open a small community centre in Idna, a town in the Hebron district. Here members of the association can gather together to do their work and socialise.

From the co-operative’s website: “Our work is based on the idea that developing Palestinian handicrafts is more than just an income-generating project. It is in of itself an act of community-strengthening, of honoring the role of women in our society, and a means to show sumud – steadfastness – in the face of the occupation of Palestine and the harm it has done to the people of Hebron.”

Nawal will be bringing some of the goods produced by Women In Hebron and they will be available to buy at the event.

Sign up here at Eventbrite Continue reading

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What is it like to live in a housing co-operative? Join the bus tour on 30 June

As part of Co-operatives Fortnight 2018 Brighton & Hove Community Land Trust (BHCLT) are organising a tour of local housing co-ops on Saturday 30 June, each with its own story. This is a chance to see some of the ways more genuinely affordable and co-operative housing has been created in the city.

The Big Lemon will be driving people between the housing co-ops in a minibus. There will be two tours on the day, one at 9.00am (bus leaves at 9.15am) and one at 12.45pm (bus leaves at 1pm). Each tour is approximately 4 hours long.

Tour 1 (morning) will call at Rosa Bridge, Hornbeam, Bug and Two Piers.

Tour 2 (afternoon) will call at Rosa Bridge, Dryad, Brighton Rock and Two Piers.

More information on all the co-ops, and practical information on the tour and accessibility, can be found here on the BHCLT website.

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