Solidarity
If your Young Co-operative makes a profit, these are some co-operatives and projects you might like to consider investing in or supporting.
Oromo Coffee Company
Why not source some Fairtrade coffee from the Oromo Coffee Company to sell via your Young Co-operative?
York Disabled Workers Co-operative
Your Young Co-operative could support a workers co-operative run by disabled workers for disabled workers, and based on the principles of equality and diversity, which has been set up following the closure of Remploy York, an organisation which helped disabled people find work.
Community HEART in post-apartheid South Africa
Your Young Co-operative could help disadvantaged communities in South Africa by supporting a charity which works with projects dealing with the legacy of apartheid, including providing children in the country with access to books and education.
Shared Interest
Why not invest in ethical investment co-operative Shared Interest? Based in the UK but with offices in Costa Rica, Kenya and Peru, Shared Interest works with farmers and handicraft co-operatives in the developing world.
Invest in The Fair Traders Co-operative
Your Young Co-operative could use its profits to buy shares in The Fair Traders Co-operative, a community co-operative which has formed to sell affordable, ethical products that have a positive impact on people and the planet. Members – people who invest between £20 and £20,000 in The Fair Traders Co-operative – are encouraged to have a say in the future development of the co-operative, as well as take part in the unique assessment process it has devised to decide which products it sells.
Sponsor a project with Tools for Self-Reliance
The profits from your Young Co-operative could be used to sponsor a project in Africa – either with a one-off pledge or by regular donation – run by Tools for Self Reliance, an organisation which makes new uses of unwanted tools which are donated and refurbished in the UK. In return, you would be kept up-to-date with the progress of the project and the impact of your donation.
Mitz Bags – trendy bags from recycled sweet wrappers
An example of recycling in action, and helping achieve positive social change in the wider community, is the manufacture of Mitz Bags from discarded plastic sweet wrappers in the impoverished area of Palo Solo, Mexico City.
