LILY KUBALA: ICA Legal Policy Intern
The key value that underlies all the cooperative principles is cooperation itself. The fifth principle, Education, Training, and Information, is no exception. In the cooperative enterprise model, education is inclusive and accessible, and knowledge is seen as a right, not a privilege. In the information age, knowledge is seen as a commodity: something to fight over, something not to be shared. But the cooperative aim is to create a knowledge-based society based on education for all.
Access to education, training, and information is vital for co-operatives to function properly. There is a certain amount of training and education necessary for a worker/member to participate in the enterprise at all. Especially because cooperatives are a democratic system, education is necessary for the cooperative to function properly because it creates informed members and competent leaders. This obviously has implications outside of the cooperative system to local and national politics, in which education is necessary to create informed citizens to run a democratic society.The cooperative movement is outward facing: it values educating the general public about the benefits of cooperation. This especially applies to young people, meaning the next generation who will have to adapt to a changing society and “opinion leaders,” people who can influence the opinions of changemakers like politicians and educators who can share the message of cooperation and help to create a society that welcomes it.
Even in non-democratic workplaces, accessible education is highly beneficial. Education serves as a way to unlock the hidden potential of workers who, with the proper training, are well-suited to certain positions and can be highly valuable assets. Education spurs innovation and new ideas by intellectually empowering workers.
Not only does education improve the ability of people to work, it improves their well-being by creating the ability for self-reliance. Much of the skills learned in cooperative education are transferable, meaning that even if working at that cooperative no longer becomes viable, workers will gain skills to continue employment elsewhere and maintain their economic empowerment. The power that education provides is especially important to disadvantaged groups, like the women in Morocco who learned how to produce argan oil, formed a cooperative, and no longer are forced to rely on their husbands (Watch a film about it here!). In this way, providing accessible education decreases inequalities.
Ultimately, education is freeing. As a member of Generation Z, I have watched my peers live through intense social and economic disadvantage in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and become increasingly dissatisfied with the way that our society functions. More and more, young people are feeling trapped by the inegalitarian hierarchy of traditional capitalism that does not align with our goals and values. Though we have begun to push back, embracing wellness culture and leaving companies that abuse us, we are confined by ignorance. Not only does a lack of accessible education leave many without the training and knowledge to embrace the career of their choosing, an educational system based on a capitalist status quo has left the public unaware of alternative options. Changing the narrative of the educational system is necessary to make the public aware of co-operatives and free young people to evolve with society and renew a commitment to democracy, making choices for ourselves instead of others making our choices for us.
Lily Kubala