Getting to know each other
Each partner had the opportunity to introduce him/herself, their institution and expertise.
History of the project
The COOPSEU representative, Lorenzo Novaro, presented the history of the project to the partners. At the final submission of the project application, 2 out of the 4 IOs were approved for funding: IO1 – Online teaching and learning material on cooperative entrepreneurship approach and IO4 – Policy recommendations.
Management and leadership
UAH is the project coordinator of Coop4EDU. Project leader of the IOs are as follows:
IO1 – Coopetic
IO4 - UOI
Main decisions of the meeting
During the first project meeting of Coop4EDU the partners had to clarify the target group (Who is the project for?), the clear definition of cooperatives (What is it?), and the themes that will be defined in IO1.
The second and third IOs will be also developed in a less extensive way, with the collaboration of all partners (e.g. translation of materials). A specific platform for the project, as mention in IO3, will not be developed. However, the project will have its own website, under the coordination of UAH, and materials will be uploaded to several free platforms as cooperative knowledge base, part of GCE, Global cooperative entrepreneurs. Other platforms such as ResearchGate, Erasmus portal 2020, could also be used.
In the meeting the partners agreed to make the materials for trainers and trainees more graphical and visually pleasant, instead of putting a lot of content.
In a short-term UAH will draft the structure of the website and will launch a competition among its students for the creation of the Coop4EDU logo. This initiative will be probably replicated in the other partner universities as well.
EUF will be accountable for supporting UAH with the social media activities.
Specific comments made for IO1
Leader: Coopetic
Deadline: March 2020
Content: 3 courses of 6 ECTS – 25-30 hours per ECTS
Ideas for courses: History of cooperatives, specificity of legal differences between countries, study cases, specificity of cooperative way of working and organization, HR management, conflict management. The content should also include, as of the application, the following topics:
basic knowledge, testimonies and example of cooperation self-experimental exercises, case studies, methodologies, theoretical knowledge organized in a pedagogical progression:
- The discovery
- Become a co-operator
- Create a co-operative business
- Manage a co-operative business
- Develop a co-operative business
- Evaluate and communicate about a co-operative business
- Mentor co-operators business creators
The content will be focusing more on the soft skills development. No legal materials should be involved. UoI will work together with Coopetic on that output and will contribute with their experience on how the educational material to be adapted for students. Co-Op College representative, Cilla, escalated the importance of considering that young people are value driven, they trust cooperation and social justice.
Furthermore, the meeting continued with a discussion about the training events. The first event is under the responsibility of UoI. They will prepare the training for students, after which they will distribute a survey among the participants to evaluate the training.
The same, for students, trainers and educators will be done by Co-Op College
Specific comments made for IO4
Leader: UOI
Deadline: November 2020
The partners agreed that during the trainings the survey should be done in a way that enables to understand how students/trainers would use that knowledge.
It was also pointed out the importance of recording every step taken during the project, because the policy recommendation will include the process in order to replicate it.
