Cooperatives Event June 5th 2015
- Details
- Category: Community Resilience
- Published on 07 May 2015
- Written by Ben Whelan
- Hits: 4510
*COMMUNITY SHOPS AND PUBS * CO-HOUSING * FOOD CO-OPS * COMMUNITY ENERGY COOPS
* COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE * CAR CLUBS * CO-OP CARE
Date: Friday, June 5th 2015
Cost: €30 (€20 CONCESSION) + €8 Lunch Option. Pay via Paypal
Venue: WeCreate, Cloughjordan Ecovillage, Cloughjordan, Tipperary
This timely event will bring international experts, national thinkers and local entrepreneurs together to inspire and support a co-operative approach to nurturing resilience, livelihoods and new enterprises through community ownership.
Tipperary has a rich tradition of cooperative enterprise and in recent years this has taken off with the community tearoom in Loughmore, the co-operative energy projects in Templederry and Drumbane, as well as the many cooperative initiatives in food and housing at the Cloughjordan Ecovillage.
* To book or for more info contact Davie at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
FULL SCHEDULE
09.30 – Registration
10.00 – Opening
Davie Philip, Cultivate facilitator and a Get Involved catalyst introduces the flow and aims of the day
10.05 – Cloughjordan: Modelling a Co-operative Future
Peadar Kirby, chair of Cloughjordan Ecovillage welcomes participants and introduces the ecosystem of Cloughjordan Ecovillage
10.15 – Voices from the Cooperative and Community Field
An opportunity to introduce yourself and to find out who is in the room.
10.50 – Better Living Through Co-operation
Peter Couchman, Chief Executive of the Plunkett Foundation introduces the legacy of Horace Plunkett and explores the benefits and potential
for rural communities to take control of the issues important to them through community-ownership.
11.30 – Networking Break
12.00 – Cooperative Community Enterprise
Kathleen Prendergast, Economic Development Officer with Tipperary County Council talks about the potential of local livelihoods and enter-
prise in our communities through co-operatives.
12.15 – The Art of Co-operation. A Panel Discussion
Helping Ourselves – the role of education and research in promoting co-operation
Michael Ward, Director of the Centre for Co-operative Studies and Professor and Head of the Department of Food Business at UCC
Developing a community asset co-operatively
Mary Fogarty co-founder of Loughmore Co-operative Shop and Tearooms
The potential of co-operative care
Gerard Doyle, Third Systems Approaches and the Society for Co-operative Studies in Ireland
Lessons from Europe’s biggest energy co-op, Ecopower. Can it work in Ireland?
Paul Kenny, CEO of Tipperary Energy Agency
A co-operative approach to adding value to what we can grow
Gregg Allen, Director of North Tipperary Green Enterprise Park, former manager of Dublin Food Co-op and Cloughjordan Ecovillage
Growing livelihoods through local small-scale production
Eimhin Shortt, The Growery in Birr, a recipient of a Growing Livelihood award and a GIY Get Ireland Growing prize
13.30 – Lunch - Please ensure you have booked lunch.
14.30 - Conversation Café
15.30 - Building Community Wellbeing
Niamh McKenna, Change X, introduces a new technology platform that aims to connect proven social innovations with individuals who want to
improve their community. ChangeX allows you to discover proven ideas and access the knowledge, support and networks necessary to start or join the idea in your community.
15.40 – Break
16.00 - Introducing the Get Involved awards
Following the success of Get Involved 2014, this year, local newspapers from all over Ireland will to lead and promote voluntary sustainability projects
with the ultimate aim of creating livelihoods and service through local co-operatives, ensuring that local communities all over Ireland become much more resilient to the many challenges they face.
16.10 - A Conversation with last year’s Get Involved winners.
Limerick Community Grocery was awarded the overall winning place in 2014, this is the first co-operative grocery store in Limerick -owned, controlled and operated by the community. Energy Communities Tipperary received the second place award in 2014 for their work on retrofitting buildings in communities across Tipperary.
16.30 - Stimulating opportunities for co-operation through Get Involved
Duncan Stewart, national broadcaster and environmentalist who leads the judging panel for the Get Involved contest
16.50 - Reflection on the day by Peter Couchman
17.00 - Close
17.10 - Optional tour of the Ecovillage
GROW has received funding 
We would li
ke to acknowledge the