News

Our Fundraising Campaign was a Success – Thanks to YOU!
Did you hear? We made it! 225 individuals from across North America signed up to be monthly donors—raising over $30,000 for CoFED and helping us meet our challenge match of $125,000! Thank you because without you our work wouldn’t be possible!

Update on CoFED’s Summer Retreats
The days are getting longer and warmer—summer is finally here—and our summer retreats are only a few short weeks away!

On the West Coast: The West Coast Summer Training is offering an early bird registration that ends on May 27th—act fast and save $30 on admission to the retreat! After that date the price is $180.

On the East Coast: Only TWO DAYS LEFT to register for the Northeast Summer Training & Incubation – only $150 for an inspiregizing week! Applications received after May 18th will be put on a waiting list. Don’t forget—if you register in a group of 3 or more, your group will get a discount price of $115 per person!

Urgent notice:  If you registered for the Northeast Training but have NOT received confirmation, please email christine@cofed.org to confirm your registration. A glitch in our application process may not have accepted all applications—please connect with Christine ASAP!

Our Summer Retreats are CoFED’s long standing tradition of building the student food co-op movement. They are a magical combination of summer camp vibes, beautiful scenery, and the power of building a student movement. We provide professional and personal development with the opportunity to network with other students doing similar projects across our regions, with phenomenal speakers and intensive workshops. As we say, “inspiregize” to develop a more cooperative, sustainable culture through college campuses.
-CoFED Northwest Regional Organizers

Check out Facebook and the Northwest or Northeast Regional pages for more on our retreat schedules, workshops, fabulous retreat sites, great food and field trips! REGISTER TODAY!

Spend Your Summer With CoFED!
Looking to build your resumé this summer? CoFED has two enticing internship opportunities that will help you build the skills you need to make that resumé sing. This summer we will be offering a Business Research Internship and a Communications Internship.

The Business Research Intern will work with CoFED staff in researching and developing a guidebook for business model planning around sustainable, cooperative food business. The guide will focus on business operations around three types of student-run food businesses: food carts, cafés, and markets. This guide is intended to advance CoFED programming by providing students with the detailed resources needed to successfully operate food businesses on college campuses.

The dates for this internship are flexible but require approximately 15-20 hours per week for two months. Interns may have the opportunity to work remotely so all interested applicants are encouraged to apply. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

The Communications Intern will be given the opportunity to develop a strategic media proposal to advance CoFED’s presence through press and media. He or she will also be responsible for writing and distributing newsletters and blog posts while coordinating CoFED social media. This position offers the flexibility and opportunity to put your creative marketing skills to the test—this will certainly be a hands-on internship where you will work closely with staff in developing the next stages of our marketing strategy.

The dates for this internship require approximately 10-15 hours per week, from June 15 – Sept 15, 2012. These dates can be flexible for the right candidate. Interns may have the opportunity to work remotely so all interested applicants are encouraged to apply. Applications are due by June 1st.

For more information on both of these positions, including detailed job descriptions and qualifications, please visit the CoFED Jobs Board. Interested applicants are encouraged to fill out the CoFED Internship Application Form and send in a resumé and cover letter to jobs@cofed.org.

CoFED Introduces The Archives
We are proud to announce the arrival of the CoFED archives. We are now archiving plans, curriculum and resources for students in an online resource wiki. The page is a work in progress and will continue growing as we create more resources and gather more information. As we continue to build on these resources, we plan to develop this page into an interactive interface—to make your search for information even easier.

You can help us build our research database! Please send us plans and resources that have helped you and your co-op, or you believe may benefit students at various stages of planning, implementing and maintaining their campus co-ops.

Check it out and feel free to provide feedback directly to Matt at matt.steele@cofed.org. Visit archive.cofed.org and keep checking back as we continue to build out our resources page!

Co-Cycle Gears Up For Cross-Country Tour
This summer, in honor of the 2012 International Year of Cooperatives, Co-cycle—a youth-led, bike-powered tour of cooperatives—will cross the country to build momentum for the cooperative movement. Through public events, Co-Cycle will encourage the communities they travel through to take notice and seek out connections with local co-ops—building a web of connected co-ops across the country!

Check them out and offer your support as they ride through a town near you! The tour begins on June 1st in San Francisco—events will be held in Portland, Seattle, Helena, Minneapolis, Madison, Chicago, Ann Arbor, Cleveland and Amherst!

Take part in an event, join us for a leg, help out in our fundraising drive or have your co-op be a stop on our tour and help us connect with the national cooperative movement!
-Megan Meo, CoFED Board Member & Co-Founder of Co-Cycle

Check out co-cycle.coop or the Co-Cycle facebook page for more information!

In Cooperation,

The CoFED Team

CoFED is looking for four enthusiastic individuals to make up our Kitchen and Logistics Teams for the 2012 West Coast Summer Training.These individuals must be available to attend the entire event from June 16 – 23, 2012 in Georgetown, CA. Meals and accommodations are included.

Kitchen Team:

CoFED is looking for a Kitchen Manager and Retreat Cook to serve approximately 50 people 3 meals a day. We are seeking students or professionals who are interested in sustainable food movements and/or cooperative theory and are looking to gain experience working with healthy food, managing a kitchen staff, and preparing high volume, casual meals in an easygoing environment. This team must be able to plan, budget, prep, and prepare all meals – incorporating leftovers and maintaining minimal waste, prepare for a variety of dietary restrictions (gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, allergy-sensitive, etc), manage student volunteers effectively and cooperatively, all while maintaining a clean and safe kitchen environment.

Qualifications:
Preference given to applicants that have worked in industrial kitchens, catered, or have cooked for large groups. You must be flexible and have great communication skills.

Expected Hours:
An average of 8 hours/day — in 2-3 hour shifts for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Compensation:
$250 stipend each. Meals and accommodations are provided, with access to retreat grounds and yoga classes with limited access to training workshops and speakers. For the right candidate, CoFED will aid in travel costs.

Logistics Team:

CoFED is seeking two energetic and well-organized individuals to make up our Logistics Team for the 2012 Summer Training. This position is ideal for students who wish to enhance their retreat experience through hands-on retreat planning and implementation. The position requires that applicants be available for the entire event, from June 16 – 23, 2012. The Logistics Team will be responsible for coordinating with Regional Organizers for pre-retreat planning, set-up and manage registration tables, document workshops and events, and assist students and staff throughout the retreat.

Compensation:
$150 Retreat admission fee is waived — meals, accommodations, workshops, and beautiful scenery included.

To Apply:
Send a short statement of interest and your resume to Anna@cofed.org by May 15th, 2012. Qualified applicants will be asked to participate in a short interview.

By Yoni Landau, CoFED Chief Evangelist (CIVIL EATS) — Young food movement activists may be idealistic but we are not flower children. We are process and results-oriented; we may criticize, but we also learn from successful business models. We’re comfortable with money, know how to network and are handy with a spreadsheet.

Three years ago, I was organizing protests at UC Berkeley. Now I’m at my laptop, speaking with Camilla Bustamante, a Northern New Mexico College Dean.  She’s enthusiastically telling me about a student-run, local foods cafe that has just opened at her campus.

In January 2010, CoFED (The Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive) trained Jeff Ethan Genauer, a student at Northern New Mexico College, at our Training the Trainers retreat. For 10 days, he and a group of 5 other organizers huddled together around a wood stove and wifi router in a farmhouse in Sebastopol to learn the basics of how to open a cooperative food business on college campuses. Since then, he’s been hard at work doing financial planning and market research and now, with the help of his campus, he [has] successfully opened a student-run cafe. And he even taped the only-slightly awkward ribbon-cutting.

La Tiendita (“The little store”) sells healthy, local breakfast and lunch and provides meaningful employment to 5 students. It is currently run “collaboratively”, according to Bustamante, but there is interest in transitioning to a formal student cooperative, though it’s unclear whether students,  workers, or both, would be the cooperative’s members. The produce for Tiendita is either grown onsite at the Sostenga farm or purchased from local farmers. This is an unusual project for a college that is rural, known mainly for its athletics and is not filled with affluent foodie types.

It’s not just happening in New Mexico of course. At UC Santa Barbara, they’ve gotten administrative buy-in for a solar-powered food truck, at the University of Washington-Seattle they’ve gotten rent-free cafe space and are negotiating for a prime space in their student union, at NYU they’ve gotten funding for a food cart. This summer, some 80 new student co-op organizers will gather for seven days on the West and East coasts to re-”inspiregize” and learn basic organizing, fundraising, campaigning and planning skills.

Our generation of food movement leaders gets how complex the food system is–and we are committed to addressing the whole, messy picture. These projects are educating and taking action on issues many foodies would rather ignore, including issues of race and class, of corporate control and workers’ rights. And it’s definitely not just CoFED that sees things in this way. READ MORE

Hello fellow CoFEDerates!

It has been over a month since our Winter Retreat and our hearts and minds are still captured by all of the inspiring souls we have met, or reconnected with, in this new year! And so, this month of love goes out to all of you! Thank you again for making this year’s retreat an especially memorable experience.

After taking a second for a post-retreat breather, we’re off the sidelines and back in the game! And the game has picked up considerable speed as we race through the second month of the Year of the Cooperatives! And with your support we hope to continue picking up speed throughout this year and for years to come-

Support CoFED, for Only the Cost of a Couple Burritos!

Photo used under Creative Commons from Moe_

Yes, it’s that time to ask for your assistance dear CoFEDerates. We understand your tight budgets, especially while tuition fees continue treading up a relentless ascent, which is why we are asking you to support us with only $12 a month! That’s like giving up a few burritos or, for the caffeine addicts, a few locally-roasted, fairly-traded, smooth and delicious hazelnut milk lattes (yum)!

Here’s the deal- we have worked hard over the last few months to secure $125,000 in donations from our Founder’s Circle, but there’s a catch – in order to receive these donations we have been challenged to come up with 212 new monthly donors by April 1st! With your monthly contribution and the collaboration of our Founder’s Circle, CoFED will be able to build a foundation to continue providing cooperative education and support services while establishing exciting new programs and opportunities. With your help we will be able to provide scholarships for CoFED retreats, fund summer incubation trainings, create more opportunities for student leadership and training, and allow Regional Organizer’s to reach out to and visit campuses for more one-on-one co-op guidance!

Visit our donation page for more information and all the perks for joining our team!

CoFED Jobs Board: Northeast Event Planning Intern

This is your last chance to get in on this exciting opportunity! We’re looking for an innovative intern interested in sustainable food movements, event planning and/or cooperative careers and alternative business. This position will support the development of CoFED’s events in the Northeast, including but not limited to our March Leaders Retreat and the June Summer Incubation! The application deadline is fast approaching – please apply by February 27!

Job Duties:

• Assist the Regional Organizer and CoFED Staff in planning for each event, including but not limited to:

• Searching for and securing suitable locations
• Sourcing and securing food donations
• Corresponding with potential guest speakers and students
• Developing registration strategies, creative tracking processes and payment procedures
• Development and distribution of publicity materials
• Brainstorming event themes and activities + creative implementation
• Developing and/or assisting with fundraising events
• Potential opportunities to create and lead workshops at the events!

Opportunities and Perks:

• Discounted admission to retreats, relevant food conferences, food events and/or dinner parties
• Gain marketable skills in online management tools and event planning
• Exposure to cooperative businesses, consensus decision-making processes, anti-oppression training, food justice in action
• Excellent networking opportunities with influential movers and shakers in the food movement
• Experience working with a small team in a fast-paced, professional environment where your ideas and input are valued and desired
• Professional support from and connections to advisers and partnering organizations

To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to jobs@cofed.org and cc: christine@cofed.org.

Note: This position has been closed as of March 2, 2012.

Attention Californians! Help Prevent Unlabeled GMOs!

Photo used under Creative Commons from fishhawk.

The California Right To Know campaign seeks to help ensure that the labeling of genetically engineered ingredients on packaged goods and produce makes it to the ballot in November 2012. This is a landmark bill that will ensure the health and safety of our food supply relating to genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.

The California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act would require food sold in retail outlets such as grocery stores – but not including restaurants – to be labeled if produced with genetic engineering. Genetically engineered foods would also be prohibited from being advertised as “natural.”

CoFED cares about sustainability, and we are deeply concerned about the unknown long-term impacts of GMOs. As part of our educational mission, we seek to inform Californian students about this ballot initiative and the impacts of GMO food. Here’s the hook- the campaign needs 800,000 signatures for this to make it on the ballot in November, so every bit of help counts!

If you are in California and care about this issue, please get involved and be sure to spread the word

Stay in Touch!

That’s all the news for now… be sure to stay tuned to our Facebook page for updates, photos, and videos from the cooperative movement. If you would like to contribute to the CoFED blog, media gallery, or have something tweeted to our 1,000+ followers, please email media@cofed.org.

With much cooperative love,

The CoFED Crew

The Washington Post is loving on some CoFEDerates! Congratulations to the Funkstown Food Collective who is working to open a cooperative, ethically-sourced cafe at George Washington University – they were featured in beautiful article on student social enterprise in the print (and web) version of the Washington Post.  One of their core team, Melissa Eddison had some beautiful full page photos too!  Here’s an excerpt…..

The concept of social entrepreneurship has made business owners out of students who otherwise wouldn’t have considered entrepreneurship, such as Melissa Eddison, a 22-year-old GWU senior who is working to open the Funkstown Food Collective on the GWU campus in late 2012.

The cafe will serve locally grown organic food and has a business model that combines for-profit and nonprofit components, with an option for students and low-income patrons to volunteer at the cafe for food credits.

“This was another way I could effect change,” says Eddison, who is majoring in international economics.

Eddison, who is slated to graduate from GWU in December, says the search for capital for her food collective through fellowships, angel investors and other sources has been humbling.

As Eddison’s friends are fine-tuning their résumés and lining up job interviews, she’s working with third-year law students on incorporation paperwork, developing a marketing plan and working with finance professors to iron out the wrinkles in her business plan.

“It’s thrilling to be laying the bricks as I go, but it’s also scary,” she says.

Read about student social enterprise at the full article, here.