Cooperative Involvement Statement

The Berkeley Student Cooperative is committed to Cooperation among Cooperatives. We believe that “Co-operatives serve their members most effectively and strengthen the co-operative movement by working together through local, national, regional and international structures.” We will expand the cooperative movement through the establishment of symbiotic relationships on the basis of mutual respect and mutual aid.

We will focus on promoting housing cooperatives (student or otherwise) because housing is the cooperative model that we best understand. But this focus is approximate rather than proscriptive, and we highly value the contributions and support the establishment and expansion of many cooperatives which do not provide housing, especially those with an explicit mission to address social inequality. We all have strengths to lend to one another.

The ways in which we will support the cooperative movement are:

1. sharing of information and “best practices;”

2. financial investments, and;

3. political and legal advocacy, because we believe that the cooperative movement is politically and legally underrepresented.

We will use due diligence in examining projects, partnerships, and opportunities to support the larger cooperative movement. In other words, our investment of resources (financial or otherwise) should be justified by concrete and measurable outcomes.

We will achieve growth through effective, mutual support. We will promote cooperation among cooperatives and pursue the wellbeing of our organization, our membership and our movement. We will do so with an open heart and a pragmatic mind.