Global Youth Project: Empowering Youth Through Cooperatives

Needs Based Training Modules

A training needs analysis among young people in all three project countries served as the starting point. It showed that the needs of young cooperative members differed from those of young people not yet involved in the cooperative sector.

As a result, two training modules were developed by the Co-operative College in Manchester (UK). The first one covers coop-basics to increase cooperative knowledge among young people and to get them interested in participating in the sector. The second module addresses young cooperators. Its materials enable them to identify and pursue opportunities for the development of their cooperative.

Adapted Content and Innovative Methods

These materials were adapted to the different contexts in the participating countries and complemented with additional relevant content. With innovative methods, the message gets across to young people. In Laos the Banking Institute and DGRV developed a Social Media Campaign to arouse young people’s interest in cooperatives. In Colombia young people can now access an online training that introduces them to the cooperative idea and enables them to develop their business skills. In Eswatini, the “Cooperative Boot-Camp” and other innovative methods now bring young people together and allow them to develop their ideas for the sector.

These inspiring results are already taken up by other DGRV-projects on all three continents. They will be of benefit not only to youth but to the whole cooperative sector as they help bringing about generational change.