Co-op Youth Program celebrates 90 years
As the co-operative business model built momentum in Saskatchewan in the early 20th century, the founders of the movement identified one problem: they weren’t getting any younger. This realization caused them to launch the Saskatchewan Co-operative Youth Program (SCYP) in 1928.
“These leaders realized that if they didn’t educate the next generation of people who would become co-op members, staff members of co-ops, or elected leaders, it would be less likely that they would get involved,” said Victoria Morris, executive director of the Saskatchewan Co-operative Association (SCA).
“They realized that for people to want to become involved in co-operatives, they’d have to understand how they work. This program was developed as a way to help people understand how they could get involved in co-ops and why it’s important.”
The main way that SCYP educates youth is through Coop Camp, a series of summer camp sessions held in July and August at Candle Lake and Last Mountain Lake. There are five levels of camp, from junior to senior graduate.
There is an educational component to the camp, as a curriculum has been specifically designed for youth ages 12 to 18 to help them learn more about co-operatives and how to get involved in the community.
“There are co-operative learning sessions that take place at the camp that could be focused on skill building or learning something about a co-op,” Morris said. “All of our sessions are participatory and interactive, so they’re really fun but also effective at demonstrating the purpose behind the lesson.”
In addition to learning, youth also have the opportunity to take part in traditional summer camp activities like swimming, canoeing or kayaking, boating, playing land sports like volleyball, or going on a nature hike.
Morris said the SCA always receives tremendous feedback following Co-op Camp.
“Once people come to our camp, they really, really love it,” she said. “We often get calls or emails from parents who ask us what we did to their child, because they have come back and they notice that they are much more positive and want to get involved and help out around the house; part of what we do at our camps is everybody helps out with chores.
“The program has a really big impact on people. We really teach you to value yourself and to value other people and see how people with different kinds of skills and interests can work together to achieve great things. To have that powerful experience of being accepted for yourself and appreciated for what unique skills and talents and personality you have is really powerful when you’re a teenager. We often hear from participants about how much they loved the experience and how they feel that they’re more able to take on leadership roles and get involved in their communities.”
Scott Banda, who was an SCYP participant and became the camp’s program assistant in 1983, is one camp participant who has greatly benefited from the experience. Banda is now the CEO of Federated Cooperatives Limited.
“I grew up in a ‘co-op family’ and was aware of co-operatives,” he said. “The Saskatchewan Co-operative Youth Program took that awareness to a new level… I met many new people with diverse perspectives and clearly learned that more can be accomplished by working together. All of this has inspired my career and has remained foundational to the work I do today.”
Morris said that the curriculum for Co-op Camp has naturally changed over its 90-year history, in many ways mirroring the evolution of Saskatchewan’s co-operatives and credit unions and the province’s shift towards urbanization.
In more recent decades, there has been an increased emphasis on personal development of youth through selfesteem building and leadership training. The SCYP has strongly focused on these areas through the Levelup program, a three-day life skills and career development seminar for all youth of working age or who are interested in becoming more career ready.
Morris said the SCYP has been exploring different formats for the program, such as a day-camp format or a similar format to Co-op Camp.
“For a few years we’ve been looking at new and different ways of how we can educate young people on some of the skills they might need as they go out into the world,” Morris said. “The idea behind Levelup is to focus more on career development, but also on personal development so people can be prepared for the transition into adulthood.”
As SCYP celebrates its 90th anniversary this year, the program continues to evolve, while maintaining its focus on preparing youth to become leaders in co-operatives and communities.