Co-op youth program celebrates 85 years
The Saskatchewan Co-operative Youth Program (SCYP) is the single largest program managed by the Saskatchewan Co-operative Association (SCA) and has been operating successfully for 85 years. Although funds sometimes don’t permit for big celebrations, the program is nonetheless proud of their progress and influence in the province.
The initiative began as a oneday seminar in 1928 and was open to anyone who wanted to learn about co-operatives and their values. These seminars were originally called Co-op Schools and 38 were held that year alone. Due to the popularity of the program, expansion was necessary the next year and the one-day seminars more than tripled.
The majority of attendees were farmers and committee members from the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, the main grain-marketing co-operative in the province. At the beginning, the Co-op Schools welcomed learners of all ages. Unfortunately, when the stock market crashed and the Great Depression swept over the Prairies, the Co-op Schools went on hiatus until further funds could be found.
After the Great Depression passed, the need for co-operative teachings greatly increased. This led to the first weeklong Co-op School in Saskatchewan which was held at the University of Saskatchewan in 1937. Not only did the time frame for these schools change, but so did some of the training. The program quickly gained popularity among all ages and continued to teach participants co-operative marketing and handy information about the operation of the co-operative business model.
It wasn’t until 1970 that the focus of the program shifted more towards youth and the younger generation, and the term Co-op School ended. Lessons on cooperatives were no longer the only concern, and teaching social etiquette and how to work with others became a main goal.
The Saskatchewan Co-operative Youth Program, as it is now referred to, focuses most of its attention to summer camps which encourage the development of leadership and communication skills through participation in a variety of activities. The new structure ensures that although the youth are learning, they are having the same amount of fun that other summer camp attendees are having.
“The Saskatchewan Cooperative Youth Program, is as I understand it, Canada’s oldest youth development program,” said Jamal Tekleweld, program officer at Saskatchewan Co-operative Association. “The main platform of our program is the special camp seminar program which we put on every summer. It is commonly known as Co-op Camp. We bring ages 12 to18 out to a campsite, typically to one of two campsites in Saskatchewan, for a week at a time.”
Through each age group and level, the campers learn the different necessary skills to work in, operate and be a part of a co-op. More than just a summer activity, attending the camp is often just a step in their journey with the co-op movement. Campers often move on to become senior counsellors, summer students, as well as full time workers at different co-ops across the province.
“One of the things that make us special is that we have developed a legacy that was pretty much in tandem with the co-operative growth here in Saskatchewan,” Tekleweld said. “Our camp teaches various co-op principles, such as getting people to work together, teaching skills, in essence how to work together be it in school or the workplace.”
Attendance at an SCYP seminar is highly regarded on a résumé because it tells future employers that the youth are dedicated, have great communication skills and leadership abilities, and that they are extremely knowledgeable about co-operatives.
The young people also enjoy hiking, swimming, canoeing, campfires and many other camp activities.
“We just ran our normal programming this year for our anniversary, as we had done a number of special activities for our 80th anniversary, including the publication of a history book which is still on sale. We also attend several conferences and leadership fairs to be active in the community,” said Tekleweld. “As of now, due to budgetary cutbacks, we have mainly focused on the camps this year, but we do have some other programs that we are trying to revitalize. We are especially looking forward to reviving the Youth Co-operative Entrepreneurship Program, where youth get to go into co-operatives and have a work placement.”
Although the youth program has changed immensely throughout the past 85 years, the goals and intention has only strengthened.
“We feature very inclusive youth development culture. We don’t necessarily specialize or cater to a particular type of demographic. We have all sorts of youth come out, including youth from every background, be it financially or ethnically. We like to make sure we don’t turn anyone down. Youth are encouraged to take advantage of our sponsorship program. We encourage participants and their parents to find a sponsor within their respective co-operative community. Sponsors pay for approximately half to two-thirds of the fees. Although we encourage the youth to find the sponsors on their own, if need be we can step in and either help pair them with a sponsor or use our bursary program to make sure the youth can attend.”
For more information visit the program’s website at http://youth.sask.coop, call the SCYP office at 306-244-3702 or visit their social network pages.