UW offers co-op educational site for youth, young members - http://www.wis.edu/coops

Rural Cooperatives, July-August, 2003 by Patrick Duffey

The University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives has launched an interactive Web site on cooperatives for high school students and young adult co-op members. Cooperatives have consistently identified improved understanding of cooperative basics, particularly among young people and young adults as a critical need, said Anne Reynolds, assistant director of the center. The Web site addresses that need. It can be found at: http://www.wis.edu/coops. This one-of-a-kind site offers learning modules on a number of cooperative issues as well as resources on scholarships for young cooperators. Adding to this repository of information are links to games and other co-op Web sites, Reynolds says.

The program was made possible through funding from CHS Cooperatives Foundation. The site is part of a larger campaign to increase understanding of fundamental principles of cooperatives. "Targeted primarily toward high school students and young adults, the site has three learning modules exploring issues of corporate governance, member relations and types of cooperatives that exist today. These learning modules use simple, easy-to-understand language and contain a wealth of information gleaned from various sources. Making the learning experience all the more fun are tidbits of knowledge, scenarios and quizzes," Reynolds explained.

"For a long time now, we had been thinking of a site catering to a younger audience," says Reynolds, the architect behind the Web site. "Our aim was to provide information in an accessible format, and the Web seemed to be the most logical place to start." Further additions to the site will include more learning modules, case studies, short articles and additional games. Printed copies of the learning modules, activities and other resources will also be developed and distributed to schools, state councils and cooperative organizations. "These materials should benefit the cooperative education field tremendously," she says.