Starts on February 17, 2010 at 5:00PM Ends on February 17, 2010 at 7:00PM
“Cecosesola: The Evolution of a 40-year-old Self-Organizing Venezuelan Cooperative”
Myron E. Rogers
Author and Consultant
Rogers River North LLC
Founded as a funeral services cooperative in a poor Barquisimeto neighborhood 40 years ago, Cecosesola has become one of the largest multi-function cooperatives in South America. It provides food for 30% of the population; has a network of community-based health centers providing low cost integrative health services; serves as an education center; has just opened a multi-million dollar in-patient hospital; and continually innovates and responds to emerging needs of the community. Mr. Rogers will address the history and evolution of Cecosesola, and the intentional shift from power and politics to meaning and identity; theories of Self-Organizing Systems in relation to successfully organizing for growth and responsiveness; as well as methods and processes used, and how they may—or may not—be applicable to challenges we face in other environments.