NASCO Institute

Well! I got home from NASCO Institute last night, crashed out, and now I'm awake and beginning to process the metric fuck ton load of information that I learned over the weekend.

I attended lots of workshops, on things like Building Community, Social Change Fundraising, Incorporation and Non-profit Status, Kids in Co-ops, a caucus on Community Co-ops, the Annual General Meeting, and the NASCO Properties Board meeting. I met co-opers from around the country and Canada, and got so many great ideas from everyone and everything. My goals that have come out of this include:

1. Start a non-profit in Chicago to teach underprivileged kids glass arts

2. Possibly start a worker co-op in Chicago for the homeless, where they make christmas ornaments and other glass art out of recycled glass bottles

3. Get Qumbya more involved in the community by first educating the community on what it means to be a co-op, then holding workshops on how cooperation can be used in other arenas

4. Do a massive co-op road trip doing skillshares around the country at different co-ops

5. Create a social networking site for co-ops, cross between couchsurfing and tribe

6. When I get to Portland, create a live/work artists co-op

I know that I have so many other ideas, I just can't think of any more right now!