Hartford, Connecticut (September 28, 2023) – Cooperate Connecticut, an emerging statewide network dedicated to fostering cooperative economic principles and practices, is thrilled to announce its official launch on Saturday, October 21, from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Cornelia Center, Trinity College, Hartford.

This inaugural event aims to showcase the existing cooperative businesses, mutual aid projects, and working-class movements throughout Connecticut and to bring together individuals across our cities and sectors committed to the growth and sustainability of local and regional solidarity economies.

"It’s abundantly clear that the current economic system we live under is not working for the vast majority of people and for the planet,” said varun khattar sharma, Co-op Navigator Fellow at reSET and co-founder of Cooperate Connecticut. “I’m excited for this first of many network gatherings designed to cultivate the conditions  for economic democracy in the state of Connecticut and beyond.” 

“As a regional loan fund, we depend on local organizations to have the relationships and knowledge to make the best use of our resources,” said Carolyn Edsell-Vetter, Program Director for Cooperative Fund of the Northeast. “One of our goals in launching the Co-op Navigator Fellowship was to increase capacity for the northeast's Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and migrant communities to meet their unique needs and aspirations through successful cooperative enterprises. Cooperative networks like Cooperate Connecticut help mobilize the experience, resources, and social power necessary to develop shared ownership and democratic control of local businesses, stable housing, and healthy food systems.”

The Network Launch will feature a range of activities, including:

• Panel discussion 
• Information and skill sharing
• Ecosystem mapping
• Artmaking
• Photo booth
• Live music
• Food and non-alcoholic beverages

The event is co-sponsored by the Cooperative Fund of the Northeast, reSET, the Trinity College Community Action Gateway and the Universal Healthcare Foundation of Connecticut and features artists, organizers, and entrepreneurs representing Arte Popular, Mutual Aid Hartford, the Tortilleria Semilla, the Semilla Collective of New Haven, Free Hart Closet, the Connecticut Tenants Union, the Hartford Press Co-Op, the Little Lion Collective, Sol Co, Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, and the People's Saturday School.

Interested participants must pre-register for the event by Saturday, October 14. Tickets are available on a sliding scale between $0-$100 and can be secured at this Eventbrite Registration Page. All funds raised will be directed towards supporting future Cooperate Connecticut programming.

About Cooperate Connecticut

Cooperate Connecticut is an emerging statewide network for people, businesses, and organizations interested in building, growing, and sustaining our local and regional cooperative ecosystems and solidarity economies. The network exists to strengthen movements to build worker and community power and to increase local democratic control-or stewardship- over the resources we need to survive and thrive-- land, farming, food, housing, healthcare, arts, education, and transportation. 

Cooperate Connecticut is made possible by the Co-op Navigator Fellowship, a project of The Cooperative Fund of the Northeast, in partnership with reSET.

About the Cooperative Fund of the Northeast

The Cooperative Fund of the Northeast (CFNE) is a regional nonprofit community loan fund serving cooperatives and community-based nonprofits. Founded in 1975 by co-op activists and social investors to provide financial assistance to food cooperatives, CFNE now offers loans and technical assistance to a wide range of co-ops and nonprofit groups that share CFNE’s vision of equality, justice, and social responsibility. CFNE serves borrowers and partners from offices in various New England and NY locations. CFNE is a US Treasury-certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). To learn more, visit wwww.cooperativefund.org.

About reSET

reSET is a nonprofit organization in Hartford, CT, whose mission is advancing the social enterprise sector. reSET specializes in social enterprise ― impact-driven business with a double or triple bottom line. In addition to providing coworking space, accelerator, and mentoring programs, reSET aims to inspire innovation and community collaboration and to support entrepreneurs in creating market-based solutions to community challenges. reSET’s goal is to meet entrepreneurs wherever they are in their trajectory and to help them take their businesses to the next level. Visit reSET | Where Great Companies Grow (resetco.org).

Contact:
Amy Walsh, reSET

awalsh@resetco.org

860-560-9120 ext.703

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