Case studies

Alecop

Alecop is an education consultancy and manufacturer of learning materials based in the Basque Country. Formed in the 1970s, it is part of the one the largest worker co-operative networks in the world, Mondragón Corporation. The co-operative is run by a team of full-time worker-members and part-time student-members. The purpose of the co-operative is to provide employment for students of the local university while undertaking their studies. From a peak of 700 student members in the 1980s, there are around 200 student-members currently working for the enterprise. Alecop not only provides much-needed employment for students, it also contributes to their education as their time in the co-operative contributes towards their qualification.

Proacademy

Proacademy on a Wall from Proacademy on Vimeo.

Proacademy is a unit of entrepreneurship of Tampere University of Applied Sciences. Studies at Proacademy begin by forming a team company (many of which are co-operatives), which consists of 15-20 students. Studies include team meetings, group workshops and projects, which usually concentrate on marketing, communication, sales, event organizing, graphical design, project management, innovation and utilization of computing skills – only imagination is the limit.

VegBag Co-operative

The VegBag Co-operative is a student run co-operative that brings organic and as far as possible local and seasonal vegetables and fruits to the University campus every week. They come from a local organic whole sale distributor and farm. It is a not for profit enterprise and run entirely by volunteers. Operating for over ten years, VegBag serves over 100 members, drawn from students, staff and individuals from the local community. Prospective members pay a membership fee of £6 to join and are provided with two 'bags for life' to use when collecting their order of fruit and vegetables.
The VegBag Co-operative.pdf

Berkeley Student Housing Co-operative

The Berkeley Student Co-operative (formerly known as the USCA) is a nonprofit housing cooperative that provides affordable housing to UC Berkeley and other Bay Area college students in California. The co-operative has over 1250 student members living in twenty student housing cooperatives around the UC Berkeley campus. Each house is democratically run, and members contribute their labour to help keep the housing costs affordable.
Berkeley Student Housing Co-operative.pdf

University Credit Union

The Georgetown University Alumni and Student Federal Credit Union (or GUASFCU) is a credit union headquartered in Washington, DC, chartered and regulated under the authority of the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) of the US federal government. GUASFCU  is the nation's largest entirely student-run credit union both in asset size (over $15m) and in membership (over 11,000 accounts). Its current membership base is split between students and alumni, with over 70 per cent of the Georgetown community holding accounts.
University Credit Union.pdf