2025 is the United Nations International Y ear of Cooperatives\, and their slogan &ldquo\;Cooperatives Build a Better World&rdquo\; showcases the impact that co-ops have everywhere\, includin g Mid-Missouri. Funded by a grant from Missouri Humanities\, KOPN&rsquo\;s Davika Thomas has produced a four-part series\,&ldquo\;We Are the Ones: C ooperative Power Rooted in People and Place&rdquo\; airing on 89.5FM KOPN and KOPN.org \;Wednesdays at 6 p.m .\, starting October 15. In conjunction\, we present this panel discussion on the role of co-ops in meeting the needs of citizens while bringing peo ple together to strengthen economic futures for all.
\nAdults.
\nPanelists will include:
\nDavika Thomas\, a long time KOPN producer and creator of the podcast series &ldquo\;We Are The On es: Cooperative Power Rooted in People and Place.&rdquo\; \;Since Fal l 2024\, Davika has collected interviews and sound in order to learn about the importance of cooperatives and their potential to bring about more de mocratic economies in the U.S..
\nCathy Statz\, coo perative outreach specialist with the National Cooperative Business Associ ation (NCBA CLUSA). In addition to her work with NCBA CLUSA\, Cathy co-coo rdinates the Cooperative Development Foundation&rsquo\;s Cooperative Leade rs and Scholars program and co-coordinates the National Farmers Union Coll ege Conference on Cooperatives. She also serves as outreach specialist for the International Centre for Co-operative Management at Saint Mary&rsquo\ ;s University in Halifax\, Nova Scotia.
\nDoug Genens\, oral historian for the State Historical Society of Missouri. Genens i s a historian of 20th century rural American history. Among other subjects \, his scholarship has examined the role played by cooperatives in support ing small farmers during the War on Poverty. The State Historical Society of Missouri is based in Columbia with the mission of preserving and archiv ing materials and educating the public about subjects in Missouri history.
\nJenny Murphy\, a St. Louis-based artist and work er-owner at Garrity Tools\, a ceramic tool manufacturing cooperative in St . Louis. Murphy is actively involved in building the cooperative ecosystem in the region through her work with Cooperation STL. Her artistic practic e spans design\, installation\, community arts and sculpture\, often focus ing on solutions to the environmental and social impacts of mass consumpti on.
\nZach Smith\, a communications specialist at B oone Electric Cooperative\, the first electric cooperative organized in Mi ssouri. Boone Electric is member-owned\, part of the network of Missouri&r squo\;s electric cooperatives and committed to improving the quality of li fe for members and the community. Prior to joining Boone Electric\, Zach s erved as the director of digital media for the Association of Missouri Ele ctric Cooperatives and field editor of Rural Missouri magazine. At Boone E lectric\, Zach&rsquo\;s responsibilities include writing\, photography\, v ideography\, public/media relations and serving as the host of the co-op&r squo\;s podcast\, "The Buzz."
\nhttps://dbrl.libnet.info/event/14781417 URL;VALUE=URI:https://dbrl.libnet.info/event/14781417 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR