The North Star is a learning community where fellows meet in person one or two Saturdays per month from October through April. Fellows work cooperatively on their final presentations on their cooperative initiatives, complete readings, and actively research Black led cooperative initiatives. Fellows are given a small stipend for their commitment to and participation in the fellowship.
The fellowship journey and curriculum are grounded in the following pillars:
- Reclaiming the legacy of Black Economic Cooperation. Fellows learn the significant role that Black Cooperative economics have played and continue to play in the United States.
- Living Black Cooperative Values. Fellows are supported and encouraged to create and sustain trusting relationships, embrace and practice effectively working through conflict, envisioning and working toward an economic system that doesn’t harm others, and sharing power democratically within cooperative spaces.
- Technical Assistance. Fellows learn the technical components to launching and sustaining a cooperative, skills like budgeting, personal finance, how to finance a cooperative, creating good governance, and establishing a board with the right skills, and fostering healthy cooperative culture within your co-op.
Tools and Resources
Gallery Walk
The North Star Black Cooperative Fellowship Gallery Walk activity is designed to help participants explore important moments, leaders, groups, and ideas in Black cooperative economics in a reflective setting. This activity can also be used as a stand-alone exercise or as part of a larger fellowship program to give folks an introduction to Black Co-operative historic-to present day significant moments.
Instructions for use: Download and review the facilitator guide (1). Download and print the gallery walk posters (2) and, if you plan on using multimedia stations, download and print the multimedia gallery walk posters (3). Please credit Nexus Community Partners.
For More Information
If you have any questions or for more information contact Nkuli Shongwe at nshongwe@nexuscp.org. Register to receive updates about upcoming North Star events.