As a serial social entrepreneur in poverty alleviation and mindset shift, Runa is constantly pioneering new ways of learning, working, and living together. Runa's journey starts with her upbringing and the influential role of her parents in cultivating a lifelong...
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In 1997 the Robert Owen Group launched a co-operative school centred initial teacher training project through the Marches Consortium and in partnership with the University of Gloucester. The scheme rapidly grew and became the largest of its type in the United Kingdom , successfully training over 3,700 post graduates who now work in our schools and colleges with many at senior leadership levels. Alongside this we launched a Master’s level programme for trainers in schools and for former trainees and teachers to access as career progression.
It became clear that the absence of an institute of higher education in the Marches sub region posed a real impediment to developing research, seminal thinking and platonic discourse. We often ignore the valuable infrastructure that comes with a quality centre of higher education. The Directors of the Marches Consortium developed a Robert Owen Learning Academy in Leominster and encouraged many ‘hub’ schools to have satellite post graduate libraries for their ‘clusters’.
This is all now background history but our 1998 creation of “query” as a radical journal of left field thinking has now in 2021 led to the addition of this section to the Marches Hive website. We want to stimulate thinking, discussion and the sharing of relevant news and knowledge.
We called the original 1990’s journal query because our minds turned to the creation in the 1870’s of the Tredegar Medical Aid Society which started life as as ‘Health and Education Fund’. In 1920 Walter Conway , Aneurin Bevan and others formed the radical Query Club as a new development. The Club was a cross between a debating society, a mutual support group , a focus for sharing contemporary knowledge and a body set on advancing radical thinking to address the issues of the day. In those times adult education was very much in cells following on the model of the early Methodist house groups.
We believe the challenges of today in many ways mirror those of one hundred years ago and we do encourage everyone’s to engage with query and to share your thoughts, views, knowledge and understanding so that we can all grow together . Thank you
News Articles
What Is A Social Enterprise?
What Is A Social Enterprise? The first time I heard the term “social enterprise” was in a college seminar. Case study after case study, we examined successful social entrepreneurs who were making a scalable difference in the lives of others. Their impact was made...
Bridging the digital gender divide: Coop stories of women participating in innovation and technology
Anchored in its values and principles, the cooperative movement provides a suited environment to effectively bridge the digital gender divide. Here we visit some great examples of cooperatives striving for women’s inclusion and empowerment in innovation and...
Social Enterprise UK responds to the expansion of the Dormant Assets Scheme
In these troubled times, it is welcome that the expanded Dormant Asset Scheme will provide £880 million to essential causes, including through social investment and a Community Wealth Fund. The results of the Dormant Assets consultation were announced today. Funds...
Report highlights economic impact of Canadian co-operatives and mutuals
The sector contributed CA$49.2bn to the country’s GDP in 2019, and provides 592,000 full-time jobs Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada has released its annual Economic Impact Report, which shows that co-ops and mutuals contributed 2.5% or CA$49.2bn to the country’s GDP...
Vancouver property management business launches housing co-op for staff
'For certain people the co-op model is what works well and what helps them feel like they're part of a community' A property management firm in Vancouver, Canada, is providing its staff with subsided accommodation in an innovative housing co-op. Atira Property...
Fonterra announces return to farmers from asset sale and interim profits hike
'Our co-op’s scale and diversification across channels and markets has enabled us to navigate through disruption' New Zealand dairy co-op Fonterra says its half-year profit after tax has risen by 50% to NZ$546m, and is returning $800m to shareholders from the sale of...
Meet … John Brodie, CEO of Scotmid Co-op
'I am very proud of my colleagues, whether elected members or our employees who turn up day in and day out to do a great job' How did you first hear about co-operatives? I was aware of a local co-op department store that was at the end of the high street in the town...
Co-op Group partners with Barnardo’s to help youth struggling through economic crisis
'Our work within communities has shown us the impact that the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis is having, most especially on young people' The Co-op Group has announced a charity partnership with Barnardo’s on a project to help 750,000 young people aged 10-25...
Welsh co-op development agency Cwmpas appoints new CEO
Bethan Webber, who joins from Home-Start Cymru, is 'a passionate advocate for social justice, equality and the power of community' Cwmpas has appointed its new CEO, Bethan Webber, following the departure of Derek Walker. Webber, who joins from Home-Start Cymru where...
New report shows up to 18,000 social enterprises are at risk of closure
The most recent Social Enterprise Barometer report published on 9 February shows that the next quarter is critical for many social enterprises with more than one in ten social enterprises across the UK expecting reduced turnover or to close due to the tough economic...
