The last few years have presented a series of unprecedented challenges to Australia, some natural and local, with others global or geo-political. Droughts, bushfires, the global pandemic and volatile trade with China have each highlighted the importance of building...
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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
Co-op Group seeks small food businesses for accelerated support scheme
This is the second round of the Apiary programme, which last year saw six businesses get their products into the retailer's stores The Co-op Group has launched a second round of its Apiary business support scheme for innovative small-scale suppliers. Last year, the...
Co-operatives and Mutuals Declaration of Climate Action
Co-operative and mutual enterprises (CMEs) are coming together to accelerate action towards tackling climate change. This declaration sets out how CMEs will respond to the net zero transition over the coming years and take advantage of the opportunities for prosperity...
African Women’s Entrepreneur Cooperative
As AWEC approaches our 5 year anniversary and in honor of International Women’s Day 2022, we are thrilled to announce #ShePowersAfrica, a matching gift challenge campaign that will enable AWEC to increase both the depth and breadth of our impact on women...
Empowering women’s cooperatives: a solution to counter the consequences of COVID-19
In Rwanda, women and girls are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 in many ways, including increased domestic violence, violations of their rights, difficulty accessing health services, clean water, social protection and other basic services. To counter the...
How to Invest in Africa
Investing in Africa is a new way to make money and help the African people. Africa is generally perceived as a challenging place to invest. From the legendary struggles of the Dutch East India Company in the 17th century to modern examples like Zambia and...
Rethinking the Role of Cooperatives in African Development
By Cynthia Kwakyewah In their search for a new development paradigm, many African governments and international organizations have reverted to cooperatives, a distinct business model that manifest a turbulent history ranging from pre-colonial to colonial and...
Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative partners with Giant to open new store
The Edinburgh store – the co-op’s sixth in the UK – is already open and officially launches with a special weekend next month The UK’s longest-running bike co-op has partnered with cycle brand Giant to open a new store in Edinburgh. Giant Store...
The Advocacy Implosion? Popular Membership in Civic Life
written by Jonny Gordon-Farleigh Since the financial crisis, setting up social consultancies, agencies, think tanks – and other “memberless entities” – has seemed to be the only option for a new generation of civic organisers. In more than a decade of relentless...
Fellowship call from the Institute for the Cooperative Digital Economy
'Our goal is to create a body of knowledge that advances platform ownership and democratic governance for both workers and all internet users' The Institute for the Cooperative Digital Economy (ICDE), based at the New School in New York City, is seeking...
