The parents of a teenager have found that he/she has been coming home very late over the past few nights. They would like him/her to come home earlier. Scenario 2: Power Through Force The parents attempt to control the will of the child with threats of unpleasant consequences such as no pocket money, being grounded for a month, etc. The child might be fined for every night he/she comes in late. The child's decision must be based on some fear of the consequences.

The parents of a teenager have found that he/she has been coming home very late over the past few nights. They would like him/her to come home earlier. Scenario 3: Power Through Authority The parents can command the obedience of the child because of their authority as parents. In this scenario the child must be convinced to respect the authority of the parents because of who they are.

Resource Cards

Number Cards

Organization Cards

Student Handout #3: Graphic Organizer

Place the name or title of individuals in the school and community into the appropriate column to show the kinds of power those individuals possess. Some names or titles may be in more than one column.

Decision Making	Resources	Skills/Talents	Education	Other

As individuals, students have power as well. Complete the following chart to identify the sources of power that you believe you possess.

Areas of my life in which I believe I have power	Decision Making	Resources	Skills/Talents	Education	Other

Japan is a small prosperous country in the Pacific region, with the second highest GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in the world. Its population is over 125 million.

The consumer cooperative movement began in Japan after World War II, to help Japanese citizens secure foodstuffs. Throughout the 1960s and ‘70s, Japan experienced rapid economic development. This resulted in high levels of pollution that contributed to the contamination of food products. Cooperatives focused on providing safe quality food for members. The coops developed their own products that contained neither harmful chemicals nor food additives. The popularity of the cooperatives grew as food became more and more unsafe. During this period, Japanese Consumer Cooperatives experienced the highest rate of growth of any cooperative movement in the world.

Consumer cooperatives in Japan are organized in a uniquely Japanese way. The basic operating structure of the cooperative is the han. The term refers to a small unit of organization. The han operates much like a buying club. Members place weekly group orders that are delivered to a convenient central location where members can pick-up their food supplies. The hans are almost exclusively run by women.

The han serves as the hub for all cooperative activities. It is composed of approximately 10 members living in close proximity to each other. Members meet a minimum of once per month. Meetings deal with member requests and complaints, consumer protection issues, and environmental and peace movement activities. Han members also test food products.

In recent years, the Japanese economy has slumped amidst political and financial market instability. The country’s population is aging and an increased number of Japanese women are joining the workforce. The government has relaxed regulations, reducing prices for food. Advances in food science have made food safety less of an issue.

Co-op Kanagawa, headquartered in the southwest part of Tokyo, has had to face some harsh realities. The changing economic conditions and social lifestyles of the Japanese people have forced Co-op Kanagawa to review the way it does business. With increased unemployment and declining incomes, members’ concern for product safety has diminished and has been replaced with a greater concern for price. With many women joining the workforce, the operation of the han is being affected.

Co-op Kanagawa is undertaking innovative activities that will guarantee the quality, price and variety of products that members want. One of the ways the co-op is responding has been to make sure that each year it pays members some money back. This refund is a percentage of that member’s purchases from the co-op for the year.

The co-op is also seeking alternate methods to encourage meaningful member participation and improve communications with members. Business operations are being restructured around the lifestyles of working members. The commercial focus of the han is being reduced. An innovation of Co-op Kanagawa has been the organization of member groups based on members’ interests and hobbies, such as ikebana (Japanese flower arranging), the tea ceremony, languages and calligraphy. The co-op has also established fureai farms, where groups of members raise vegetables organically and supply the fresh produce to the co-op.

Co-op Kanagawa is committed to being a leader in the consumer retail business, as it responds to the changes in the Japanese economy and the changing needs of its members.

Young people in an inner city area in Saskatoon are working together to do something creative to help the environment and help themselves. The youth, ages 5 to18 years, are building and selling environmentally friendly products. They are gaining valuable experience and receiving the economic benefits of their labour.

Students at St.John’s School were learning about cooperatives and providing recycling services to the community when the two adults coordinating the program had the idea that the program could be expanded into the community. The idea for the Core Neighbourhood Youth Co-op (CYNC) was born.

Youth living in this area of Saskatoon face many challenges. Crime and poverty rates are high. Breaking the cycle of poverty and violence can be very difficult. Young people from the community were recruited to become members of the co-op. Social Services also provided some referrals.

The youth were quickly at work assembling tree-banding kits. The project was a joint effort with SOS Elm Coalition. The youth sold the kits to the public and over a two-week period had generated $2,000.00 in revenue. This was enough money to pay each youth some real cash and start an operating and reserve fund for the new co-op.

The purpose of CYNC is to provide opportunities for youth to cooperate in activities that enable them to undertake sustainable environmental projects, make decisions about their projects, have ownership and take responsibility for the outcome. Ideas for projects are generated from everyone within the organization and everyone is involved in the decision-making process.

One of the first projects initiated by CYNC was providing Christmas gift-wrapping services in local malls. Using recycled materials, the youth wrapped customers’ Christmas parcels. Other projects undertaken by the youth include:

• bicycle recycling
• members take apart and reassemble donated bicycles for their own use, rent and sale
• members make wind chimes and jewelry from bike parts
• compost bin construction
• members reconstruct donated wooden palettes into compost bins
• cleaning and reselling garden pots
• gardening and marketing fresh herbs
• collecting recyclable materials
• nylon, onion sacks, egg shells, scrap lumber, glass, plastic bottles, pails and grocery bags are collected and turned into a reusable form, then marketed.

CYNC operates with an advisory board composed of interested people and agencies. The board incorporated as the Saskatoon Environmentor’s Cooperative Ltd. to ensure a stable structure to administer the co-op. CYNC was unable to incorporate on its own because provincial legislation requires members be a minimum of 18 years of age. The co-op operates according to cooperative principles, business practices and philosophy.

The young people have their own board of directors that is elected every six months. All members are involved in board or committee work. Members learn how to manage a business, run a meeting, hold elections, assume directors’ roles and responsibilities, make decisions and undertake cooperative business practices. Members are learning valuable banking and personal financial management skills. Each member earns wages based on the number of hours he or she works on a project, and on the amount of revenue generated.

An essential factor in the success of CYNC has been the involvement and collaboration of a number of dedicated individuals and community agencies. The City of Saskatoon has supplied office and workshop space. The department of Economic and Cooperative Development has provided an operating grant. QUINT, a non-profit community economic development corporation, has provided access to tools from a tool co-op located in the building. Many more groups are helping the co-op by sharing resources, and providing education and advice.

For the most part, the co-op has been financially rewarding for its members. However, CYNC is not yet self-sustaining, which means it cannot operate without some outside financial assistance. Operating grants have been used to pay the cost of hiring part-time adult coordinators. The coordinators do the necessary preliminary work for each project, such as collecting and preparing materials for the youth. The lack of a stable funding source means that CYNC finds itself spending time and energy searching for operating grants.

This does not deter the youth at CYNC. They are running their own cooperative with hard work and enthusiasm. They are benefiting themselves and their community.