Kira is the Communications and Membership Engagement Coordinator at COCo, and trains organizations in conflict, anti-oppression, and communications.
We are excited to announce that the Centre for Community Organizations (COCo) and the Disabled Women’s Network Canada (DAWN) have been accepted to host 3 consultations as part of Quebec’s inquiry into Systemic Discrimination and Racism, focusing particularly on discrimination in the workplace in the nonprofit and public sector. We are seeking people who have […]
This month, we had two resources come across our desks that aimed to provide guidelines for organizations who are committed to creating a trans-friendly workplace. The first resource, “How to be a Trans-Friendly Employer“, is a brief, but helpful guide to trans-friendly human resources. An excerpt recommendation: Note that applications from minority groups are welcome, […]
For a second year, COCo will be offering a series of trainings about social media for community organizations. This series of 4 short and interactive learning capsules, adapted to the context of community groups, aims to explore the opportunities social media can offer for the community sector and to deepen your comfort with the tools […]
Over the last decades, we have seen brutal budgetary cuts to social services and to non-profit funding. It puts community groups in a double bind: doing more work to reach people who are no longer being served by the public sector, with less resources than we ever had before. As innovative, efficient, and creative community […]
One of the most common refrains we hear when we work with Boards of Directors who are struggling is that they were not given any real training or support when they joined. In any situation, it takes a while to truly understand an organization and figure out how best to support it; without some good training […]
We were excited to stumble across this “handbook for progressive communicators” last week. Although very focussed on the American context, this guide puts “base building” front and center. It is an easy to read, chock full of examples and clear instructions, and very focussed on helping us making our messages intelligible and inspiring. Enjoy!
We recently revamped a document we’ve been using for years here at COCo, the “Conflict Continuum”- one that we wanted to share more widely with the community groups in our network. The model seems pretty simple at first glance, but we’ve found it to be a very powerful tool when organizations, or individuals within those […]
Psst… A little opportunity for some pro-bono technical support we thought you should know about. -COCo “Plank is a digital design agency in downtown Montreal. We work a lot with arts and culture organizations, and try to carve out a bit of time every year for pro bono work. We’ve tried a few different approaches over the years, […]
Last week, the government announced it would launch a commission on systemic racism in the province, following months of lobbying from community groups and citizens (including us, here at COCo). For those who have been pushing for its creation, the commission is a first step in pushing Quebec’s government to adopt a detailed plan to address racial […]
This document was created in the spring of 2015 by members of Accessibilize Montreal as part of the “By and For Us: The Community at the Head of the Organization” project, organized by the Center for Community Organizations (COCo). This event brought together community organizations who center the leadership of people who work and organize […]