Our mission and vision

Youth campaign photo.

The vision of the ICA Youth Committee (ICA YC) is to effectively and inclusively, unite, promote, and represent youth in cooperatives at the global level.

The mission of the ICA YC is to complement and contribute to the work and initiatives of the ICA in line with the ICA Global Strategy and build a cooperative movement in which youth participate on fully equal terms with other persons.

ICA YC has the role of promoting youth at the behest of the ICA and providing thematic advice to all ICA bodies to support their actions toward young people. In addition, it has the role of promoting education in general, and in particular training and information on the ICA Statement on the Cooperative Identity.

Members of the ICA YC encourage and support youth to play an important role of strengthening and when necessary, rejuvenating cooperatives with the aim of protecting and promoting the social, cultural, environmental, and economic aspirations of present and future generations.

AIMS

  1. Promote cooperative values and principles as described in Articles 4 through 7 of the ICA Bylaws, the mission of the ICA as provided in Article 1 of the ICA By Laws and the aims and objectives reflected in the ICA strategy, through the promotion of youth in the cooperative movement.
  2. Ensure youth inclusion and mainstreaming youth in ICA policies, strategies, and activities, including in its regional and sectoral bodies.
  3. Increase the active participation of young people in the governance and operations of their cooperatives and in cooperative structures affiliated to the ICA.

ACTIVITIES

The ICA YC enacts measures to achieve youth inclusion within the cooperative movement, such as:

  • Promoting cooperative entrepreneurship to empower youth in ICA bodies;
  • Advising the ICA and through it, its member organisations on matters concerning youth;
  • Encouraging cooperatives to adopt and implement youth inclusion strategies;
  • Encouraging ICA member organizations to identify youth representatives to participate in the activities of ICA, in particular of the ICA YC, Representing and facilitating the participation of youth cooperators and their concerns, at various fora at the global level.