Between November 5 and 7, the Young European Cooperators Network (YECN) held its historic General Assembly in Porto, marking a milestone for youth cooperation in Europe. Three years after its relaunch in Cardiff and ten years after its inception, the network officially formalized its structure — a collective achievement that brought together more than 35 young people from 14 European countries representing 17 nationalities.
Hosted by CASES (Cooperativa António Sérgio para a Economia Social), co-organized with Cooperatives Europe, and supported by the City Council of Porto, the gathering was held in collaboration with Cooperativa Povo Portuense, Alternâcina, and other local cooperatives.
CTVC was invited to participate and ultimately represented CONFECOOP at the assembly. In Portugal, only CASES and CONFECOOP are members of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), which means we were effectively representing the country in this emerging ecosystem.
This positioning is significant. The YECN functions as a training ground for future cooperative leaders — many of those present will shape the ICA in the coming decades. The network already has representation on the Cooperatives Europe board, the ICA's regional body for Europe, demonstrating its growing influence in the international cooperative movement.
One of the most interesting aspects of the event was the reframing of what "youth" means in the cooperative context. We expected an event focused on very young people, but discovered a mature group of professionals in their 30s.
This makes sense when we consider workforce demographics and the high average age of cooperative board members globally. In this context, "youth" refers to generational renewal and fresh perspectives rather than inexperience. It was refreshing to engage with this group and be part of these conversations. As we continue to expand our international network, one pattern emerges: regional grassroots technology cooperatives like CTVC remain uncommon globally, and the event reinforced that CTVC's organizational maturity is quite high compared to peers in similar contexts.
The assembly unanimously approved the YECN Terms of Reference, opening the door to electing the first Steering Committee and launching new collaborative projects across Europe. Another assembly will be held next year at a location yet to be determined. We will be there to represent Portugal and continue learning from our colleagues in the international cooperative movement.
in non-profit initiatives
that we want to deepen and expand
In our workshops
with cooperative principles
CTVC participated in the Coop Innovation Summit in Torres Vedras. The event provided contacts and insights into the current state of the international cooperative ecosystem.
CTVC was in the Azores for the launch of Aqua Motion, a European S+T+ARTS program that will support six artists in residency in Viana do Castelo, focused on artistic and technological solutions for water resource management.
One idea at a time.
