The Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada, in partnership with CMC and the Canadian Association for Studies in Co-operation, has established a scholarship fund to commemorate the late Ian MacPherson and his outstanding contribution to the study and promotion of co‑operatives. This fund supports student participation in research conferences, co-operative research, and co-operative involvement. Here are the 2024 recipients the Fund has helped so far:
Kacie G. Hopkins is a Ph.D. Candidate with expertise in community economies, feminist social enterprises, and geographies of rural women’s handmade crafts and creativity. She studies in the Communication and Cultural Studies program at York University in Canada. Kacie is a storyteller, creative writer, designer, and entrepreneur. These roles are all part of her Ph.D. journey.
Today, the clothing made by her great-grandmothers inspire her research and storytelling. Outside of her Ph.D. studies she is active in the social enterprise, Wildflower Enterprises that she and her twin sister founded to connect rural women through crafting, design, and empowerment services. She is currently studying co-operatives, women’s social enterprisers, rural communities, intersectional feminism, critical pedagogies, and autoethnography to help establish an ethical local business model for Wildflower Enterprises and for rural women.
Smith Djihoui GNEPA is a Ph.D. candidate in Development Economics and a research assistant at the Université de Sherbrooke. He is a research student at the Group for Responsible Finance (GREFA) and the Group for International Economics and Development (GREDI).
His doctoral thesis focuses on risk management and the performance of credit co-operatives within a generalized macroeconomic framework of the Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) type. He reexamines the theoretical foundations of co-operatives’ mission, which aims to ensure the well-being of members, in contrast to the profit-driven capitalist model. Drawing from a diverse sample of co-operative models (including NGOs and credit co-operatives), his work will contribute to discussions on credit co-operative regulation.
Gnepa is currently a volunteer with the Canadian Red Cross. In his previous roles, he served as a United Nations volunteer, specializing in Public Finance at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and worked as a data analyst and development planner for the fourth cohort of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Additionally, he volunteered with the Canada Revenue Agency, Revenu Québec, and World University Service of Canada.
Sandi Stewart is a Research Assistant at Saint Mary’s University working with Dr. Fiona Duguid and Dr. Daphne Rixon. Sandi and Dr. Duguid are presenting their paper titled, “A Review of the Literature on Measuring and Reporting on the UN Sustainable Development Goals by Co-operatives” at the 2024 Canadian Association for Studies in Co-operation conference. Sandi is also a Ph. D History student at the University of New Brunswick and a part-time instructor at Dalhousie University. She completed her MA in Folklore and BA at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Eylin Jorge holds a Master’s in Industrial Engineering and is pursuing a Master’s in Public Policy at the University of Saskatchewan, reflecting her commitment to academic excellence and impactful research. As a Graduate Research Assistant at the Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives in Saskatoon, she has contributed to the second wave of the Canadian Co-operative Governance project, delving into co-operative governance practices in Canada, and to the update of the Co-operative Governance Dashboard Tool. In addition to her research role, Eylin serves as a Student Assistant at the Canadian Association for the Studies in Co-operation.
Cora Weins is a 3rd generation European settler living on Metis Land (Treaty One Territory), so-called Winnipeg, MB. Lineages of labour and community organizing have situated her to thrive within the co-operative sector, where she believes that class, race and gender solidarity intersect to provide pathways into a future where everyone is free. A founding member of Eadha Bakery Worker Co-op and Master’s student at the International Centre for Co-op Management, Cora finds wells of inspiration in collaborations that are inclusive, reciprocal and that betray capitalism’s status quo; bringing about a deeper, embodied understanding of how systems a created and interlinked in order to bring about the common good.
The Ian MacPherson Legacy Fund supports student participation in research conferences, co-operative research, and co-operative involvement. Students at post-secondary institutions under the age of 35 will be given priority, with a preference for those studying or researching co-ops and presenting at an event. Applications are accepted year-round, but we recommend that you apply at least 60 days prior to the date of an event you wish to attend. To learn more or to apply, please click here.