Co-operative Culture and Living

CHMA – Co-op Housing

Community meeting setting with a person completing paperwork at a table in the foreground. The CHMA (Co-operative Housing Management Accreditation) logo is displayed in the upper left, with other attendees seated in the background. The image includes the slogan: “Your community is calling.”

Course Information and Target Audience

This course can be a standalone course, with content valuable for those involved or seeking to be involved in housing co-operatives – managers, board members, active members, as well as staff of associations or service organizations. All participants receive a certificate of completion when finishing this individual course. Offered in partnership with the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada and the Institute of Housing Management, this course has a slight focus on the Canadian content, with lots of application to the broader housing co-op world. Some will take this course as an elective within their journey with the Co-operative Housing Management Accreditation (CHMA) program. This course is offered as a hybrid or distance/self-directed course (two options for delivery types).

Course Description

In this course, you will gain a deeper understanding of co-operative identity and culture and how to put the principles into action, explore member engagement in a co-operative setting and examine co-operatives as community impact institutions. You will further grow your awareness of the co-operative ecosystem both at local and global level and have an opportunity to reflect on how your co-operative engages with its wider community and the larger ecosystem. Finally, you will look at co-operative housing challenges, opportunities and the evolving approaches to co-op housing, along with practices and principles that help create healthy co-operatives, communities and workplaces.

Key Topics

Co-operative identity and values
Organizational culture
Governance structures
Member participation
The co-operative ecosystem
The impact of co-operatives
Building healthy co-operatives

Learning Outcomes

Build fluency in the co-operative identity including principles and values
Deepen understanding of co-operative culture and how to put the principles into action
Analyze the historical development, current role, and challenges of co-operatives
Understand co-operative associations and their role in strengthening the sector
Compare Canadian and global co-operative models
Examine housing co-operatives and their social and economic impacts
Explore the social solidarity economy and inter-cooperation
Explore member engagement and community impact institutions
Reflect on how co-operatives engage with their wider community

Instructor

Erin Hancock (she/her) is Program Manager for Education at the International Centre for Co-operative Management, Saint Mary's University. Erin is the past President of the Board of the Community Housing Management Network Co-operative (now known as Pavilion Co-operative Management). She previously worked with Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada and the Measuring the Co-operative Difference Research Network. Erin has served on the board and Education Committee for the North American Students of Cooperation (a housing co-op international organization), has lived in a housing co-op and has developed educational resources for housing co-operatives in Canada and the US. In 2022 she received the Outstanding Contribution to Co-operative Education and Training Award from the Association of Cooperative Educators. She holds an MPhil (Public Policy & Co-operative Development), a BPhil (Leadership Studies, Psychology & International Development), and Certificates in University Teaching, Co-operative Governance and Co-operative Management.

Course options

Distance Option / Self-directed: The distance course is open for enrollment at any time on a rolling basis and allows learners to move through at their own pace (maximum 6 months to completion from registration date).
Hybrid Option:

- Runs November 2–December 11, 2026.
- Live sessions: Nov 10, 17, 24 & Dec 1, each running 12:30–2:00 PM Eastern Time
- Weekly quizzes due Nov 15, 22, 29 and Dec 6.
- Final exam due December 13.

Course Flow (Hybrid Option):

Week 1: Reading

Week 2–5: Live sessions, readings and quizzes weekly

Week 6: Final exam