Worcester Youth Cooperatives

At A Glance

Location: 

Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts

Primary Issue Area:

  • Living Economies
  • Food

Active since:

2020

Core volunteers:

10

Our Purpose

Worcester Youth Cooperatives (WYC) exists to combat the notion that "youth are the future." Rather, YOUTH ARE THE PRESENT (and the future). We don't have to wait until adulthood to make decisions that impact and educate our community. WYC was formed by six high-school youth in October 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The co-founders teamed up with dozens of other youth and a few trusted "adult allies" to form cooperative, rapid-response solutions to social issues exaccerbated by the pandemic.  “Hydroponic Healers” grows produce which “BikeLife Delivery Co-op“ distributes along with items from food pantries and various other sources. “S.O.S. Worcester (Solidarity.Outreach.Survival)“ provides life-saving resources and even free basic medical services to the streets. More recently, they added a Free Fridge program with 24/7 access to refridgerated food and other donated items.Experiencing the success and receiving positive feedback from the community led the collective to structure a method by which to advance their projects while incubating new ones. In February, youth and young adult members launched their own "Youth Cooperative Solutions Academy (YCSA);" a youth-led co-learning space which features an internship program in which youth members teach younger youth how to form co-op solutions to issues they care about.