Staff farewell: Rebecca Forecast
The Co-operative College is saying goodbye to Research Co-ordinator Rebecca Forecast, who has been a valuable member of the Co-operative College for three years.
Rebecca, who is leaving to take up a new post in the Social Goals team at the Co-operative Group, first joined the College as a Schools associate in Fairtrade Fortnight 2009. She came across the Co-operative College after being sponsored by Midlands Co-operative Society to take part in a youth conference in Manchester while studying African Studies and Geography at the University of Birmingham in 2006.
Rebecca’s career at the College has been diverse, from visiting co-operatives internationally to undertaking research in the National Co-operative Archive. She said: “Working at the College has been a fantastic and varied experience, from finding out about member campaigns of the 1800s to researching gender and co-operative leadership in Kenya.”
Rebecca has met co-operators from across the world, both at the College in the UK and abroad. She said: “Through organising international visits I have learned so much about both the UK co-operative movement and the movements in the countries the visitors come from. It’s been amazing taking visitors to Rochdale and seeing how much it means to them; it’s almost like a pilgrimage to them!
“My knowledge of the co-operative movement both in the UK and internationally has continued to grow and inspire me. I have delved into old coffee sacks in search of archives relating to the history of the Tanzanian co-operative movement, stayed with a family who were members of their village dairy co-operative in Kenya and contributed to several publications which explore the often overlooked roles that co-operatives play in fighting poverty.”
She continued: “There have been so many highlights it is hard to know what to choose! I have really enjoyed working with other teams across the college to find creative ways to communicate the important messages of the College’s research – via publications, activities like the timeline produced about the co-operative movement’s campaigning history, and training events. I have also enjoyed being a TV presenter for schools videoconferences!
“I will be sorry to leave the many friends I have made in the College but I am looking forward to joining The Co-operative Group at an exciting time, as it launches the next stage of the Ethical Operating Plan.”
Filed Under: About • Co-operatives Globally • Researching Co-operatives • Schools and Young People
Co-operative Learning