The Centre Wakefield La Pêche Cooperative is a chartered Québec Cooperative and was founded almost a decade and a half ago by volunteers and organizations with a vision to create a place where recreation and cultural programs and events could serve La Pêche area residents and beyond. The Centre is not a municipal service and relies on the membership and its organizational structure and partners to meet membership and community needs and interests. (Visit other parts of this CWLP website to learn more about the Centre.)

Because we are a registered Québec Cooperative, members have an obligation to ensure that the cooperative is thriving and members support staff, volunteers, and our Board to achieve the vision and mission for which the coop was created.

At the end of January 2023, a group of members came together to discuss how we can contribute to the overall health and success of the Centre and achieve an informed and engaged membership. We formed what we called the Membership Involvement Group; also known as MING. We are not a closed group and all members can attend meetings, be informed, and be part of a true cooperative working together.

Since forming, the group has grown organically and has contributed to the increased involvement of the coop membership. This is also due to the openness of the Centre Wakefield La Pêche Boards to welcome this involvement.

As attendance at our meetings began to wane, it became apparent that meetings were not an effective way to ensure engagement of members. So while the MING is still present, the contribution and participation of members is more individual or small group action rather than direct action of a large group.

Examples of this are member led initiatives such as the development of the CWLP pamphlet, the pickleball program, the encouragement of member participation in the Transfer of the Building Vote (June 2024), the Painted Chair Auction fund raiser, (June, 2024), Monday Games Night (ongoing) and the Newcomers Coffee Gathering in November, 2024.

For now, the Membership Involvement Group serves to create member involvement by encouraging members individually and collectively to:

• Participate in programs and events
• Volunteer in a variety of ways (including the volunteer needs of our support partners)
• Share ideas for activities, events and organizational change with staff and the Board and support those ideas with their own action
• Stay in touch by visiting the website and social media posts and share news with others
• Make an extra effort to read information about updates and documents concerning the organization
• Donate what you can and if membership fees or dues are implemented, be willing to support the on going financial stability of the Centre
• Review the Membership Agreement and know your rights, privileges, and obligations as a CWLP member. (Can be found as an Annex to the By-Laws of the organization on the website)
• If anyone would like to see the MING resume more formal ways of gathering and building member involvement, please contact: Karen Bays at: baysdunk1@gmail.com

In the spirit of a Cooperative: Together we're better!

November 2024