Day 3 - Monday 14 December
While we were waiting for the bus to take us to the convention centre this morning the King of Lesotho arrived to have breakfast at our hotel. We were able to give him a copy of the calendar which our schools produced to raise funds for the youth and student co-operatives in Lesotho.
This morning ran on African time – the bus arrived an hour late and the conference began late. During the morning young people from co-operatives all over Lesotho gradually arrived and the conference hall filled up.
The Commissioner for Co-operatives in Lesotho, Mrs Lekoetje, welcomed the delegates who also include groups from Uganda, South Africa, Swaziland, and the UK.
Mervyn Wilson, Principal of the Co-operative College, told the delegates how the 28 men who started the first successful co-operative in 1844 started a global movement which has improved the lives of half of humanity. He talked about the difficulties faced by young people in both the developed and developing world arsing from the economic crisis and suggested that co-operatives may be one way of meeting their economic and social needs.
In between the speakers we were entertained by a members of an entertainment co-operative – a group of really talented musicians, dancers and poets. Followed by our Northumberland students full rendition of the Blaydon Races on stage which received a massive round of applause from everyone!
The official opening was made by the Assistant Minister for Trade Marketing and Co-operatives, who has been a great supporter of youth and student co-operatives for many years. He recalled a visit to the UK – and the links that had then developed between the UK Co-operative College and the Youth and Student Co-operative Forum. At the end of the session the Assistant Minister was interviewed by students from Sutherland, and presented with copies of the calendar, asking for more for the Prime Minister and members of the Cabinet.
We did a number of co-operative activities and parachute games in the afternoon with a group of over 200 – human bingo, co-operative arm wrestling, and the magic helium stick. It was wonderful to see their faces and obvious enjoyment. This was learning in ways that many had not seen before. One of the students commented “This makes learning really interesting!” as the giant parachute soared into the air with an earth ball spinning around on it.
Back to the hotel to chill out for a while then a long briefing session after dinner to prepare for the activities we are running tomorrow. Hopefully we'll start on time, but who knows...