Over the years, the values and principles of cooperation have enabled growth rooted in equity and community development. However, current social contradictions—which are also reflected within our own membership bases—highlight the urgent need for a Neomutualism. We must design new forms of protection and development to strengthen the sense of belonging and trust, making cooperatives attractive and secure environments. All of this is deeply connected to the theme of the social economy.Our mutualistic pacts and our membership and workforce base—including suppliers, artisans, and consumers—represent our greatest asset, which we must continuously value.Even when facing the new challenges imposed by European directives on the social economy, we must envision a new, stronger mutualism built on an inter-cooperative approach. This will also allow us to address the working poverty that exists within our own sectors.We must leverage the tools of corporate welfare and cultural welfare, the power of patronage dividends, and experiment with new instruments, starting with potential Inter-cooperative Funds.Furthermore, we need to map the use of corporate welfare tools across our enterprises to support them in making the best possible use of these resources. This includes providing internal training, which can also be utilized to mitigate the effects of the digital divide.
