Yakap sa Mamamayan or Yaman Advocacy Cooperative held its fourth Pre-Membership Education Seminar (PMES) via Zoom with a dozen participants expressing their interest to join.
Yaman Advocacy Cooperative founder and chairperson Sgt. Lloyd Luna, PAF(Res) led the orientation program.
The meeting began with a discussion about challenges faced by Filipinos and the need for development initiatives to address poverty and limited purchasing power despite being among the happiest people in the world. The main focus was on establishing Yaman, an advocacy cooperative under the Cooperative Development Authority of the Philippines, which aims to provide affordable training programs and opportunities for skill development and networking.
The conversation ended with detailed discussions about the cooperative’s structure, membership requirements, and training programs, including a subscription model for private schools and plans for implementing a learning management system.
Overcoming Poverty and Building Unity
The speaker discussed the challenges faced by Filipinos, highlighting issues such as poverty, debt, and limited purchasing power despite being among the happiest people in the world. They emphasized the need to address these issues by focusing on development and breaking free from the “traps of poverty” such as identity, unhealthy competition, and smallness of thinking. The presentation concluded with the concept of “yakap” or embrace, which symbolizes unity and collaboration as a way to overcome these challenges.
Yaman: Poverty Alleviation Cooperative
The meeting discussed the establishment of Yaman, an advocacy cooperative under the Cooperative Development Authority of the Philippines, which aims to alleviate poverty through training and education. The cooperative will offer affordable, democratized training programs, with membership providing access to non-taxable dividend income and opportunities for skill development and networking. The organization emphasizes collectivism and service to members, with plans to expand nationwide as a movement focused on poverty alleviation and community building.
Advocacy Cooperative for Professional Trainers
The meeting discussed the structure and benefits of an advocacy cooperative for trainers, speakers, and professionals. Members can access free training programs and showcase their expertise to a nationwide audience, with a focus on marketing through membership. The cooperative offers a subscription model for organizations to provide training to employees, and schools can become members to generate additional income. The discussion also covered how the cooperative can help other cooperatives with professional development and compliance requirements, emphasizing the potential for trainers to earn through their involvement.
Cooperative Expertise and Training Initiatives
The meeting focused on discussing the cooperative’s role in providing expertise and training across various fields, including real estate, finance, and other specialized areas. Tess, a retired administrative professional, inquired about the availability of speakers for different topics, to which Sgt. Luna confirmed that the cooperative has subject matter experts who can address a wide range of subjects. Sgt. Luna emphasized the cooperative’s mission to make these experts visible and provide them with opportunities to share their knowledge, particularly in financial literacy and education. Rean, a professor from the University of the Philippines in Leyte, raised a question about how to present the cooperative as more than just a provider of speakers and training programs, to which Sgt. Luna suggested highlighting the cooperative’s introduction as a group of subject matter experts and professionals.
Private School Training Subscription Model
The meeting discussed a subscription model for a private school’s training program, where individual members pay 1,000 pesos annually and organizations pay 500 pesos per head for up to 20 people. Tess clarified that memberships are non-transferable and explained the distinction between subscribers and members, while Sgt. Luna explained that the school could subscribe as a single entity and potentially receive dividend income. The discussion also covered the possibility of the school becoming a shareholder in a cooperative entity, allowing it to benefit from dividends while teachers and subscribers access the training program.
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