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| ☪️ 2025 March Newsletter ☪️ |
| | | Dear Friends of Solid State,
Solid State is turning over a new leaf! We’ve been steadily growing since our launch in 2017 and have gained confidence in our ability to create and support a collaborative and viable network of worker-owned enterprises.
Our work reflects a clear and measurable contribution to economic development in BC. In the past year alone, Solid State has created 27 full-time jobs, supported the growth of 22 part-time positions, and established 22 full-time summer roles all anchored by a core team of 15 full-time staff.
As we continue to work towards a stable and interconnected solidarity economy, we want to thank all of you who have supported us along the way! We can’t express our gratitude enough for the multitude of encouragement we’ve received that has gotten us to this point.
In this newsletter, you’ll find familiar good news. You’ll see new collaborations, updates from cohorts; African Canadian Agricultural Producers Co-op, Tyche, Afiya, Salam Central, and more. A sneak peak on our new governance model for any non-hierarchical leadership fans reading this! All followed by ways to get involved with upcoming events.
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| | Solid State Represented at Surrey Town Hall for Local Businesses |
| | Solid State was invited by Premier Eby’s office to a recent Surrey Town hall for local businesses! Co-director Jshandeep Jassal and fundraiser Arshia Uppal attended, took part in the conversation, and greeted some familiar faces, MLA Amna Shah and Minister of Finance Brenda Bailey. The subject of the town hall was the provincial budget 2025 and the future that lies ahead.
During the town hall, Jassal asked, "Solid State is a non-profit that supports racialized and immigrant communities to form cooperatives in Surrey. Solid State is watching the provinces response to tariffs closely, and we are curious to know how we as a partnering community organization can support efforts that centre local groups, especially given the economic resilience that cooperatives provide."
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| | | Solid State Builds Relationship with Toronto Chinatown Land Trust |
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| Through mutual friends, we have started to set up skills trades with Toronto Chinatown Land Trust (TCLT). TCLT’s mission is to build community power in Toronto’s Chinatown by taking properties off the speculative real estate market and holding resources and assets for working-class people, towards economic and racial justice. We are excited to learn from TCLT’s experience and hope to provide resources on the creation of worker-owned enterprises as a natural partner to their work! |
| | | | | Meet some of the cohorts making an impact in industries from agriculture, to health care, to video production and more. Solid State currently supports a network of 28 enterprises and we intake new groups twice a year. Learn more about our existing network as well as how to get involved below. |
| | The African Canadian Agricultural Producers Co-op works with Young Agrarians’ BC Land Match Program |
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| The African Canadian Agricultural Producers Co-op (ACAPC) is a 17+ member, worker-owned co-op that grows culturally appropriate foods among immigrant African communities in BC. ACAPC joined Solid State last November, and are taking steps to build a sustainable agricultural co-op. They’re crop planning, budgeting, and finding the right land with help from Young Agrarians’ BC Land Matching Program.
“The B.C. Land Matching Program (BCLMP) provides personalized land matching and business support services to farmers looking for land to start or expand their farm, and landholders interested in finding someone to farm their land. The program is delivered by Young Agrarians (YA) and addresses the high cost of land as a significant barrier for those seeking to enter the B.C. agriculture industry. There is no cost to participate, and our services are available to farmers and landholders of all ages across B.C.” -Young Agrarians |
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| | Afiya Care Collective Makes Connections at ACT Now! Black Mental Health and Wellness Conference |
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| Afiya Care Collective was invited to Act Now! 2025 a Black mental health and wellness conference held this year in Edmonton, AB. This annual conference creates opportunities for Afrocentric knowledge gathering, sharing, knowledge mobilization, and networking centered on Black mental health in Canada. Themes this year included healing and thriving in community, policy, research & advocacy, rest as liberation, and more.
Afiya is a dedicated initiative focused on enhancing healthcare support for Black residents in Surrey and Metro Vancouver. Recognizing the urgent need for action, they are committed to addressing the systemic barriers and challenges faced by Black individuals within British Columbia's healthcare system. |
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| | | Tyche Media Co-op Produces Video Collaborations with Local Businesses |
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| Tyche is a media production cooperative owned and operated by Louie Yan, Khuzaima Shah, Joshua Pollock, Migail Chettermohamad, and Kellen Bjornson. They launched their project last year with the goal to manage their own means of production, creating meaningful and creative multimedia for enterprises that they value. Tyche’s portfolio is rapidly growing and we’re excited to see their talent for storytelling in recent collaborations with small businesses. |
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| | Culture Links Co-op is Available for Your Translation Needs! |
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| “CultureLinks is a worker-owned, newcomer-led co-operative specialized in translation, interpretation, and custom language services. We would love to partner with you on your next funding application focused on language accessibility and can help you with developing a detailed project proposal and quote to strengthen your application. Get in touch with us at hello@culturelinks.coop to let us know about your project and how we can help.” |
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| | | Eid Mubarak from Salam Cental! |
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| This Ramadan, Salam Central hosted a series of special events, bringing the Surrey Muslim community together for moments of faith, reflection, and connection. They partnered with another Solid State cohort, Daily Dose of Blackness, to host an Iftar in solidarity with the Sudanese community. Then, in collaboration with Masjid-Ur-Rahmah, they hosted a Youth Itikaf Night on one of the last odd nights of Ramadan. Their final Iftar was held at Solid State HQ with packed room of families they support through their community events and programming. |
| | | GenConnect’s Creates a Meaningful Heritage Trip for almost 100 Punjabi Seniors |
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| On March 9th, GenConnect hosted a large and excited group of Punjabi seniors and facilitators to Victoria, BC with scheduled programming to visit a Langar at a 113 year old Gurdwara, see the Story Totem at Beacon Hill Park, eat great food, and experience cedar weaving at the University of Victoria. GenConnect hosts these popular heritage trips annually and it’s a wonderful moment to appreciate the vast intergenerational community they’ve built and get to support in creative ways. |
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| | | | | Solid State’s Governance Restructure Embodies Co-operative Principles |
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For the past year, Solid State has been conducting research in order to choose and incorporate a governance structure that best matches our values. Governance research has been guided by a visible need to, Include more people while streamlining decision-making processes, Better focus Solid State’s strategic plan which has been shifting naturally as our community grows. Improve and make-accessible financial planning systems so we can operate with better transparency both internally and in providing helpful models for cohorts. Move towards a non-hierarchical governance model inspired by the co-operative principles that we advocate for.
After months of attentive research involving risk assessments, democratic decision-making, and engaging conversations, Solid State has shifted operations inspired by a sociocratic structure. (see more about sociocracy below). With service-specific departments or “circles”, staff are given more autonomy to make decisions based on the needs of their team members and clients. Decisions that need higher level collaboration are brought to a “general circle” made up of elected members from each service group. This basic structure has thoughtful inner-workings that have already started to help improve staff capacity and systems of supporting our cohorts and community! |
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| | | | | Solid State and GIA Cooperative Present at Mentorship Hour |
| Mentorship Hour: Leveraging Member Engagement to Raise Capital
Mentorship Hour is a free, members-only webinar where BCCA members share their insights and expertise to support each other's success. Each session features a presentation from a member co-operative, offering practical, experience-based advice to help fellow co-ops thrive.
On May 7th, 12pm-1pm PST, BCCA welcomes Susanna Collins from GIA Co-operative and WeiChun Kua from Solid State Community Industries to share their experiences with raising capital for co-operatives. |
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| | | RSVP for this Music Venue Co-op Design Jam! |
| Are you tired of seeing your favourite clubs and venues close down or get bought up by developers? Vancouver needs a permanent community-owned venue for live music and events and we believe a venue co-operative could be the solution.
On Thursday, April 24th, Solid State friend, Iva Jankovic and community partners are calling together musicians, djs, music-lovers, event organizers, party-goers, and industry professionals to discuss the possibility of forming a multi-purpose co-operatively owned venue for all kinds of music and events, from rock to techno to lifestyle parties and more.
“We're talking a place that is truly OURS, co-owned and co-managed by the people who use it (e.g. performers, promoters, regulars who come out to shows and events, etc.) and the people that work there.” |
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| | Register for Parents for Palestine’s Upcoming Fundraisers |
| | @parentsforpalestineyvr
Join Parents for Palestine’s Upcoming Community Fundraising Events! 🇵🇸
“Our strength is in our unity, and together, we can make a difference! We’re excited to announce a series of upcoming community fundraising events to support Palestine.
📍 How You Can Participate: 1️⃣ Check out the upcoming events 2️⃣ Register for the ones you’re interested in 3️⃣ Share with friends & family—every voice and contribution matters!
Let’s show up for Palestine, uplift one another, and continue our work together. “ |
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