CCWBE Report

Organization:
Centro de Trabajadores Unidos: United Workers Center
Reporting Period:
Nov 2024
Submitted on:
January 14, 2025
Submitted By:
Maricela Estrada

TA Providers: General Questions

CWB Goals

Please provide a brief update on your progress toward your proposed CWB goals in the last reporting period:

La Visionarias - The ladies have been busy catering events each week. - We are still waiting to hear back from the CFPAC Good Fund that we applied for to continue serving hot meals to the community in partnership with the Visionarias. I contacted them to check the status and they told us that they are still reviewing the applications and will decide at the end of the year. AmoraClean - We finished the feasibility study for the cleaning cooperative and are now working on the financial projections to add to the business plan. This is the last step before meeting with Eric Rodriguez of Seed Commons to begin the application process for the seed loan. Blue/Red Arrow - We have completed their bylaws. - We have also completed the feasibility study. We will continue with the financial projections. - They have agreed to take some training in accounting and Excel for businesses at CCL in January 2025. Co-op Workshops: - We met with Julian from Center for Changing Lives (CCL) to discuss a partnership for future training and outreach events. We collaborated on some presentations at two schools to talk about worker co-ops and how they can benefit young DACA recipients in the community. - We held OSHA training for all the co-ops on November 2 and 9. Everyone was there, plus some staff. It was very good training. - We also signed up for the Serve safe managers license and nutritional analysis courses with Food He.ro food incubator.

What constraints or limitations, if any, did you experience in the last reporting period?

We recognize that we're entering a very difficult period with the election results, and we've focused on just listening and getting together with the co-ops and our communities to reconnect and talk about how we can move forward united in the same mission of keeping our communities safe and healthy.

What opportunities, if any, did you take advantage of in the last reporting period?

We got an invitation from Roosevelt University to sit down with them and talk to them about food justice and how we address it and the barriers that we face in our Latine communities. We scheduled a time in December to continue the conversation. - The Visionarias got invited to speak at a food Summit in March of 2025.

Chicago CWB Ecosystem

Did you establish new CWB relationships/partnerships in the last reporting period?

Yes

Please describe the relationships you established pertaining to your CWB work.

We established a collaborative relationship with Center for Changing Lives, and we have been in conversation with Tax Evolution for tax consulting for our co-ops.

Did you collaborate with other TA providers in the last reporting period?

No

Which TA provider(s) did you work with?

Please share on behalf of whom / which projects you collaborated with the TA providers above:

Did you attend the Working Group meeting last month?

No

How would you rate the usefulness of the working group to your project last month? (on a scale of 1-5)

5 extremely useful

Optional Space

Demographic Data

Community Area(s) (select all that apply)

Community Area Participants Served in this Community Area
East Side 3

 

Race / Ethnicity of Participants (select all that apply)

Latinx

 

Gender identity of Participants (select all that apply)

Unknown

 

Age Range of Participants (select all that apply)

35 to 49

 

Worker Coop Work

How many sessions of one-on-one consulting to Worker Cooperatives, Conversions, or Co-op Developers did you conduct this reporting period? (e.g. one group or individual with one training provider)?

2

 

How many group workshops for Worker Cooperatives, Conversions, or Co-op Developers did you conduct this reporting period? (e.g. convenings, workshops, events, etc.)

10

 

How many hours of support to CWB Pre-Development Worker Cooperatives, Conversions, or Co-op Developers did you provide this reporting period?

20

 

How many hours of support to existing Worker Cooperatives, Conversions, or Co-op Developers did you provide this reporting period?

10

 

How many co-op businesses did you develop last reporting period? (It's okay if the answer is 0)

0

 

How many jobs were created overall last reporting period? (It's okay if the answer is 0)

0

 

Please list the Worker Cooperatives, Conversions, or Co-op Developers Organizations you worked with this reporting period.

Pilsen Community Books

 

What type(s) of Technical Assistance did you provide to Worker Cooperatives, Conversions, or Co-op Developers this reporting period? Select all that apply.

 

Did you provide education to any Worker Cooperatives, Conversions, or Co-op Developers this reporting period?

Yes

 

How many hours of cohort education/training did you provide last month?

12

 

How many hours of popular education/outreach did you provide last month?

6

 

Number of curriculum material(s) created last month

2

 

How did you market your services and conduct outreach in the last reporting period? Select all that apply.

Social Media Marketing (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn)

 

What are the greatest needs that your WC clients/partners expressed in this reporting period?

funding

 

What are the greatest gaps in service or resources in Chicago's CWB ecosystem?

Policy advocacy

 

Please share any direct testimonials from Worker Cooperatives, Conversions, or Co-op Developers clients or storytelling about the impact of your work this period:

 

Please upload media (document with testimonials, photos, or video links) from WC workshops or events held.

https://ccwbe.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/IMG_0431-scaled.jpg

https://ccwbe.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/IMG_0427-scaled.jpg

 

Additional TA Support

Did your organization provide any additional TA support this reporting period that was NOT covered in the previous tabs?

No

 

Please describe the type(s) of organizations you supported (i.e. nonprofits, business service orgs, etc.)

 

How many total organizations or entities did you support (that were not covered in the previous tabs)?

 

How many total hours of support did you provide to these organizations?

 

Please share any other relevant details about the support you provided these organizations: