How Do Cooperatives Build Prosperity for All?

What role can cooperatives play in building more inclusive and sustainable economies? And how can we strengthen cooperation across borders while developing fair and sustainable digital business models and platforms?

We are delighted to invite you to the book launch of How Do Cooperatives Build Prosperity for Al by Kathy Van der Elst, hosted by Smart Coop Germany in Berlin. 

An evening with Kathy Van der Elst

Kathy’s new book is a passion project inspired by the UN’s International Year of Cooperatives 2025. Through her travels and research Kathy has explored how cooperatives can create prosperity for all and contribute to a fairer and more inclusive economy.

The book also responds to a challenge facing the cooperative movement: despite their potential and impact, cooperatives often remain invisible or are misunderstood. Many people are simply unaware of the cooperative model or associate it with outdated ideas.

By sharing stories and insights from the cooperative world, Kathy hopes to contribute to greater visibility and understanding. She also aims at highlighting the importance of education in developing the cooperative model of tomorrow.

The programme

During the evening, we will:

• listen to selected passages from Kathy’s book;
• hear Kathy’s reflections on the cooperative movement and her research;
• engage in a dialogue with Kathy Van der Elst, Magdalena Ziomek, founder and CEO of Smart Coop Germany, and Ela Kagel, founder and board member of Platform Coops eG;
• explore how we can build international cooperative networks for resilient futures

The conversation will connect the international cooperative movement with Berlin’s growing ecosystem of cooperative businesses.

Why cooperatives, why now?

Cooperatives are more than a business model. They are part of a movement towards an economy that puts people and shared prosperity at its centre.

At a time of economic uncertainty, climate change, and humanitarian crises, cooperative models offer important pathways towards resilience, democratic ownership, sustainability, peace and women’s empowerment. They can also provide more secure and inclusive livelihoods and stronger legal and social frameworks for people working in the informal economy - with India offering a powerful example of this potential.

We want to use this evening not only to celebrate the launch of Kathy’s book, but also to create a space for exchange: between local and international perspectives, established cooperative traditions and emerging digital models.

Come join us for an evening of readings, conversation, ideas, and connection.

📅 Monday, September 21, 2026 at 7pm CEST 📍 Hosted by Smart Coop Germany: Salon, Franz-Mehring-Platz 1, 10243 Berlin 🤝 Jointly organized by SMartDe eG eG & Platform Coops eG 🥤 Drinks and snacks will be provided by Smart Coop Germany 🌱 Supported by Programm Nachhaltig Wirken, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, and the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+)