In Caguas, Puerto Rico, the Escuela Montessori San Cristóbal (EMSC) is celebrating Cooperativism Month by recognizing San Cristobalitos Coop, Inc., a youth cooperative founded two years ago that teaches students the principles and values of the cooperative movement through practical experiences. The cooperative, which has the support of the Cooperativa Jesús Obrero and the Corporación Pública para la Supervisión y Seguro de Cooperativas de Puerto Rico (COSSEC), allows children to participate in production, organization, and sales activities while developing teamwork, leadership, and responsibility skills.
when children participate directly in a cooperative, learning transcends the classroom. They can experience what it means to work together, assume responsibilities, make decisions, and see the result of their effort
San Cristobalitos Coop started with a simple initiative: preparing and selling limbers made by the students themselves. Over time, the project expanded to include products harvested from the school garden, a space tended by students of different levels along with the garden teacher. The cooperative has its own board and holds its assembly during Cooperativism Month in October, allowing students to express their ideas, assume responsibilities, and participate in collective decision-making processes.
According to Rosanie Pérez, the coordinator of San Cristobalitos Coop, 'when children participate directly in a cooperative, learning transcends the classroom. They can experience what it means to work together, assume responsibilities, make decisions, and see the result of their effort.' The cooperative aims to have its own store in the new building planned for the EMSC, which would provide a new opportunity for students to put into practice what they have learned through their projects.