Agenda

The 2025 YES Workshop is a specially curated side event aligned with the ICA-AP 17th Regional Assembly and the 19th ICA Asia-Pacific Research Conference, both of which take place in November 2025 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. These events are grounded in the global theme for the United Nations’ International Year of Cooperatives (IYC 2025): Cooperatives Build a Better World.

This year, the YES Workshop is being organized in collaboration with the ICA–EU Partnership Project on Cooperative Development (“Cooperatives in Development – People-Centred Businesses in Action”). The engagement aims to strengthen the research and leadership capacity of young scholars in the cooperative sector and promote greater collaboration with universities. Through this partnership, the workshop seeks to encourage evidence-based research, enhance youth participation in cooperative development, and highlight the role of cooperatives in advancing inclusive and sustainable growth. 

The overarching purpose of the YES workshop 2025 is to develop young scholars research communication skills to strengthen the voice of YES scholars and cooperative research. The workshop aims to:

• Update young and emerging scholars on the key themes and current areas of interest for the global cooperative research community.
• Develop research communication skills, through the introduction and application of the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) to present their current research projects.
• Build and strengthen the voice of young and emerging scholars in regional and global research networks such as the YES network and the ICA AP Youth Committee within and beyond the cooperative studies community