Partner Spotlight: Sunflower Co-op
In 2025 we partnered with Sunflower Co-op on a year-long Equity, Diversity and Inclusion learning series, informed by a staff EDI survey and an organizational assessment that was put together for the Co-op by Commons Consulting. The collaborative approach of the learning series helped our staff explore meaningful ways to embed equity, diversity, and inclusion into how we work together as a remote team.
Q&A with Michelle Tsutsumi and Zanna Ekeroth of Sunflower Co-op
Q1: Tell us about Sunflower Co-op, and the decision to start a worker co-op!
Michelle & Zanna: Creating Sunflower Co-op was about shifting experiences from the solo work that each of the founders was engaged in to growing a collective of support, shared learning, and cooperation (co-facilitation) for ourselves and others. When it came time to find the right home for our collaboration, it was clear that our values fit best with becoming a worker co-operative. Democratic governance, creating employment for members, collective ownership, and breaking away from creating profit for investors are all parts of being a worker co-op that mean a lot to us.
Q2: When did you first connect with BCLC?
Our first connection with BCLC was in February 2024 through the BC Co-op Association and the 50 – 30 Challenge, a voluntary pledge towards equitable systems that support diverse and inclusive leadership. Michelle and Zanna offered tailored 1:1 EDI support to BCLC management, which included meetings with leadership to identify focus areas and explore EDI strategies and implementation. Based on organizational assessments and staff input, we co-created a 1-year EDI Action Plan that was used as the foundation for the workshop series.
Q3: How does a progressive, year-long workshop series differ from other training sessions? What are the benefits and challenges?
Equity and Inclusion related topics require a level of vulnerability and long-term commitment that is impossible to achieve in just one session. Being able to engage with the BCLC team over the course of a full year enabled us to build trust, circle back to topics after letting new insights percolate and unlock a level of shared learning that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible. Furthermore, the series was developed with the intention to not just learn, but to also put new practices into place. There was a clear commitment from BCLC management to make structural changes in alignment with the learning series, which made this project particularly impactful.
Q4: How do you approach learning with remote teams?
When we design learning sessions with remote teams, we prioritize space for connection and shared reflection through breakouts with pairs or small groups. Core elements of the learning sessions include balancing information sharing with synthesizing and practice. We recognize and respect the knowledge and experience in the group, and we design for this to be woven into the process.
Q5: What practices help build trust and safety in a virtual training space?
We begin our learning sessions with intentional and personal land recognitions and introductions, which helps to create an environment of openness. We also take the time to arrive in the session with check-ins that invite personal connection and understanding. The interconnection of solo reflection and small group conversations with meaningful prompts supports learning, practice building, and strengthening trust.
Q6: What were your personal highlights working with the BCLC group?
BCLC continuously demonstrated a willingness to learn from each other’s perspectives and to provide candid feedback. As facilitators, we left every session learning something new from this group. One special memory from working with BCLC was the session where we practiced how to de-escalate tension in a remote setting. In a “fishbowl” role play activity, the staff from BCLC got to both practice (or witness) how to respond to microaggressions and test out different languages for de-escalation. The group embraced this activity and their roles to the fullest, which provided both laughs and deep reflections. An example where learning about charged and uncomfortable topics can be playful and meaningful at the same time.
Q7: Co-ops helping co-ops, how does this principle influence your work?
Sunflower is a dedicated proponent of Principle 6. Structurally, we collaborate on projects with co-ops and also seek service providers who are cooperatives. For example, our email and website are through CanTrust Hosting Co-op and our website was designed by Weaver Digital Design and Storytelling Co-op. The possibility of working together, and finding creative ways to do so, is particularly exciting and energizing for us. In addition, in each of our communities, we participate in our local co-ops and cooperate through grassroots mutual aid.