It is an itinerary of cooperatives whose activities significantly contribute to the preservation and the development of their area’s cultural and industrial heritage.
By doing so, not only are they making their area attractive to tourists, but they are also actively promoting cooperative values such as self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity .
Indeed, cooperatives are autonomous associations democratically managed and controlled by people who come together to meet common economic, social, and cultural needs.
Cooproute also includes entities, such as museums, whose activities contribute to the promotion of the cooperative history and culture. Cooproute cooperatives and museums offer a sustainable and innovative tourist experience all around Europe: they preserve local cultural and industrial heritage while promoting the history and values of the cooperative movement, with great care for youths.
The purpose of Cooproute is also to contribute to economic regeneration and job creation in declining and rural contexts by boosting locally-rooted economic activities run by cooperatives, especially those of young people.
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