the cooperative movement and progressivism in general. There is typically a guest speaker and an annual theme. Action Camp The Action Camp, held each August, provides an intensive training environment for leaders and active members of housing co-ops, worker collectives, and other democratically run communities. Participants spend one week in a beautiful, natural environment engaging in a week-long program on privilege and anti-oppression work and interactive fun, using techniques from Augusto Boal's "Theater of the Oppressed." Development services Special organizing and training resources are made available to groups interested in starting or expanding cooperatives. NASCO Development Services provides an array of development services including assistance in pre-development activities, financial assistance, and start-up assistance. Kagawa Fund In 1989, a $50,000 donation from the Japanese Consumer Cooperative Union was used to seed The Kagawa Fund for Student Cooperative Development. The Kagawa Fund, named for Toyohiko Kagawa, provides loans and technical assistance to new and existing housing cooperatives. The fund is administered by the Cooperative Development Foundation and NASCO Development Services. Property ownership and asset management services In 1988, NASCO Properties was established as an affiliate of NASCO to purchase and hold title to housing around the United States, which is then leased to local co-ops. Its first property was the House of Commons, a 21 bedroom student house in Austin, Texas. It acquired the title from an ailing student housing co-op, ICC-Austin, with the purpose of keeping the building in the affordable cooperative housing sector. ICC-Austin bought the house back from NASCO Properties in 2003. NASCO manages NASCO Properties and through it provides assistance to the local leasing co-ops. Staff members visit each leasing co-op at least three times per year to help with finances, maintenance, and other problems or issues that may arise. In 2004, a second title holding organization was created between NASCO and Riverton Community Housing called Lots in Common (LINC). NASCO entered into asset management contracts for Davis Campus Cooperatives in 2006. NASCO-Partnered Housing Cooperatives include: CHEA, Austin, Texas COUCH, Champaign-Urbana, IL Kalamazoo Collective Housing, Kalamazoo, Michigan Nickel City, Buffalo, New York Qumbya, Chicago, IL Santa Cruz Student Housing Co-ops (SC-SHC), Santa Cruz, California Student Cooperative Organization (SCO), Athens, Ohio See also List of NASCO member cooperatives Davis Campus Cooperatives, conjoined with NASCO Properties List of condominiums and housing cooperatives in New York Students for Cooperation (UK) References External links Cooperative federations Student housing cooperatives