50+ Years of Educating for Citizen Participation: Lessons from the Coady International Institute
Diploma in Development Leadership
~Colleen CameronCatherine Irving
& Coady Diploma Participants
St.FX Extension – Coady Roots
•1920s - Great depression accentuates existing widespread poverty and rural outmigration in Northeastern NS•“Progressive serfdom” –communities robbed of their leaders and wealth
•Emerging international movement of cooperative organizing - Rochdale•Emerging programs in adult education – workers’ education, folk schools
St. FX Extension Department• Founded 1928 in rural
Nova Scotia• Joined the methods of
adult education and economic cooperation,
• Vision for strengthened democracy– Begin with economic
where the interest is keenest
The Antigonish Movement
• Education as a driving force for change
• Collective learning– Mass meetings: identify
issues and local leaders– Study clubs, Leadership
courses, Conferences– Groups learn from each
other
The Extension Department Today• Mission
– To promote and advance, according to the principles of the Antigonish Movement, the economic self-reliance and social well-being of the people of Atlantic Canada through economic cooperation and education
• Programs & Services– Community & organizational
development– Leadership capacity building– Social and economic
innovation– Enterprise Development
Centre (XEDC): small business counseling and skills development; Training, planning and consulting services for businesses and not-for-profits
Coady International Institute• Founded in 1959 to practice the principles of the Antigonish
Movement internationally • Campus and Overseas programs with development
practitioners
Goal of Coady’s Work
• The Ultimate Aim of the Education and Partnership Programs:
To contribute to bringing about a more just, inclusive and sustainable global society in which all people participate in shaping their own destinies.
Coady Diploma Program• Goal: To strengthen organizations involved in
community-driven development by providing high quality, leadership development opportunities for mid and senior level staff.
• Examples of Courses to promote citizen participation– ABCD– CDHIA– Advocacy– Co-operative inquiry
Adult Education Methods• Experiential Learning Cycle – building on practitioners’
knowledge• Emphasis on Collective Learning, examples:
oGroup DiscussionsoRole playsoAppreciative Inquiry
• Transformative learning methods and goals• Critical analysis: Unpacking different frames of
development, lenses and narratives
World CaféPublic Participation Method
• Rounds of table discussions• Record ideas on flipchart paper• Plenary sharing from each table
Principles of the Antigonish Movement
1. Primacy of the person2. Social reform through education3. Education begins with economic4. Education through group action5. Reform requires fundamental changes in institutions6. Full and abundant life for all
