Skills for Social Change

Aug 12 - 30, 2013   
Please note: this program is only available to applicants from Canada and the United States, 19 - 35 years of age

What you can expect

We find ourselves at a time when communities are collaborating and engaging in creative ways to build the change they want to see. Young people are at the center of this change and have a unique opportunity to collectively shape the communities that they are a part of – be they local or global. However, faced with the complexities of shrinking global boundaries, the diversity of communities, and a multitude of choices, it can become increasingly hard to engage in communities as practitioners, activists, allies, or volunteers. This three-week certificate provides a space for collective exploration of the self, community transformation, and our role as advocates of social and economic justice. Whether it is to examine the roots of inequity and efforts to address it, the power of social media in promoting change, or the challenges of grassroots organizing, we will encourage one another to better understand and be empowered by the possibilities that exist for community transformation

Facilitators: Behrang Foroughi, Natalie Abdou, Adam Baden-Clay

Personal benefits

Participants can expect to:

  • explore the roots and manifestations of social change;
  • gain an appreciation for various frameworks through which social justice can be understood; and
  • gain skills to support your contribution to community action and development in a rooted, thoughtful manner.
     

Who is best suited for the program?

This program is best suited for young people (preference given to 19-35 year olds) in North America who are passionate and committed to citizen-led social change, and wish to explore the complexities, challenges, successes, and rewards of such choices. Applicants should have the equivalent of two years' experience in social justice, grassroots activism, or community organizing and development either locally or internationally

Fees

Program costs are quoted in Canadian dollars and are subject to revision.

Tuition

Accommodation
and Meals
(If required)

Total
(Incl. room & board)

$1,500

$1,150

$2,650

 

 


Scholarships

A limited number of partial scholarships are available to Canadian citizens, landed immigrants or refugees who are accepted to the program. Additional full or partial scholarships may be available for eligible people of Aboriginal descent from Canada. This support is the result of generous funding from a number of individual and institutional donors. The Coady Institute is not able to support the cost of travel.

Credit

This program is being offered as a three-credit St. FX Development Studies 391 - Special Topics course. You must have completed at least 24 university credits prior to taking this program as a three-credit course towards your university degree. Once you are accepted to the program and your prerequisites are approved by the instructor you will be registered with St. FX to receive the credits. There is an extra fee for the three-credits.

For more information, visit our FAQ page.

 

“Through the certificate my peers and I learned, shared and inspired one another, through intense discussions, laughter and tears, to build momentum about issues dear to our hearts, communities, cities and to Canada. It was truly a privilege to attend this life-changing experience, which I know will carry on a legacy of generating visions of alternative possibilities and building upon the great effort of positive social movements.”
     - Salomeh Ahmadi, Ontario (2012)

“This program exposed me to various tactics and strategies for social change organizing, but more importantly it helped to illustrate the significance of my own voice, my personal journey, in building a movement for a just and sustainable future.”
     – Matthew Chisholm, Nova Scotia (2012)