3 minute read
A Letter from the Executive Director
EXCITEMENT: ONE WORD THAT SUMS UP HOW WE FELT ABOUT THE 2022-23 YEAR AT COADY INSTITUTE
As the world emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a renewed enthusiasm for bringing together change leaders from around the world to learn how citizen-led, asset-based community driven leadership can bring about social and economic change. Over the year, we continued to offer online courses and webinars, and resumed a select number of programs on campus. We also increased our in-person work in communities here in Nova Scotia, across Canada, and globally.
Our dynamic and experienced program staff began to travel again to work with partner organizations and participants who were eager to welcome them back to their communities. In Nova Scotia, our support for improving access to affordable housing continued as did the Centre for Employment Innovation’s intensive work in the Nova Scotia employment ecosystem. The Circle of Abundance continued to expand its engagement with various Indigenous communities such as the Saugeen First Nation and Stoney Nakoda First Nation. Internationally, various projects continued in such places as Haiti, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, India, and Bangladesh.
As part of our largest ongoing project, Engage, we ramped up activities including larger gatherings in Ethiopia and India where sharing and learning amongst members continued. These sessions were hosted by two longtime Coady partners celebrating significant milestones. The Organization for Women in Self Employment (WISE) in Ethiopia celebrated its 25th anniversary with celebrations that included the President of Ethiopia. The Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in India marked its 50th year of service, now in support of 2.5 million women informal workers. We were honoured to celebrate their achievements in person.
In late May 2022, we welcomed participants back to campus as participants of the Pathy Foundation Fellowship, Indigenous Women in Community Leadership, and Global Change Leaders programs gathered on campus. This was not only exciting for those travelling to Antigonish but also revitalized the campus and Coady spaces for our staff members. Our team’s commitment and efforts were instrumental in making those programs a success as we navigated the post-pandemic world.
As we share highlights of the year in this report, you can see how important the efforts of community leaders are in making the world a better place for all. Our support for these leaders would not be possible without strong partnerships and donors who are so generous with their time and money. We thank you and appreciate each and every one of you.
We are just as excited about our future and the further enhancement of our work with clear goals in mind. We look forward to sharing about these experiences in our next annual report. Until then, please continue to keep up to date on Coady Institute’s activities by visiting our website, following us on social media, and joining more than 12,000 other members of our global community who receive email updates and take part in our activities throughout the year.
With appreciation,
