St. Francis Xavier University established Coady Institute in 1959 as part of its commitment to community leadership development and social responsibility.
Guided by Rev. Dr. Moses Coady’s vision of ‘a full and abundant life for all ’, the Institute strives to be a place where local change leaders from all over the world want to come to learn about the latest innovations in community-led development.
Coady’s work begins with assets available at the local level, builds on the strengths of all citizens, and establishes a network of supportive partnerships. Coady emphasizes local ownership and collaborative relationships that strengthen the capacity of people to drive their own development.
Our leadership education programs combine classroom-based sharing and community-based experiential learning along with the creation of virtual networks of peer support, mentorship, and Coady accompaniment.
We accomplish this by drawing on:
• a track record over the past two decades in popularizing the asset-based and citizen-led (ABCD) approach among practitioners globally;
• a global reputation as a centre of excellence in leadership, transformative education and community-driven development;
• a global network of partners working to strengthen organizations’ and constituencies’ approaches in leading change in their countries;
• our core identity as an education institution with an adult education pedagogy committed to bridging critical development theory with the best in development practice and innovation.
We have learned that building the individual and collective agency of leaders is key to making change happen. Local leaders are dealing with the big issues of our day, such as adapting to climate changes and addressing deep rooted inequalities. They are digging in, innovating and acting. In the current context of populism and division, communities that are mobilizing their citizens to drive their own development, building strong bonds, and bridging social capital in the process, could be the antidote to the current wave of authoritarianism and conflict.
Coady is well positioned to be a force multiplier for equality and inclusion in empowerment, community resilience, inclusive economies, and accountable governance.
It’s world class learning. It’s really valuable learning and I would encourage people to come … I hope that you continue doing it because our countries need more leaders. Our countries need more education and opportunities such as this. You are playing a big role in uplifting so many developing countries around the world.
- Saliwe Mutetwa, (Zimbabwe) Global Change Leaders 2022
Antigonish, Nova Scotia, and St. Francis Xavier University are unique in that no other community, province, or university in Canada has an institute combining education programs, community engagement, and partner capacity building internationally and locally like Coady Institute.
We take pride in Coady’s history including the early days of the StFX Extension Department and the Antigonish Movement. What began as a search for solutions for chronic socio-economic problems, led to ordinary people in communities across Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada realizing that they could, in the words of Moses Coady, “use what they had to secure what they had not.”
The Antigonish Movement was responsible for inspiring Co-ops and credit unions all over the world! Today, it still inspires by showing what is possible when people build their communities from the inside out.
For 63 years, Antigonish has welcomed Coady participants from around the world, creating a truly international dynamic in the community and enriching the area’s culture and community spirit.
We continue to work with partners around the world on:
• ENGAGE! Women’s Empowerment and Active Citizenship
• Supporting Transition, Retention and Training for Girls (START4GIRLS)
• Farmer-led Tools, Dashboard Development and the Future of Farming
• Nobel Women’s Initiative
• Circle of Abundance
• Build Together: Strengthening the Community Housing Sector in Nova Scotia
• Pathy Foundation Fellowship
• Self-Employed Benefits Program (DiscoverBox)
• Wallace Family Internships (DiscoverBox)
• Diversity and Inclusion Program (Centre for Employment Innovation)
• Collective Impact for Inclusive Youth Employment (Centre for Employment Innovation)
• Rural Women Cultivating Change
Coady Institute offers educational programming for emerging and established community leaders with a passion for social change. Coady’s approach to adult education is practice-focused and participatory, informed by learnercentered and asset-based methods that hold the potential for both personal growth and societal transformation. Courses are hosted on-campus at St. Francis Xavier University in Canada, off-campus in communities around the globe, and online using various communications platforms.
After a five-year hiatus, we are pleased to announce the return of Coady’s Diploma in Development Leadership. Recognizing the shifting global context, learning styles, participants’ needs, and innovations, the latest version of the Diploma will be delivered through a blended model delivered in three mandatory modules that maintain the rich history of the program. The first module will be held online March 15 to April 15, 2023. The second will consist of a 10-week in-person residency at the Coady Institute in Antigonish from May 15 to July 24, 2023. A final module will take place September 15 to November 30, 2023.
• Diploma in Development Leadership (Online and InPerson)
• Global Change Leaders (In-Person)
• Indigenous Women in Community Leadership (Online and In-Person)
• Future of Work and Workers (Online)
• Indigenous Women in Leadership (Online)
• Feminist Leadership for Ecology and Justice (Online)
• Asset-Based and Citizen-led Development (Online)
• Climate Basics for Community Resilience (Online)
• Leadership for Young Professionals (short course)
• Redevabilité sociale : Stratégies et pratiques (French)
Coady Institute strives to ensure that participants working with marginalized communities around the world have access to its courses. This is made possible through the provision of bursaries funded by many individual and institutional donors for which we are grateful.
Global Change Leaders is an incredible and valuable chance to myself and to also my peers. This chance brings me the network with friends, experts and the social workers all around the world. We have 18 amazing ladies from all around the world and many others who come and support and give us a lot of experience and knowledge. What I treasure the most in this course is the chance to work in person with others. There are many things that we cannot learn virtually. Every day, every conversation is a new lesson to me and I gained a lot from my peers here.
- Trang Thi Nhu Tran (Vietnam) Global Change Leaders 2022
Coady’s International Centre for Women’s Leadership offers a range of education programs for emerging and established women leaders who are seeking enhanced leadership capacities for transformative social change.
After a pause due to the Covid-19 pandemic the Global Change Leaders program returned to campus in 2022. The program is an opportunity for women from developing countries and indigenous communities to build their assets and agency. Coady has built the program to include mentorship, peer exchange, and global networking. This program is open to those who have demonstrated leadership in a development sector and community for at least five years.
approach, meaning that teaching and learning practices are grounded in Indigenous worldviews, values and teachings while sometimes using western tools and methods that align with those practices.
A shorter certificate in Women’s Leadership in Community Development is a unique women-only opportunity to open the minds and hearts of women working in development to ‘be the change’ they want to see in their community or organization. Coady offers this course on campus, online, and in communities locally and globally.
The Circle of Abundance – Amplifying Indigenous Women’s Leadership brings together the institute’s work with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit women leaders. The Circle of Abundance is informed by more than a decade of working with Indigenous graduates, mentors, and Elders and emphasizes the abundance of gifts, talents, and contributions that are alive in all Indigenous communities. In 2022, The Circle of Abundance has continued this work and welcome back participants on campus for the Indigenous Women in Community Leadership (IWCL) program. This program uses a Two-Eyed Seeing (or Walking in Two Worlds)
Coady also offers a fellowship program for women graduates of one or more of our women’s leadership programs, Coady’s Diploma in Development Leadership and other Coady certificate courses. Fellows, along with Coady staff accompaniment, focus on documenting and building knowledge that seeks to understand local learnings of women’s economic and political empowerment and how they intersect, and the innovative strategies used by the women leaders and organizations to support.
I don’t think there’s any way you would want to learn more about community development and programs that change lives better than at Coady.
- Vera Elikem Awuye (Ghana) Global Change Leaders 2022Global Change Leaders, Class of 2022 Indigenous Women in Community Leadership, Class of 2022
ENGAGE! is a five-year initiative co-designed by Coady Institute and five partner organizations:
• Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in India;
• Organization for Women in Self Employment (WISE) in Ethiopia;
• Gender Training Institute (GTI) of the Tanzania Gender Networking Programme (TGNP);
• Christian Commission for Development (CCDB) in Bangladesh; and
• Centre Haïtien du Leadership et de l’Excellence (CLE) in Haiti.
The partners are working to advance gender equality and poverty reduction by enhancing women’s capacity to participate in the social and economic life of their communities. ENGAGE! is applying an asset-based, citizen-led development (ABCD) approach to promote genderequitable change. This approach ensures that local communities, and in particular women, exercise ownership and control over social and economic development initiatives that respond to their realities and priorities.
A key component of the Engage program is the priority placed on creating a co-learning environment whereby the partner organizations have ongoing opportunities to share their expertise, learn from each other, and collectively explore new ideas, techniques and tools. Click here to view the publications.
Coady Institute could not do the work we do without our valued partners and donors. Your support allows Coady to ignite leadership in our participants through education. Impact from Coady’s programs is felt locally and across the globe in our participants, their communities, and countries. Your support helps inspire change.
