Grassroots Leaders Building Skills

The Henson College Certificate in Community Development

Anne Bishop

“Empowerment is the word. I’ve been forced to break out of my own circle and see more. I have a direction now in my community, more involvement in activism.”—student evaluating the Henson College Certificate in Community Development.

This course was designed to sharpen social analysis and develop skills in leaders of low-income and marginalized communities in Nova Scotia. Taught by two experienced community workers and funded by two major Canadian foundations, it graduated 50 students over four years. Many joined the program’s advisory committee and helped the course evolve further. Grassroots Leaders Building Skills includes the complete course, with agendas for 25 three-hour sessions, detailed directions for facilitators and spiral-bound handouts for photocopying. Many sessions can stand alone as workshops on topics such as diversity, ideology, community development and building strategies for social change. Plans are included for adapting the sessions to middle class participants, post-secondary classroom settings, or as a series of intensive workshops. Introductory essays explore the theories behind the program and its pedagogy, the logistical organization and the experience of graduates. This powerful course is a valuable resource to anyone teaching social analysis and community organization skills.

Contents

• Introduction
• Preface
• History and Pedagogy
• Learning from the Bear River Mi’kmaw First Nation
• Practical Matters
• Graduates Comment on the Course
• Adapting the Course for Other Formats and Groups
• THE COURSE
• Introduction
• Introduction 2
• Learning Styles
• Ideological Lenses
• Oppression and Privilege
• Understanding Power
• Class
• Field Trip
• Reflection on Field Trip/Process for Accountability
• The Spiral 1
• The Spiral 2
• Evaluations
• Life After the Certificate in Community Development
• Learning Goals for Second Term
• Planning the Second Term
• Planning and Instructor Led Workshops
• Student Led Workshops
• Second Evaluation
• Course Evaluation
• Learning Reflection
• List of Handouts 2

About the Author

Anne Bishop is a community development worker and popular educator. She has also worked in the field of international development. For almost thirty years she has been part of, and worked with, many groups struggling to achieve social justice.