For short-term courses

CAMPUS ABROAD

Do you want to study social work in a Canadian university? Then head for Coady International Institute at St Francis Xavier University. This university is rated as one of the best universities in Canada.

The campus is nestled in the heart of Eastern Canada’s scenic coastal town of Antigonish, Nova Scotia. With a population of 5,000, Antigonish boasts ofa diverse heritage, rich in Scottish, Irish, Aboriginal, French and African-Canadian ancestry.

Coady International Institute offers various short-term courses in social work. There are diploma and certificate programmes to suit everyone’s needs. The diploma programme is of four-month duration, while certificate programmes are for three weeks. The 19-week diploma programme starts in August and ends in December. The certificate programmes are held in October and May.

The diploma programme is structured to suit the needs of community development leaders. Participation in the programme is restricted to only those working in the social development sector like NGOs, government and people’s organisations.

There is no restriction on age and qualification. Participants from all over the developing world have come here to gain and share their experience. The Diploma in Development Leadership provides the resources to effectively motivate and support people in the development of their communities and societies.

Preference is given to candidates who have worked with national and international NGOs, co-operatives and other community-based organisations, women’s groups, indigenous people’s organisations, faith-based organisations, and governmental departments.

The Diploma Program highlights the innovative approaches used in community-driven development from around the world. All participants are required to take a combination of mandatory courses, elective courses, co-op inquiry seminars and specialisations.

Participants may also choose to complete an independent study on a topic of their choice. Students can also enroll for a three-week orientation programme prior to joining the Master of Adult Education programme, under the community development stream, offered by the university’s Department of Adult Education in collaboration with Coady Institute.

Specialisations enable students to deepen their knowledge and learning, and develop skills in particular aspects of development work in a variety of ways. The Coady Institute offers eight, three-week specialisations during the Diploma  in the following areas of study:

*Advocacy and Citizen Engagement
*Community-Based Conflict Transformation and Peace building
*Community-Based MicroFinance
*Livelihoods and Markets
*Mobilising Assets for Community-Driven Development
*Organisational Learning and Change
*Community-Based Natural Resource Management
*Facilitation and Training Approaches for Community Change

There are also openings in the above specialisations for those who are not enrolled in the full Diploma Programme but wish to earn a certificate. As members of the St Francis Xavier University community, participants will have opportunities to share their experiences with faculty and undergraduate students on campus, as well as people working in community development locally.

Participants will graduate at the university’s Fall Convocation ceremony in December. The University awards up to 30 credits for the successful completion of the Diploma Program, which is the equivalent of one undergraduate year.

Staff members are professional development practitioners and educators with extensive field experience in Asia, Africa, North America and Latin America. All programmes are taught at the institute’s facilities on the historic campus of St Francis Xavier University.

The diploma programme costs Canadian $13,800. The cost includes tuition fees, accommodation and food. Participants have to pay for travel costs and personal expenses. But scholarships up to Canadian $11,800 are available to participants by the University. This is, of course, based on a candidate’s merit and financial background.

St Francis Xavier University offers many undergraduate and postgraduate programmes to students. The university is popularly known as St FX. There are around 4,000 students in the university. The university has an excellent campus with many blocks. There are many state-of-the art computer labs and a library with half a million books.

Sports and fitness occupy a prominent position at the university campus. There are separate play grounds for rugby and American football. The indoor stadium has an ice hockey ground, a swimming pool, gym, sauna and spa, volleyball, basketball, boxing, table tennis and other facilities. A cafeteria called Morrison Hall serves food 24 hours a day, to students. The nearest airport is Halifax, which is 200 kilometres from Antigonish.

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