Connection The Coady September 2022
In this issue... Do you have a story to share about how you are applying your learnings from Coady Institute? If so, contact us at coadycom@stfx.ca Diploma in Development Leadership Course Returns 4 Registration Now Open for Coady Courses 4 10,000 Graduates and Counting 8 Welcoming New Graduates 9 Projects and Partnerships 10 Longtime Coady Partner Minh Koffman receives Honorary Degree from StFX 10 Circle of Abundance E-Zine: Entrepreneurs 11 Local Engagement in Nova Scotia 12 2022 Nova Scotia Career and Employment Student Symposium 12 Community Housing Program to Host Founding Meeting 13 Recent Events 14 Coady Grad’s “Indigenous Box” Business Grows to $1 Million in First Year 18
and friends of our organization. In Vietnam, we celebrated the achievements of Minh Kaufmann, recipient of the StFX honorary doctorate this year and the strong Coady graduate network we have due to her efforts. We’re delighted to soon celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Self-Employed Women’s Association hosted by their founder Ela Bhatt (also a StFX honorary doctorate holder). We are in Ethiopia in September to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Organization for Women in Self-Employment (WISE) led by founder Tsigie Haile and her team, along with our project partners from Bangladesh, India, Tanzania and Haiti. And we also recognize the opening of a new innovative Climate Centre in Bangladesh by our partner Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh (CCDB). We share in the successes of these organizations and many others with whom we work.
I’d like to thank everyone for your good wishes as I took on the Interim Executive Director role following the retirement of Gord Cunningham. Gord and I both appreciate the long friendships and encouragement that we received from graduates, partners and supporters worldwide. I look forward the months ahead and seeing many of you in person again.
- Eileen Alma, Interim Executive Director
The past few months have been truly inspiring for us. Despite the long period of uncertainty and challenge that we have all faced, we continued to move ahead with important work as well as offer insightful courses that build leadership capacities and develop tools and processes addressing critical priority areas for our Incommunities.Mi’kma’kiand Atlantic Canada, Coady collaborated with many local partners on youth leadership and innovative and intersectional approaches to employment innovation. We also facilitated important conversations focused on affordable housing which includes connecting organizations working in this area to examine the application of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We hosted 32 interns, mainly working with our Centre for Employment Innovation. Their efforts culminated in a symposium highlighting their research which addressed issues of gender, diversity, equity, and
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A RETURN TO CAMPUS and CELEBRATING WITH COADY PARTNERS
Welcome to this new edition of Coady Connection and warm greetings from the Coady team. Wherever you are in the world, we are wishing you well and commend you for your work in creating an equitable and “full and abundant life” for all.
denying the excitement we had in being able to deliver our first international on-campus program since 2019 as well as other on-campus courses here at St. Francis Xavier University. The energy from having participants here was not only rejuvenating for our team, but also the members of our local communities who hosted several of our participants both personally and through community activities. Coady Institute now turns its attention to some important global events with longstanding partners
In addition to these and so many other activities, the next several months will be a time for reflection and planning on the work ahead of us in 2023 and beyond. Of particular note is the long-awaited return of our Diploma program which we will once again offer in 2023. We are excited about bringing this program back and also ensuring that it is addressing the critical needs of community leaders at this time. You can read more about it in this
Finally,issue.
Eileen Alma (Right), with Tsigie Haile. Executive Director, Organization for Women in Self Employment (WISE)
DIPLOMA in DEVELOPMENT LEADERSHIP
EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Registration Now Open for Coady Courses
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.
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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 23,
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 learner-centered 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.
coady.stfx.ca/educationVisit
Coady2023.Institute
LEADERSHIP COURSE RETURNS
The Diploma program strengthens participants’ capacity to confront the complex issues they face and to propose pragmatic strategies for change. Throughout the program, participants build and draw upon a critical and reflective social change framework to enhance their leadership competencies and their abilities to motivate and support people in creating a better world for future generations. The program is deeply rooted in a community-driven and adult education approach that draws on over 50 years of practical experience. Learn more and apply, here
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March 15 to November 30, 2023
Diploma in Development Leadership
- Jane Kihungi (Kenya) Diploma 2010 and GCL 2022
I would like to say “Asante sana” (‘Thank you very much’ in Swahili) to all the supporters, the funders of Coady. It provides opportunity for so many women to come here and learn the skills. For me, I would just say thank you and in Kenya we say, “Asante sana, Mungu akubariki. “ That means ‘God bless you.’
On Campus Programs
Our Diploma in Development Leadership is designed for those who are passionate about creating positive change in their communities. The program is designed for a diverse cohort of practitioners from around the world who represent a wide crosssection of civil society, public, and private groups, and organizations. Together, they will learn innovative skills and approaches for leadership in asset-based, just, and sustainable development.
Tout citoyen a un droit et une responsabilité de tenir les gouvernements redevables des décisions et des actions ayant un impact sur leur vie. Ce cours vous aidera à comprendre les principes sous-jacents de la redevabilité sociale – c’est-à-dire, une gamme d’approches et de mécanismes qui permettent aux citoyens de travailler avec les gouvernements d’une manière productive et efficace envers une redevabilité accrue – et à élaborer des propositions adaptées au contexte pour intégrer la redevabilité dans votre travail.
Coady Institute (Canada), en partenariat avec Tostan (Sénégal) Du 20 février au 3 mars 2023, Thiès, Sénégal
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After almost a decade of programming in English, the Citizen-Led Accountability: Strategies and Practices course is offered in French for the first time. The course will be co-hosted by Tostan and held at the Tostan Training Center (TTC), located in Thiès, Senegal.
entre pairs, vous découvrirez des pratiques innovantes permettant d’impliquer les citoyens, de contrôler les actions du gouvernement, de demander des comptes, de prévenir la corruption et d’améliorer les services publics essentiels tels que l’éducation et la santé. Vous apprendrez également à concevoir des stratégies favorables à la redevabilité et à appliquer des outils pratiques tels que tableau de bord communautaire, afin de favoriser une culture de la redevabilité dans vos Fortsociétés.d’une dizaine d’années de programmation en anglais, cette édition du cours représente la première fois qu’il sera offert en français. Le cours aura lieu au Centre de formation de Tostan (TTC), situé à Thiès, au Sénégal.
Pour en savoir plus et postuler, cliquez ici!
Education Programs
Redevabilité sociale : Stratégies et pratiques
Par le biais d’études de cas provenant de plusieurs régions du monde et d’un processus d’apprentissage
Off-Campus Programs
Mon expérience avec Coady a élargi mes connaissances pour aborder de manière transparente les questions de redevabilité qui me préoccupent. La matrice de redevabilité à laquelle nous avons été exposés lors de la formation a été bien accueillie par mon organisation et nous allons la déployer pour un rendement maximal. Nous allons également adopter la redevabilité descendante [envers les citoyens] dans mon organisation afin de pouvoir rendre des comptes à la communauté immédiate que nous servons.
Henry Afojeare OmokhayeNigeria
January 16 to March 6, 2023
This Coady short course is designed for young professionals aged 18-34 in Canada, who consider themselves to be in the early stages of their careers. (Participants do not need to be currently employed).
I don’t think there’s any where you would want to learn more about community development and programs that change lives better than at Coady.
Climate Basics for Community Resilience
January 16 to March 19, 2023
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(New!) Leadership for Young Professionals
Climate change is the most pressing global issue of our time. How humans have historically lived, played, and dreamed is changing. The impact of climate change is felt in every issue facing humanity: health, finance, security, migration, water supply, sanitation, food security, agriculture, and gender to name several. Given the integration of climate into every facet of life, the way humans think and problem solve must change. This online course begins with a basic overview of the science behind climate change. After establishing a base of scientific understanding, the course will, using case studies, focus on particular areas that climate change will impact. Learn more and apply, here.
This course is intended to support young professionals in the early stages of their careers as they explore what leadership means to them in the context of their work and future goals. It will offer participants the chance to grow their understanding of what leadership means, explore their own personal strengths as leaders, learn new skills, and begin to think through how they can apply their leadership in the workplace. Learn more and apply, here.
January 26 to March 30, 2023
Asset-Based and Citizen-Led Development
Online Programs
This course is a global space for sharing and learning about practices that put communities and their strengths at the centre of any project or initiative. These initiatives could be big or small in any sector of your work or life. We also explore how institutions can respond to communities through more equitable and authentic partnerships. We will offer a “timeout” for you to question the starting point and core beliefs underlying your work and to re-evaluate the role of institutions in stimulating and supporting genuine asset-based and citizen-led development (ABCD). Your facilitators have extensive experience working alongside local, Indigenous, and international communities and are excited to highlight each course participant's expertise and perspectives in our virtual classroom. Learn more and apply, here
We hear about leadership all the time – in the contexts of our workplaces, governments, schools, and communities… but what is leadership really?
- Vera Elikem Awuye (Ghana)
10,000 GRADUATES and COUNTING
The milestone is even more significant as many of these 10,000 graduates have taken a second, third, or more courses at Coady Institute, meaning more than 11,000 certificates have been earned. Each of these change makers have returned to their own communities whether it is here in Nova Scotia, Canada, or internationally and have gone on to influence thousands – if not millions – of others in their own communities and countries.
“Coady remains committed to helping change leaders here in Nova Scotia and across the country and internationally by offering education programs which address issues of critical importance to communities and building leadership capacity. As this work continues, Coady is excited to begin welcoming participants back to the StFX campus.”
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Coady Institute is marking an important milestone, surpassing the 10,000 graduate mark since being founded in 1959. These 10,000 plus graduates, who hail from 146 countries around the world as well as locally, have completed either an on-campus, offcampus, or online workshop or course, or the Diploma in Development Leadership program.
Alma spoke of the prioritization of women, youth and Indigenous peoples including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit women from the Institute’s Circle of Abundance program, participants from the International Centre for Women’s Leadership, and participants from around the world.
“We are thrilled that our latest graduates from our spring online courses and the Pathy Foundation Fellowship program have put us across the 10,000 unique graduate threshold,” Interim Executive Director Eileen Alma says.
“Reaching this milestone is a testament to the commitment and work of each of the graduates, our amazing team at Coady, and all those who came before us. This would not have been possible without our donors and partners locally and globally – thank you for your support.”
- Eileen Alma (Interim Executive Director)
On behalf of Uganda, I want to say I want to take this privilege and honor to thank you Coady community and especially the donors for giving me such a great opportunity. This is a great opportunity that I will always live to remember. It is an opportunity that we will change and put a smile on lives of people in my community. It is an opportunity that will leave a mark deep inside my heart. Thank you Coady community. Thank you funders. Long live Coady Institute.
- Vivian Ninsiima (Uganda)
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We are pleased to welcome more than 200 new graduates over the last eight months including participants from the 2021-22 Pathy Foundation Fellowship, 2022 Global Change Leaders program, several online certificates including Research Methods for Social Impact, Building on Abundance in Indigenous Communities, and Introduction to Social Enterprise, and visiting workshops such as Asset-Based and CitizenLed Development (ABCD).
WELCOMING NEW GRADUATES
Understanding your own potential can help ignite both your own and the potential of others.
Those were the words of advice StFX honorary degree recipient Dr. Minh Kauffman, an innovator in international educational exchange and community development for more than 50 years, left with the St. Francis Xavier University (StFX) Class of 2022 during convocation.
PROJECTS and PARTNERSHIPS
- Minh Kauffman
address Minh spoke too on how graduates can be grateful for the advantage of an education that shapes their sense of being.
Minh headed the former Center for Educational Exchange with Vietnam (CEEVN) for more than 30 years and has worked in partnership with Coady Institute since 2006. Part of this collaboration included co-creating social justice fora designed to bring cohorts of CEEVN alumni (Vietnamese beneficiaries of Fulbright and Ford scholarships) together to work collectively for the betterment of Vietnamese society.
Minh travelled to Coady Institute and StFX in May to receive her Doctor of Laws, honoris causa from StFX President, Andy Hakin, where she addressed the graduating class of 2022.
“Just as the flame of one candle can light many tapers, your command of your own potential can ignite the potential of others.”
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Minh invited graduates to reflect on this hinge moment of their life and career, to consider how their education has shaped their sense of their own being and prepared them for what they might become in the unpredictable journey of life. There is no ‘becoming’ without ‘being,’ she
Longtime Coady Partner Minh Koffman receives Honorary Degree
When she recruited candidates from systematically disadvantaged communities in Vietnam to compete for Ford Foundation scholarships, she found their socially imposed
“In my 25 years at Coady Institute and more than 35 years in the field of community development, I have never met anyone who has had as much of a positive impact on the future development of their country as has Minh. - Gord Cunningham, (former Executive Director)
“As you leave Antigonish, please reflect on how your time at St. Francis Xavier has helped build your sense of your own being, to discover your own assets and potential. Your challenge going forward is to continue that self-discovery not just for self, but so that your becoming can be a service to those who have not had your splendid opportunities,” she said.
Insaid.her
Degree from StFX
Circle of Abundance E-Zine: Entrepreneurs
We all know that Indigenous commerce and trade date back with each other to our existence of being, long before contact of the colonizers. As hunters and gatherers all of our nations throughout the Americas had built allyship across the lands, our great Nations would trade amongst each other.
When thinking generally about entrepreneurship today, my mind goes instantly to hearing the cash register bell and seeing the money drawer open. However, after interviewing the women for this third Ezine issue I am seeing 'Indigenous Women Entrepreneurship’ through a new innovative, and glorious cultural lens. - Andrea Curley, Indigenous Engagement Coordinator.
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“To borrow the title of Father Moses Coady’s book ‘Master of Their Own Destiny’, we are far from being master of our own destiny, or of our becoming, if we do not know who we are, what we possess.”
years at Coady Institute and more than 35 years in the field of community development, I have never met anyone who has had as much of a positive impact on the future development of their country as has Minh. As has Minh,” Gord Cunningham, former Executive Director, said.
August 2022
Read the E-zine
hardship had somehow defined their being and deprived them the luxury of knowing their own potential. She discovered it was important to ask questions of applicants, so they discover their strengths.
“Injustice.my25
Minh said this drew her to Coady Institute 17 years ago to learn more about the assets-driven approach to community development and how it delivers social
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LOCAL ENGAGEMENT in NOVA
2022 Nova Scotia Career and Employment Student Symposium
August 16 and 17, 2022, the Centre for Employment Innovation (CEI) was thrilled to host the second annual Career and Employment Student Symposium for post-secondary summer student interns and researchers from across the province. The event highlighted the work of 17 students — many from St. Francis Xavier University, and others joining from Dalhousie and Mount Saint Vincent Universities — on topics surrounding career development, labour, and
Overemployment.thecourse
“This was as good as – and better than many – an academic conference I’ve ever attended.” - Paula Romanow, Manager of Applied Research, CEI.
The work put in by the CEI team — namely Addy Strickland and Hannah James (this year’s coordinators), and the symposium planning committee — as well as by all the student presenters and their supervisors, certainly paid off. Plans are already underway for an even grander symposium in summer
For2023.this
of seven panel discussions and an hour-long poster-style event, attendees were introduced to emergent best-practices, innovative methods, and exciting research in the field of career development. Individual panel topics included Diversity and Inclusion Policies and Practices; Inclusive and Welcoming Workplaces; Experiences of Employment Seekers; Supporting Economic Empowerment for Women and Girls; and Gendered Experiences in Employment.
year’s abstracts, presenter bios, and recordings, click here.
"This was as good as – and better than many – an academic conference I've ever attended."
The symposium was well attended, with as many as 50 attendees per session and lots of engagement. A great number of people tuned in from within StFX, Coady, and the CEI, and there were many people in attendance from the wider Nova Scotia Works System and other Atlantic Canadian universities. Feedback from attendees and presenters alike spoke of the wonderful learnings coming out of the space, and the excitement that came from hearing youth voices on career and employment research.
- Paula Romanow, Manager of Applied Research, CEI
With support from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), we continue our efforts to raise awareness of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Affordable Housing in Nova Scotia. This initiative provides an opportunity to engage Nova Scotians endeavoring to create affordable housing solutions in convenings and learning activities related to the SDGs. We are meeting with affordable housing groups in each county to discuss the United Nations SDGs, how they connect to affordable housing, and how thinking about and identifying with a global framework could enhance our local initiatives. In addition to hosting three webinars and facilitating five people’s schools related to various SDGs and affordable housing, a virtual asset map is being developed to highlight where these efforts are happening with a view to becoming a tool to enable sector connections and collaboration.
Build Together II remains grounded in a philosophy of community-based engagement – starting with those who comprise the community housing sector in Nova Scotia including individuals, groups, networks and coalitions. With support from the Community Housing Transformation Centre, Build Together II is focused on laying the groundwork for a new organization, a Nova Scotia Non-Profit Housing Association (NSNPHA). Diversity, equity, inclusion, and decolonization (DEID) are central to the organizational development process. Sharing circles, which began in Build Together I, continue with underrepresented groups, the learnings of which inform the structure and functioning of the proposed NSNPHA. Members of the Build Together I Engagement Team have joined the Build Together II Transition Team, along with new volunteers, to provide guidance on the governance and sustainability planning for the proposed NSNPHA. A founding meeting will happen at St. Francis Xavier University on October 26 to 27, 2022.
It has been a productive year as Coady’s Community Housing Program continued implementing two housing projects in Nova Scotia focused on education and action. Build Together II resumes efforts to strengthen the province’s community housing sector (CHS), based on what we heard during Build Together I in 2021. A second project increases awareness of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and affordable housing.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN NOVA SCOTIA and the UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
NOVACommunitySCOTIAHousing Program to Host Founding Meeting
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A series of three webinars on the United Nations Sustainable Goals (SDG) and Affordable Housing in Nova Scotia where we discuss the origin of the SDGs, why they are important, what is happening related to the SDGs in Nova Scotia, and how the SDGs intersect with affordable housing.
[Click to view image gallery.]
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“Theatre of the Oppressed”
Recent Events
Antigonish Highland Games Parade
The 2022 Global Change Leaders presented the StFX and Antigonish community with a thoughtprovoking and participatory production focused on the experiences of women newcomers.
Local Engagement 14
The 2022 Global Change Leaders strolled Antigonish’s Main Street as part of the town’s Annual Highland Games Parade.
Marked annually in Canada on April 28, the National Day of Mourning is dedicated to remembering those who have lost their lives or suffered injury or illness on the job or due to a workrelated tragedy and committing to improving health and safety in the workplace.
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A small group of Coady family, staff, and participants gathered to reflect and commemorate the 63rd anniversary of Rev. Dr. Moses Coady’s death.
Topshee Memorial Webinar Series: National Day of Mourning
[Click to view image gallery.]
Rev. Dr. Moses Coady Memorial
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Recent Events
In May, Coady welcomed participants in the 2022 Indigenous Women in Community Leadership program to campus at StFX University. The program, which includes online and in-person learning, is delivered by the Circle of Abundance team and this year included 15 Indigenous women who are passionate about positively impacting their communities, organizations and Nations through engaging learning experiences, mentorship, and circle of support. While on campus participants, mentors, elders, and Circle of Abundance supporters gathered for a welcome dinner.
Local Engagement
Indigenous Women in Community Leadership, Community Dinner
This series of webinars aims to raise awareness about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the relevance to affordable housing in Nova Scotia. Two webinars have been offered to date, with a third coming soon.
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Global Change Leaders Graduation
[Click to view video]
18 women leaders from 16 countries presented each other with graduating certificates following the completion of the seven-week intensive Global Change Leaders program.
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Affordable Housing in Nova Scotia and the Sustainable Development Goals
“We’verevenue.been
so fortunate because that means that hundreds of thousands of dollars have gone back into the pockets of Indigenous entrepreneurs, promoting the Indigenous economy, strengthening the Canadian economy, and doing what we said we would do to elevate and champion Indigenous people in a way that is from us, made with us in mind, but for everybody to enjoy,” Mallory says.
- Mallory YawnghweIndigenous(Founder/CEO,Box)
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Coady graduate Mallory Yawnghwe is the Founder and CEO of Indigenous Box – a custom gifting and seasonal subscription box company that procures their products exclusively from Indigenous “Weentrepreneurs.bringIndigenous values into modern commerce, where we’re elevating and building the community, and creating and strengthening the Indigenous supply chain,” Mallory explains.
“With the Circle of Abundance, my relationship with Coady has now come full circle – where I get to participate in providing a good space for other women to flourish.”
Institute’s award-winning Indigenous Women in Community Leadership Program.
Alumni Spotlight
In 2021, Mallory and her husband and business partner, Kham, pitched Indigenous Box to an organization that offers start-up grants for
“It was an opportunity for me to talk about social enterprise, talk about what that could look like from an Indigenous lens, and also to hear all the perspectives of the other women who were all on their own journeys,” she says reflecting on her Inexperience.2020,the
Mallory says the key to the business’ success is simple: “connection”.
Indigenous entrepreneurs. Their pitch earned them a $5,000 investment. One year later, the company has earned more than one million dollars in
Institute launched a campaign to expand their programmatic offerings for Indigenous leaders which led to a million-dollar fundraising campaign and the creation of the Circle of Abundance – led by an advisory group of Indigenous women leaders from across Turtle Island. Mallory is an active member of the advisory group.
“This story isn’t about me. It isn’t about us building this business. It’s about our community coming together and people seeing how, if we just work together, we can do some pretty incredible things.”
Mallory, who is from Saddle Lake Cree Nation, came to StFX in 2016 as a participant in Coady
COADY GRAD’S “INDIGENOUS BOX” GROWS TO $1 MILLION IN FIRST
Mallory emphasizes that Indigenous Box isn’t just a business, but a “Youmovement.know,this story isn’t about me. It isn’t about us building this business. It’s about our community coming together and people seeing how, if we just work together, we can do some pretty incredible things. My role as a Cree woman, as an Nehiyaw woman, is to build relationships, to strengthen our community, to be a gateway to the beauty and the legacy that we hold as Indigenous people.”
FIRST
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“Every post that I read, every unboxing video I see, people are talking about connections – understanding where they come from, understanding their responsibility to be allies, or finding connection within their own community, within their own nations.”
BOX” BUSINESS YEAR
Interested in learning more about how you can financially support Coady Institute? Contact: Emilie echiasso@stfx.caChiasson902.867.4697
