Established by St. Francis Xavier University in 1959, the Coady International Institute is a world-renowned centre of excellence in community-based development and leadership education.
Over the past five decades, the global reach of the Institute has grown immensely. More than 5,500 development professionals from 130 countries have graduated from the Institute's campus-based, online and regional programs.
Today, the Coady's community cooperation approach is more relevant than ever. The next decade will present enormous challenges to organizations engaged in development work. Global economic challenges, political instability, and rapid changes in technology are but a few of the influences in the world that are redefining the environment in which the Institute and its development partners work. The need for innovative and effective strategies for building civil societies and addressing issues of poverty and injustice has never been greater.
The Coady is able to remain at the forefront of innovation within the field of community-based development by adapting and evolving to meet the changing needs of development practitioners. The Institute is a learning organization dedicated to identifying, developing and disseminating knowledge on effective development practice. As a leader in the study and practice of community-based development, the Coady Institute provides relevant programs that help others make a positive difference in their own communities.
The Coady Institute is committed to:
- Providing the best possible leadership education programs for development professionals from around the world;
- Working on the ground with partner organizations around the world to help them build their capacity;
- Providing programs for young Canadians that encourage them to become active, more engaged global citizens;
- Continuing to develop a knowledge network through which to support and share the accumulation of new knowledge that supports successful development practice.
The Institute was named in honour of Rev. Dr. Moses Coady, a prominent founder of the Antigonish Movement - a people's movement for economic and social justice that began in Nova Scotia during the 1920s.