AECD Certificate Programs

Certificate in Community Healing and Peacebuilding | Certificate in Adult Education for Sustainability


The Adult Education and Community Development Program offers two popular certificate programs. They draw on our departments' expertise in the fields of Adult Education and Community Development, allowing the general public to engage in learning about these areas.

Participants in this program complete a four-course curriculum at their own pace from our course schedule. Our certificate programs include the Certificate in Community Healing and Peacebuilding, and the Certificate in Adult Education for Sustainability. Please note that entry into either stream of certificate program does not qualify participants for admission into graduate degree programs.

These programs are supported by dedicated certificate staff, rather than general department support staff. Therefore, prospective applicants are advised to search the specific program (links on left) for detailed content and contact information.

Please be advised that these programs are in high demand so you may not be able to register immediately. However, a waiting list is maintained if a space cannot be immediately provided and we will accommodate your needs to the best of our ability.

Certificate in Community Healing and Peacebuilding

Overview

Historic and current traumas and systemic injustice have left many individuals and communities with an urgent need for peacebuilding, healing and reconciliation. These communities are often trapped in ongoing cycles of violence that can span generations, with the violence being directed inwards, leading to high levels of suicide, domestic violence, mental health and other problems, or outwards, towards other groups or individuals.

To better understand and address these complex issues, the Adult Education and Community Development program has developed a unique certificate in Community Healing and Peacebuilding.

Program

The certificate program offers a solid grounding in this emerging field, along with flexibility for students to design their program to build on their experience and meet their individual learning needs. Students in the certificate will have the opportunity to critically examine the conceptual frames and contexts of healing, reconciliation, and peacebuilding, as well as to explore diverse cultural and communitarian approaches to dealing with these issues.

The certificate will be of interest to practitioners, professionals, advocates and decision-makers in the broad field of community healing and peacebuilding. These may include health care workers, counsellors, educators, religious leaders, community workers, representatives of diaspora community groups, and policy makers in government and non-governmental organizations.

Structure

The certificate consists of four half-courses:
- one required core course, AEC1190 Community Healing and Peacebuilding; and
- three additional courses chosen from the AECD program in consultation with the certificate coordinator
The program offers both day-time and evening courses for maximum flexibility.

Current course offerings in the Adult Education and Community Development program can be found on the OISE Registrar's Office website under the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education.  

Cost

The cost is $500 per course for a total of $2,000.

Availability

The certificate program is available to qualified applicants with or without formal eligibility for admission to graduate degree programs. It offers both day-time and evening courses for maximum flexibility.

Application and Course Registration Deadlines

Fall Session - August 8th
Winter Session - November 17th
Summer Session 1 - March 18th
Summer Session 2 - May 18th

Please note that applications will be not be accepted after the final deadline dates. We will accept early applications.

Application

Complete the application form and submit it to Dr. Anne Goodman. Once approved, students can register for AECD courses using the Add/Drop form. Please refer to the deadline dates above.

Contact
Dr. Anne Goodman
E-mail: anne.goodman@utoronto.ca

Finding out more:

There are regular monthly meetings for those who are considering taking this program or are currently enrolled in it. The meetings are typically held the first Saturday of every month from 10:30am to 12.30am but please contact Dr. Goodman for confirmation.

Please note:

The core course, AEC1190 Community Healing and Peacebuilding is offered twice annually but fills up quickly due to high demand. Please check with Dr. Goodman when it will next be offered.

Certificate in Adult Education for Sustainability

Overview

Sustainability has been influencing government policy, corporate responsibility and public awareness since the publication of the Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987. In 2002, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development “to integrate the principles, values, and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning in order to encourage changes in behaviour that will create a more sustainable future in terms of environmental integrity, economic viability, and a just society for present and future generations".

As part of its ongoing commitment to sustainability, the Adult Education and Community Development Program offers a Certificate in Adult Education for Sustainability. This Certificate Program focuses on the interface between the education of adults and issues of environmental, social and economic sustainability. Based on the knowledge that sustainability does not come naturally, but must be learned, adult education for sustainability involves learning our way out of unsustainable modes of thinking, feeling and acting in the world, and learning our way in to more sustainable ways of life.

Program

The Certificate Program offers a solid grounding in the emerging field of adult education for sustainability, along with the flexibility for students to design their program to build on their experience and meet their individual learning needs. Students in the Certificate will have the opportunity to critically examine both the meaning and the practice of sustainability, and the role that adult education plays in building a more sustainable world.

This Certificate will be of interest to reflective practitioners, professionals and managers in business, government, community, service, educational, co-operative, union and non-governmental organizations who are interested in such areas as organizational development, community planning and development, international development, environment, health, food, agriculture, water, urban-rural relations and sustainable development.

Structure

The Certificate in Adult Education for Sustainability consists of four half-courses:
-one required core course, Adult Education for Sustainability (AEC1131)
-three elective courses chosen in consultation with the Certificate Co-ordinator from among the listed offerings of the Adult Education and Community Development Program.

Current course offerings in the Adult Education and Community Development program can be found on the OISE Registrar's Office website under the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education.  

Cost

The cost is $500 per course for a total of $2000.

Availability

The Certificate Program is available to qualified applicants with or without formal eligibility for admission to graduate degree programs. It offers both day-time and evening courses for maximum flexibility.

Application and Course Registration Deadlines

Fall Session - August 8th
Winter Session - November 17th
Summer Session 1 - March18th
Summer Session 2 - May 18th

Application

Complete the application form and submit it to Dr. Jennifer Sumner. Once approved, students can register for AECD courses using the Add/Drop form. Please refer to the deadline dates above.

Contact
Dr. Jennifer Sumner
Email:jennifer.sumner@utoronto.ca