Lifelong learning at Loyola this summer

karen herland

Every summer, Elizabeth Hunt watches people who have never set foot on a university campus enter workshops at Loyola. They come to participate in the Summer Program, an annual opportunity for people involved in their community to exchange skills.

“It changes their perspective of the university, they see it as more accessible,” Hunt said. She coordinates the program through the Institute in Management and Community Development, in the Centre for Continuing Education.

Hunt said the program’s ability to connect community workers, citizens and activists with each other exemplifies the notion of lifelong learning. “It is as useful for somebody with zero experience, or with 40 years as a lifelong activist.”

The bilingual event has grown from two to five-and-a-half-days in its 14-year history. It now involves about 175 trainers leading workshops, seminars and discussion groups for nearly 1,000 participants, most of whom are volunteers or employees of the community groups that send them.

“The program is one of the best kept secrets at the university. More people in the community sector know who we are than people at Concordia.”

Hunt first participated in the program in 1999 after graduating from the School of Community and Public Affairs (SCPA). She was hired full time in 2002 and has been involved in programming since.

She uses program evaluation forms and interviews with participants to identify themes that people would like to see addressed from year to year.

“It’s a way to capture the zeitgeist of community work. People tell me they keep the brochures as a snapshot of what was going on at the time.”

This year 106 sessions will focus on racism, community organizing and communication, and fundraising tools for non-profit groups. Hunt says one theme throughout this year’s program will be connecting service organizations to the larger social movements they respond to.

“For example, those who work in a food bank can discuss how providing food relates to larger global issues like food security and economic injustice.”

This year also reinstates the possibility for students in Applied Human Sciences to register for a course that requires attending the full Summer Program for credit. Kate Connolly is the instructor for this course.

The course provides an opportunity for students to apply some of the theories and ideas they work with. “Students are taken out of the classroom and into an environment with people working in the community. Often they realize that they can contribute, either with a fresh perspective or analysis,” Hunt said.

The Summer Program begins with a keynote address in the Oscar Peterson Concert Hall on June 11 delivered by Riccardo Petrella. He has written several books including The Common Good and A Water Manifesto and is the president of the International Committee for a World Water Contract, as well as a teacher and activist.

Hunt is pleased that the program makes use of university resources during the summer, while also reaching out to the community around the Loyola Campus.

Providing an opportunity for community workers to connect across areas of interest has had numerous benefits. Hunt said that both the University of the Streets Café and the SCPA’s graduate program in Community Economic Development grew out of the Summer Program.

Eugene Wright, a longtime participant in the Summer Program, wrote about his experiences in a recent issue of the Institute in Management and Community Development newsletter. He appreciated the informal opportunities to connect and converse as much as the practical knowledge he gained in workshops.

Sharing a common commitment over diverse experiences is clearly an important aspect of the program.“You may have to describe what it is that you do to other participants, but there’s never any need to explain why you do it,” said Hunt. Information about this year’s program is available online here.