Canada’s development education off to auspicious start

APALISOK

Astoria, New York — When emcee David Marquez, manager of Trinidad and Tobago’s COPOS Credit Union Co-operative Society, announced my name as the participant who took multiple plane rides to attend the international program for credit union and co-op professionals, people who had gathered at the MacNally Hall of the St. Mary’s University for the closing ceremony of the inaugural Canada Development Education went in stitches.

There was more laughter from fellow DE graduates and CU leaders across Canada, the US and Caribbean when I mentioned that I actually took three more boat trips on top of six plane rides to get to North America.

There were plenty of good-humored teasing at the end of the intensive, full-immersion, week-long activity (June 04–10, 2017) called DE at the St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. As the lone delegate from Asia, it was easy to be singled out in a group of 24 participants from Canada, USA, Trinidad & Tobago, St. Lucia, Anguilla, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis and Kenya.

Developed by the US Credit Union National Foundation, the DE program started in 1982 and has since graduated more than 1,700 credit union and co-op professionals across 35 countries. It is unlike other programs where one simply sits down, listens and jots down notes, or if he is not tempted to slip out of the venue for some shopping and sightseeing, picks up a certificate of attendance at the end of the activity.

Tackling urgent challenges and development issues that co-operatives and credit unions are currently facing and how co-op and CU leaders are able to draw solutions and critical lessons in the context of co-operative principles, credit union philosophy and international development issues pegged by the United Nations made up our daily activity which starts from 8:30 in the morning until 8:30 in the evening.

In our final case study workshop, we knocked off at 3 a.m. and were roused at 7 AM the following day.

We had a full plate on a daily basis, but participants rose to the occasion. DE classes anywhere in the world, whether it is conducted in the US, UK, Caribbean or the Philippines would usually boast they’re “the best class ever.”

Well, the inaugural Canada DE held in conjunction with Caribbean DE 26 was not just the best class ever, but first class in the real sense of the word!

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How auspicious that the St. Mary’s University launched the inaugural Canada DE as the country celebrates its 150th founding anniversary.

The Canada Days (June 24–July 01, 2017) celebration is elaborate and massive with the federal government allocating half a billion dollars (CDN) for the sesquicentennial event. Canada’s sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II, is sending her heir apparent Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall to join the national milestone on July 1, 2017 in Ottawa.

The festivities though are clouded by criticisms from advocates of Canada’s indigenous peoples a.k.a. Aboriginals or First Nations who deplore the grand celebration owing to the state’s purported neglect of the Aboriginals. No less than former Prime Minister Paul Martin, Jr. accused the federal government of underfunding the indigenous people’s health and education.

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I had a taste of Canada Days during a visit to the Public Gardens after the DE program. Public Gardens is a 16-acre Victorian-era garden located in downtown Halifax.

The popular tourist site is also celebrating its 150th birthday this year, and visitors will be welcomed by plenty of cultural events up to November 2017.

The well-tended gardens boast of 140 different species of trees, many of them centuries old, but it is the countless assortments of flower beds in different species and gorgeous colors that took my breath away.

I hope to write about the inaugural Canada DE cross-listed with Caribbean DE 26 in a future article, but for now, I wish to thank the following for supporting my international co-op education and exposure: Ms. Lois Kitsch, national program director of the US Credit Union National Foundation; Ms. Karen Miner, managing director of the St. Mary’s University Cooperative Management Education department; Mr. Melvin Edwards, Caribbean DE program director; Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (Rafi); Dudz Samson, Philippine DE program director; and Cebu NewsCoop chairman Eli Baquero. I’m also grateful to friends in and out of the co-op movement who have been very helpful.

May God reward you all a hundredfold.