Description
After completing the foundation year in the Social Innovation and Community Development program, you will have the option of choosing to complete your diploma year in Community Development.
Courses within this program are experiential and project-based. The faculty and participants operate as an integrated team, collaborating on course content, instruction, multi-course projects, and work placement experiences. The program is laptop-based to increase convenience and flexibility.
The program consists in eight courses and two, six-week work placement experiences.
High participation levels in coursework are an important element of academic success. This program also engages significant online learning to facilitate flexibility and creativity.
DOCUMENT SUBMISSION
Upload Through Your Future Student Account
If you do not have a Future Student Account or require assistance, please contact our Student Service Centre at 204-632-2327.
Internationally Educated Applicants - visit www.rrc.ca/credentials for credential assessment information.
Students may apply for financial assistance through the Manitoba Student Aid program. For general information on applying please call 204-945-6321 or 1-800-204-1685, or visit their website at www.manitobastudentaid.ca, which also includes an online application. For detailed information, please visit one of the RRC Polytech Student Service Centres or call 204-632-2327. Applicants requiring financial assistance should complete their student loan applications well in advance of the class start date.
Red River College Polytechnic is a participating institution in the HigherEdPoints program. Through this program, students are able to convert Aeroplan® Miles and TD Points into funds to help cover their tuition. Family members and friends can also contribute to a student’s education by converting their loyalty points - anyone can donate their points to an individual student.
Visit the HigherEdPoints website for more information about the program and/or to set up an account to convert your points.
This course reinforces the communication strategies practiced in COMM-1173 to provide students with the communication skills needed to apply for, stay in, and progress in the world of work. Students will further develop their interpersonal skills and digital fluency by seeking college, industry and community supports. Additionally, they will apply speaking, writing, and collaboration strategies to getting the job, adjusting to the job, and developing long-term career goals. Communication for the Workplace is a creative and active learning opportunity to set students apart in today’s competitive job market.
This course introduces and compares the rationale, concepts, values, principles, and strategies currently used to mobilize community change and address social inequality through community-based initiatives. Participants will explore local examples of Community Development initiatives through guest speakers and field trips. Participants will complete a multi-course project that will provide them with an opportunity to develop the skills required to plan, organize, and facilitate a community event.
This course explores the challenge of navigating differences in organizations and in the community to improve capacity to collaborate. Students will focus on their own identity and experience of difference in terms of gender, race, culture, religion, sexual orientation, as well as by special ways of learning, creating new ideas, and formulating new worldviews. This course explores how differences are viewed and used to sustain power imbalances. Students will examine the mechanics of oppression and privilege, and various learning techniques that help us work together more equitably, inclusively, and respectfully as allies and agents of change.
This course will introduce students to the concept of change through community reflection and action, mobilized from within the community. Students will learn facilitation techniques including developing the ability to set objectives, design and plan empowering group sessions and meetings, lead groups to work together in collaborative ways and finally to gather feedback to evaluate, community gatherings, workshops and other types of community meetings. Students will then take their facilitation design skills and apply them to various situations using critical thinking and analysis to assist in community discussion, decision-making, and consensus.
Integrating the knowledge gained from all courses in the SICD and CD programs, students will work in teams to complete a project requested by a community development organization. Teams will consult with the organization, define the project, design a plan for completion, assign responsibilities, monitor progress, and present the completed project to the CD organization, the class, and invited guests. They will be supervised by the instructor in partnership with a representative of the organization. The project will provide the participants with work-integrated experience and an opportunity to work closely with a potential employer while gaining transferable experience in the community development field.
In this course, students study the activities and functions of community development organizations and explore ways to analyze common problems, manage strategic planning, and create a positive culture in a flexible organization. They will learn how assessment tools measure viability and success and consider ways to take corrective actions. They will explore governance roles and responsibilities, policy-making, and operational principles and practices. They will examine sector trends, current challenges, and the best practices.
In this course, students will explore the financial tools available for community groups to support projects and initiatives. They will expand the skills required to participate in the full cycle of funding proposals, including defining and documenting business models, responding to Requests for Proposals (RFPs), maintaining organizational transparency and accountability, and negotiating with financial institutions and project stakeholders. This course expands on the content in Financial Literacy and Financial Accounting, applying these concepts to funding challenges.
In this foundational course, students will examine the world-wide elements that have come to define healthy and sustainable communities. They will be introduced to the universally accepted determinants and models of human health and the health of the planet. The course will introduce various schools of thought about creating healthy and sustainable communities through design and development. It will also introduce options for transitioning to a healthier community.
Governance Structures is a natural progression from the Human Resources and Operations Management course completed in Term 1. In this course, students will be introduced to a range of governance models traditionally adopted in community development organizations. This focus will expand to incorporate innovative governance models used in social innovation organizations. Students will explore the functions of management and policy boards, advisory committees, and partnerships. They will examine the legal and social impact of various models on the communities they serve.
In small teams, using current project management tools and procedures, and the knowledge gained from all other courses in SICD and CD, students will complete a project of their own choice and design, based on observed needs. They will be matched with a community development organization, or coalition of organizations which will serve as mentors for the project and receive the project design for their own use. The team will define the project, design a plan for completion, assign responsibilities, monitor progress, and present the completed project to the organizations, the class, and invited guests. They will be supervised by the instructor. The project will provide the participants with work-integrated experience and an opportunity to work closely with a potential employer.
In this course, participants will explore human resources functions and operations management using examples from community development and social enterprise settings.
In this course, students will be introduced to the basic methods for primary and secondary research using the computer software applications developed in earlier courses. They will learn how to assess the validity of their findings. Using basic project management tools, they will learn to manage projects from preparatory research through time-lining, communicating, and documenting. Students will create a comprehensive action plan for managing this term’s capstone project, incorporating their learning from all courses completed in the final semester.
Online learning is a critical component of course delivery in all Red River College Polytechnic programs. To ensure each student has the tools they need to achieve their academic goals, all Red River College Polytechnic students require, at minimum:
1. Off-campus access to a current computer with a webcam
2. A high speed internet connection
• Recommended minimum speed: 10 mbps for download, 3 mbps for upload
• Slower internet connection speeds may result in audio and video issues. Please keep in mind that if others in your home are using the same internet connection at the same time as you are, you may also experience audio and video issues.
• Please refer to https://www.rrc.ca/future-students/computer-requirements/ for further information on Computer Requirements for Students.
Please note that any anticipated costs are not included in Books and Supplies estimates.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is a process which documents and compares an individual's prior learning gained from prior education, work and life experiences and personal study to the learning outcomes in College courses/programs. For more information, please visit www.rrc.ca/rpl.