Community Development in Canada

Community development happens within a community, it does not happen to the community.  It’s about empowering a community to develop from within. 

This text, developed by Canadian professors for Canadian classes, fills a gap.  Brown and Hannis bring a unique Canadian perspective with this all-Canadian textbook.  Designed for one-semester courses in colleges and universities, this succinct text covers three main areas in 11 chapters: History and Intro to Policies and Theory; Development of Skills; and Practice Issues.  Through the inclusion of discussion questions and case studies, students can develop a comprehensive understanding of the subject from both a theoretical and practical perspective.

Jason Brown is a psychologist interested in holistic and strength-based approaches to individual, family and community health. He has worked in education, corrections, and health care systems with youth and adults. His academic background is in social work and education, and his research is participatory, emphasizing the assets of individuals, families and communities that have experienced serious challenges. He is grateful to have had many wonderful teachers, including his three children Kalyee, Jenna and Kobe, his partner Shelley, as well as friends, colleagues and traditional people. Jason is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Western Ontario, and teaches in the Counselling Psychology program.

He is co-author of a Pearson publication with Richard Lerner and Cheryl Kier, titled Adolescence: Development, Diversity, Context and Application, Canadian Edition (2005).

David Hannis is a community development instructor and field placement co-ordinator at Grant MacEwan College.