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Abstract
This article outlines theoretical orientations, practices, and lessons from designing and implementing a multi-country learning program through participatory and democratic pedagogies. It traces how the Coady Institute at St. Francis Xavier University and Voice, an innovative grant-making facility, accompanied civil society practitioners across five African countries in strengthening the inclusion of traditionally marginalized groups in governance. Successive programs from 2020 to 2024 responded to participants’ evolving learning priorities through an iterative process of critical reflective learning and practice, informed by transformative and experiential approaches. We explore how the initiative’s substantive focus and pedagogical approach enabled practitioners to deepen their learning about, through, and for democracy and establish a learning community based on diverse praxes for inclusion.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the core role of Program participants and Voice staff in collectively shaping the learning process and informing this analysis.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 This Program was led by the Coady Institute and aligned with Voice’s overall “L&L” approach, which supports all grantees in sharing experiences and lessons.
2 For more information about grantee organizations and project activities, see Voice (n.Citationd.).
3 Citizen-led (or social) accountability refers to the broad range of actions and mechanisms that citizens (and their organizations) use to demand accountability from power holders, as well as efforts by civil society, media, and state actors to support these. For more information, see Malena (Citation2022).
4 As this study draws exclusively from evaluation data, and exemption was granted by St. Francis Xavier University’s Research Ethics Board.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Julien Landry
Julien Landry, MAP, is Senior Program Teaching Staff at the Coady Institute, St. Francis Xavier University, where he designs and facilitates participatory, practice-oriented educational programs focused on citizen engagement, feminist advocacy, social accountability, and inclusive governance. He is humbled to learn alongside diverse groups of global practitioners working to strengthen democratic practice.
Carmen Malena
Carmen Malena, MPhil, is a political economist with special interest in the areas of participatory governance and citizen-led accountability. She has worked for 30 years as a development practitioner, researcher, writer, trainer and facilitator. Carmen collaborates regularly with a range of civil society organizations, foundations, development agencies and governments. At present, she is a Lead Consultant to the World Bank and an Associate of the Coady Institute, St. Francis Xavier University.