The Catalyst Centre Popular Education Foundation ( CCPEF ) is a registered Canadian charity (BN#86610 6347 RR0002) that promotes innovation in adult learning and advances adult education. We manage one of the largest collections of popular and adult education materials (curricula, lesson plan, activity descriptions and more) in Canada. Our material resources are currently in storage, but you can help us find a new home for these by donating to our Resource Centre Campaign by clicking on the link below. And you can visit our always growing virtual resource centre by clicking the Resource Centre link on the left.
The CCPEF also supports The One-Stop Pop Ed Shop Worker Co-op who are often contracted to carry out the work of the Charity. You can read more about the Worker Co-op by clicking on the Who We Are? link on the left.
Our Charitable Purpose
Educational Activities
1. The Centre will offer courses and workshops designed to enhance the educational techniques and skills of:
- Adult educators; and
- The staff and volunteers of voluntary organizations that provide social, educational and cultural services and international humanitarian and development assistance
These courses and workshops are intended to assist adult educators and the staff and volunteers of voluntary organizations with the development of educational programs in their areas of interest and service delivery. These courses will be kept affordable to ensure maximum access. Examples of possible workshop topics include exploring new ways of providing literacy and ESL training; developing educational programs for the purpose of teaching techniques of relaxation and meditation to deal with stress; learning how to use techniques and skills involved in the theatre in educational programs for adults; learning techniques for encouraging and assisting young people who have dropped out of school, who are unemployed or underemployed to learn how to read or enhance their reading skills; learning how to use the expressive arts (i.e. poetry, music painting, pottery, storytelling) in dealing with the trauma associated with violence against women, as well as working with children and youth who are at risk of violence.
2. The Centre will also offer courses and workshops to the staff and volunteers of voluntary organizations that provide social, educational and cultural services and international humanitarian and development assistance, for the purpose of developing their skills at understanding the social, economic, cultural and political factors that affect the clients to whom they provide services. The focus of these courses and workshops will be on studying methods for understanding the social reality that affects the lives of people who are poor or in need of social and cultural services, or who receive Canadian international humanitarian and development assistance.
3. The Centre will offer internship programs to persons interested in developing their skills as adult educators.
Research Activities
4. The Centre will conduct and support research in the field of adult education and adult learning processes, and make the results of the research available to educators in the field as well as other interested persons. The Centre will conduct its research through contracts with experienced educators who have expertise in adult education.
