Carold Institute - for the advancement of citizenship in social change

About us

History and Mission | Board of Directors | Honorary Members

History

The Carold Institute for the Advancement of Citizenship in Social Change was established in 1989 with an endowment from Ms. Clare Clark, a long time participant in, and advocate for voluntary organizations in Canada. Clare Clark was an active volunteer in the Canadian Association for Adult Education (CAAE) for more than 20 years and developed a profound understanding of the connection between adult education and citizen participation in civil society. This appreciation remained with her for the rest of her life. Her legacy was the Carold Institute.

Ms. Clark served as the first President of the Board of the Institute. Alan Thomas and Gordon Selman, well-known figures on the Canadian adult education scene, were also founding Directors. Ms. Winnifred Hewetson and Professor Diana Ironside (whose work in developing the library for the CAAE became the cornerstone for the OISE library in the 1960s), made up the membership of the first Carold Board of Directors.

Mission

The Carold Institute was established with a mission to:

  • promote and fund research and writing on charitable activities and organizations in Canada and
  • carry out broad public education on the history and significance of the Canadian voluntary sector.

Since 1990, the programs of the Carold Institute have been designed to involve citizens more deeply in social change and to further the understanding of voluntary action and voluntary organizations in Canada. The purpose has been to create open spaces in which civil society practitioners can reflect on their work and freely exchange ideas:

Among its program activities, the Institute has provided grants, bursaries and scholarships, such as the Winifred Hewetson Awards in Community and World Service at the University of Waterloo, established in honour of Winnifred Hewetson.

In partnership with other adult education institutions, Carold has sponsored major conferences and symposiums including: “The Clare Clark Memorial Symposium : Voluntary Action and Organization in Canada” (1999), “Citizenship and Globalization : Exploring Participation and Democracy in a Global Context” (2002), and most recently, an innovative two-year ‘rolling seminar’ that resulted in the report “Building Local and Global Democracy” (2004-5).

The newest initiative of the Carold Foundation is the Alan Thomas Fellowship to promote civil society and voluntary action.

History and Mission | Board of Directors | Honorary Members

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Carold

Vision

Canada will be a leader in fostering democratic participation, active citizenship and social change throughout society

Mission

The Carold Institute is a small, agile Canadian foundation. We have a passionate commitment to use our resources to promote civil society, creative voluntary action and inspired leadership for social change. Our highest priorities are:

  • Creating spaces for conversations that advance democratic participation in Canada
  • Supporting leaders in the voluntary sector to reflect on, refine and share their practices and knowledge
  • Fostering innovative partnerships with likeminded organizations and individuals.