Become an effective agent of change.
This course equips learners with systems thinking foundations, frameworks, and methods to facilitate participatory approaches to policymaking that respond to complex challenges. This requires policy analysts and leaders to step back and take on relationship building roles in discussions led by the public/affected interests. Key questions to be considered concern how to nurture democratic agency across people contributing to public policy ideas, and how to find a shared direction within a set of divergent views.
Course Objectives:
Participants will explore participatory approaches to policymaking, understanding the role of policy analysts as facilitators in discussions led by the public and affected interests.
Explain the need for pluriversal approaches when designing participatory processes that reflect multiple ways of knowing and being.
Analyze whether facilitation methods are enhancing or hindering meaningful participation and co-creation in policymaking.
- Apply and adapt participatory frameworks, showing the ability to engage in and contribute to better public dialogue and policymaking
Who is the course aimed at?
This course is aimed at policymakers, policy analysts, community leaders, and practitioners who seek to develop participatory, systems-oriented approaches to addressing complex societal challenges.
Course Details
- Online
- 4 weeks
- Start Date: Apr 7, 2026
- There will be online asychronous content plus a live Zoom meeting each week.
- Meeting time: Tuesdays 7:00 PM- 9:00 PM
- Cost:
- $375 for community members
- Current Trent undergraduate students qualify for a 50% off discount. Please email microcredential@trentu.ca for more details.
- Trent alumni qualify for a 10% off discount. Please email alumni@trentu.ca for more details.
- Current Trent staff and faculty qualify for a 20% off discount. Please email microcredential@trentu.ca for more information.
NOTE: Only one discount code can be used per order
Course Topics:
Week 1: Systems Thinking—Starts with Ontologies and Worldviews
Week 2: Acting for the Future—Expanding Democratic Imagination
Week 3: Social Infrastructure as Invitation—Designing for Participation
Week 4: Keeping the Door Open for Participatory Dialogue—Avoiding Dominance of Single Perspectives
Evaluation:
This is a graded course where a complete or incomplete will be issued. To receive a Completion of this course, a student must:
Complete pre-class questions and reflections, submitted at the start of each class
Participate in weekly class discussions
How to Register:
Click to register for this course
Prerequisites:
There are no formal prerequisites for this course.
A minimum of 6 participants are required to run this program.
Conclusion:
Students will leave this course with an understanding of strategy vs. tactics, enhanced communication skills and confidence to participate more actively in community decision-making. This will arise from a self-evaluation of internal barriers, plus those imposed by societal norms.