Gayle Broad is a retired associate professor of Community Economic and Social Development at Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie, and former director of the Nordik Institute. Born on a farm in the Sault Ste. Marie area, Gayle earned an undergraduate degree at Algoma University and a PhD at the University of Bristol’s School of Policy Studies.
The Community Economic and Social Development Program is a unique undergraduate program that equips students with the skills needed to effectively work with communities to bring about social change. Launched in 2000, it has produced hundreds of graduates – many of then Indigenous – who have assumed prominent roles in Northern Ontario communities and organizations.
The Nordik Institute, an offshoot of the program, performs research through a Northern Ontario lens. It carries out projects focused on building community resilience and capacity to achieve social, cultural, economic and environmental justice.
One project was aimed at nurturing social entrepreneurship skills for youth. It has trained economic development officers to work with social entrepreneurs and has developed professional development courses for Native welfare administrators.
In this interview, Gayle offers some valuable advice on the skills Northerners need to bring about change. Social entrepreneurs, she tells us, need to learn not to be intimidated by naysayers who resist change. They have to be able to manage budgets, work effectively with others, build relationships, listen to people, be respectful and to not be afraid to ask for help.
Humility and respect for Indigenous culture, she advises, are necessary for effective engagements with First Nation communities.