To start this program in May 2026, apply to the 2025/26 intake. To begin your studies in May 2025, apply to the 2024/25 academic year.

Apply to this one-year Community Worker (Accelerated) (C131) diploma program if you are a college or university graduate with a diploma or degree. This program is a dynamic, accelerated version of the Community Worker (C101) two-year diploma program, grounded in the principles of and respect for social justice, human rights and anti-oppressive practice.

If you are passionate about human rights and social justice, committed to working with diverse communities, bring a mature and professional approach to your education and fieldwork, and are prepared to take on a full-time course load, this program is for you. Community Worker (Accelerated) students are a diverse group with a range of social and community experiences.

This is an approved education program by the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW). Graduates of this program may apply to receive the additional designation of RSSW (Registered Social Service Worker). Extra fees may apply.

In this accelerated program stream, you will learn to work with urban-centred, diverse communities across a range of issues, including poverty, housing, food justice, immigration and settlement. You will also learn how to be responsive to community needs as they change and evolve.

Community partners play a key role in networking events, guest panels, teaching many of the program specializations and offering field experiences. You will develop relationships with our partners as you build your professional network in the classroom and off-site during fieldwork. This program combines classroom instruction and supervised unpaid field placements, allowing you to apply what you’ve learned in class to a community setting. You can expect to participate in highly engaged classes of dialogue, debate, interactive lectures, guest panels, and group activities.

Community Worker (Accelerated) Program Features

• The School of Social and Community Services has partnerships with over 350 agencies across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and beyond.
• The Tommy Douglas Institute, founded by the Community Worker program faculty, is a progressive space of dialogue for educational communities and wider communities to explore, discuss and advance ideas of critical pedagogy and educating for change in the 21st century. It is also home to the Courage My Friends podcast. Episodes are hosted on rabble.ca and explore community, education, and social justice issues in the 21st century.

Key Skills Taught in the Community Worker (Accelerated) Program

Throughout the program, you will have the opportunity to develop a variety of important and high-demand skills, including:

• anti-oppressive practice in working with diverse populations (including immigrant and refugee communities, marginalized populations, and Indigenous peoples)
• critical analysis, research, and writing
• group facilitation and leadership
• individual and group counselling
• conflict mediation
• community organizing, activism, and advocacy
• community development, project design and funding
• policy analysis and rights-based advocacy

Community Worker (Accelerated) Core Areas of Study

• community work theory and practice
• social and political analysis
• group skills and counselling
• field placement and seminar

Community Worker (Accelerated) Faculty

Faculty are experienced educators who bring their passion for education and change to create a highly engaging and dynamic learning environment. The faculty have local, national, and global activism backgrounds, and they remain active on social issues and maintain close ties to communities, activists, and organizations.