{"id":4299,"date":"2014-09-17T11:50:02","date_gmt":"2014-09-17T16:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.une-sen.org\/press\/?p=4299"},"modified":"2014-09-17T14:59:36","modified_gmt":"2014-09-17T19:59:36","slug":"the-new-union-development-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unesen.ca\/press\/?p=4299","title":{"rendered":"The new Union Development Program"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"newudp\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In 2008, when Isabelle Beaudoin found out she had been accepted to the PSAC\u2019s Union Development Program<\/a>, her regional vice-president told her, \u201cyou\u2019ll see, you\u2019re going to become a great union leader.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat sent shivers down my spine,\u201d recalled Beaudoin.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in my late twenties, eager to take on whatever my thirties brought. I took that same fervent energy that I dedicated to union work and applied it to the UDP.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beaudoin had been eager to learn all she could about the union world. By the time she had been accepted into the UDP, she had pretty much attended every other training the PSAC had to offer. What followed, she says, changed her union life forever.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the most complete and most rewarding program. It was like a complete overview, in just three weeks, of what I could expect to confront in my next thirty years of union activism.\u201d<\/p>\n

From the very beginning, the very diverse group of participants taking the training alongside her started forming very strong bonds. It\u2019s this sort of experience that the PSAC hopes to build upon with some of the improvements it\u2019s bringing to the program.<\/p>\n

For the first time, the program is bringing together members from different regions. There are two English courses; one for the western provinces and the territories, another for the eastern provinces and the NCR. A third course will be made up of francophone participants from Quebec, the NCR and Atlantic provinces.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, all three groups will meet in Ottawa for three days of training \u2013 a key opportunity to network and brainstorm among kindred spirits.<\/p>\n

For Dave Burchell, who took the program in 2009, it\u2019s music to his ears.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s huge because, even though the groups haven\u2019t met each other, each individual group has already made bonds \u2013 and now there\u2019ll be a collision of entities comparing notes on what they\u2019ve learned.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I read it, I thought \u2018Oh, that\u2019s cool! I like that idea.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

UDP participants will also get the opportunity to participate in a social justice fair, which will provide them a chance to interact and network with community action groups in their region.<\/p>\n

Burchell believes this will encourage a more long-term involvement among our activists. He added that most people would get more involved if they had immediate access to such opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost people don\u2019t have time to figure out the steps required to get involved,\u201d he explained. \u201cOften, that\u2019s where we fall down; we say \u2018okay guys, go get \u2018em\u2019 and everyone stands around going \u2018go get who and we\u2019re ready for what?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

To further promote networking and learning among participants, the new version of the program will usher in the use of social media and web technologies.<\/p>\n

But all these tweaks are just improving on possibly the best program PSAC has to offer. All the staples of the tried-and-true UDP are still there; participants can still expect to learn a great deal about labour history, activism and how government works.<\/p>\n

For her part, Isabelle Beaudoin still remembers the research paper she presented on the life of L\u00e9a Roback, a Canadian labour activist and feminist.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s considered a pioneering feminist in Quebec,\u201d explained Beaudoin.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a road in Montreal that bears her name; the only road to cross it is Beaudoin Street<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe my ancestors were unionists too,\u201d mused Beaudoin. \u201cThere you go. Now I know where the fire in my belly comes from!\u201d<\/p>\n

To find out more about UDP, please consult your PSAC region\u2019s website<\/a>. The deadline for applications is October 3; don\u2019t delay!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 2008, when Isabelle Beaudoin found out she had been accepted to the PSAC\u2019s Union Development Program, her regional vice-president told her, \u201cyou\u2019ll see, you\u2019re going to become a great union leader.\u201d \u201cThat sent shivers down my spine,\u201d recalled Beaudoin. \u201cI was in my late twenties, eager to take on whatever my thirties brought. I … <\/p>\n

>> “The new Union Development Program”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[12,19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unesen.ca\/press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4299"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unesen.ca\/press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unesen.ca\/press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unesen.ca\/press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unesen.ca\/press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4299"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.unesen.ca\/press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4307,"href":"https:\/\/www.unesen.ca\/press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4299\/revisions\/4307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unesen.ca\/press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unesen.ca\/press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unesen.ca\/press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}