The Security in Community (SIC) program serves as the ultimate introductory course, complete with a certificate, to Canada’s role globally, both historically and at present.
Have you always wanted to dive deeper into Canadian political history but weren’t sure which sources to trust? Do you want to get a deeper understanding of the news you hear every day and be able to assess future implications for Canada and the world? Are you looking for a way to get certified in your knowledge of Canadian international relations, defence, security and history?
In the last few years, the world has grown increasingly unstable and the need to understand Canada’s power in the international community has become a necessity for every Canadian. Canada’s sovereignty has come increasingly under threat in recent years, whether through tariffs or security threats in our cities and in our North. Beginning to tackle this challenge requires understanding the tools that Canada has to work with in the international community as well as a strong understanding of Canadian defence, security and history.
The NATO Association of Canada has developed a set of freely accessible educational resources and materials through its flagship Security in Community (SIC) Project. These multimedia resources are enriched with subject-matter expert interviews from across the Canadian academic, military and professional landscape, with those who have hands-on experience as practitioners and scholars on Canadian international relations. This legacy project was developed by the NATO Association of Canada (NAOC) and made possible through partial funding from DND’s MINDS Program, and partial funding from NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division grants.
All course participants will be granted a certificate upon completion, serving as verifiable proof of extensive understanding of Canada’s role in international relations and the Rules-Based International Order. All course graduates will also be fast-tracked to nomination for the NATO Canada Youth Bronze Award.
Completing this course will provide an expert-informed foundation in Canadian defence, security and history as well as a practical understanding of basic IR theory terms such as sovereignty, anarchy, and diplomacy. Topics covered include but are not limited to:
- Canada and the Interwar Years
- Canada, the League of Nations and the Great Depression
- Canada and Appeasement (Including Spanish Civil War)
- Canada and NATO
- Canada and WW2
- The Foundations of the UN and Canada’s role
- The Functions of the UN
- Canada and the Early Cold War
- Canada after WW2, and the preconditions for NATO
- Canada’s role, and What is NATO?
- Canada and Peacekeeping
- The Origin of ‘Human Rights’
- The foundation of the UN Charter
- The Holocaust
- The Foundation of UDHR
- The Collapse of the Soviet Union, and a new territory for NATO
- Kosovo & Responsibility to Protect (R2P)
- The War on Terror
- The Iraq War
- Reaction to 9/11
- What was ISAF?
- Changing World Order: Russia
- Canada, China and the Indo-Pacific Strategy
- Arctic Security, Climate Change, and the RBIO
- Arctic Governance, Sovereignty, and Security Threats Today
- Russia, China, and our Arctic future
- Women, Peace and Security
- UNSC
- The Russia-Ukraine War
- Hybrid, Cyber and Drone Warfare
- Artificial Intelligence and Information
- Isolationism and Economic Warfare
The founding of this course was driven by the concern that the Canadian public, and the majority of young Canadians in particular, are ill-equipped to understand basic concepts in international security, and are thus ill-equipped to understand the threats faced by Canada, and by the Rules-Based International Order, that is so central to our way of life. Our research has shown us that there is a significant gap in this understanding, particularly in Canadian High School curricula nationwide. These courses will support current and future generations of Canadians to be prepared to understand and respond to these threats, and help promote Canadian agency globally. This is a legacy project that will support Canadians for many years to come. Furthermore, a specific version of this course is being designed for implementation into the Grade 10 Civics curriculum in Ontario, with an emphasis on basic concepts in international security and governance, and Canada’s role in multilateral economic and security organizations.
Whether you’re an adult who has always wanted to understand Canada’s role in the world better, or you’re a student new to Canadian International Relations, this is the course for you. This educational initiative was produced to equip the general public with a set of critical thinking skills to apply towards understanding the impact of global events on Canada, and Canada’s role in international governance, order, security, and justice. If you have further questions about this, or would like to contribute in making this possible, please email naocsic@gmail.com