Dawson’s Creative Collective for Change (CC4C) welcomed students, faculty and community members to its fourth annual Creative Change Maker Awards Gala and Exhibit, held Oct. 21-23. The event showcased student-created works that use art as a catalyst for reflection, dialogue and social change.

Social Science graduate Enrique Aranda received a Creative Change Maker Award for his poem, we don’t inherit silence. Now studying International Development Studies at McGill University, Enrique explores the ways violence can be embedded in everyday language, institutions and social norms.

The poem was introduced with the following reflection:

“Violence isn’t always something obvious; it can be hidden in everyday language, in systems, and in the way we’re taught to accept things without questioning them. His poem explores the impact of silence, how it gets passed down, normalized, and quietly reproduces more suffering. It ends with a powerful call for us to break these cycles of silence.”

Cinema | Communications graduate Neyla El Euch also received a Creative Change Maker Award for her video Reality. Neyla is currently studying Community, Public Affairs and Policy Studies at Concordia University.

Her video was introduced with this description:

“Reality invites the audience to reflect on, become aware of, and question the inherent surrealism of a world where huge social inequalities and contrasting living conditions co-exist, and are the pervasive norm. It powerfully captures the dystopian and dissonant nature of our contemporary climate, along with the mental distress and frustration that occurs when trying to reconcile incomprehensible, nightmarish realities.”

For CC4C co-founders Kim Simard and Pat Romano, this year’s event demonstrated both growing participation and the power of creative expression to address social issues.

“Remarkable this year was the variety and quantity of works. Sixteen submitted works is the most we have ever received,” they said. “People submitted from various disciplines with important messages to share through their chosen creative forms. Mostly, we were inspired by the power of the works.”

They noted that the strongest submissions connected social issues to lived experience, offering fresh perspectives while highlighting shared humanity.

“This marks our fourth year honouring the works of student Creative Change Makers,” they said. “It is so essential for our students to know the reality of the world and how harsh it can be, but also to know that finding the agency to speak up about those realities can exist within a creative process. The more we celebrate students who are engaged in that process, the stronger the potential for change becomes.”

Kim and Pat also thanked those who supported the exhibit and gala, including Dawson’s Print Shop and AV technicians and the Dawson College Foundation, and recognized members of the CC4C collective who helped bring the event to life: Melanie Garcia, Jade Whitebean, Mariana Cueto Mendoza, Maya Kaloo Sarr, Philippe Beauchemin and Galia Thibaut.

Photo credit: Julia Lijeron