As Dawson’s Creative Collective for Change (CC4C) enters its fifth academic year, the unique para-academic, interdisciplinary initiative continues to bring students, alumni, faculty, artists, and community members together to explore social issues and positive change through art, pedagogy, and nonviolent activism.

Founded by Pat Romano (Humanities) and Kim Simard (Cinema | Communications), CC4C was created in the fall of 2022 “as the deepening societal crises facing our world were taking their toll – weakening our trust in each other and faith in the possibility of positive change. We turned towards the power of nonviolent resistance to remind us of what was possible and enable us to speak our truths and foster a sense of individual and collective agency,” Pat said.

The people involved in CC4C are “always looking for connections, complexities, and nuances, hoping to break down societal divides and create spaces where deep reflection and real dialogue become possible.”

Their projects include the annual Creative Change Maker Award, which recognizes student works that resist violence in unexpected ways, as well as exhibits, solution-oriented workshops, and original content shared on their Instagram account, @cc4change.

The collective’s work is guided by a series of questions: “How can we create constructive spaces inside and outside the classroom to tackle the complex and polarizing issues of today? How can we bring multiple voices and stories into our classrooms and communities in a way that recognizes the dignity of all? How can we build the resilience, agency and collective action that is needed for positive change to happen? How can we foster a sense of critical hope – a hope that is not naïve but rather based on a deep understanding of the challenges ahead.”

This year, the collective is expanding its outreach through two recurring Instagram campaigns, Movement Mondays and Theory Bites. Through these features, CC4C hopes to “offer inspiring and thought-provoking stories of nonviolent movements from around the world” and “connect social media and pedagogy more directly.”

So far this semester, Movement Mondays has highlighted the latest Gen Z movement confronting government corruption and economic injustice, celebrated the legacy of feminist icon Gloria Steinem through a focus on two years that changed the world, and explored emerging left-right coalitions in the United States.

This fall, CC4C will announce its 2026 Creative Change Makers and honourable mentions at a gala event on Oct. 21 at 5:30 p.m. and host an accompanying exhibition from Oct. 21 to 24; both will take place in Oliver’s (2C.17). The collective is also available as a resource for faculty members interested in bringing discussions of social change, nonviolent activism, and resistance studies into their classrooms.

Pat and Kim have developed concise explorations of key questions in resistance studies that can spark engaging classroom discussions. Topics include Why Do We Resist?, Thinking Strategy, and How Important Are Creative Actions to a Movement’s Success?

“Our goal is always to promote a sense of critical hope, an orientation that binds agency and reality. Reach out to us if you’re interested in having faculty and student members of our collective lead an activity for your class,” they said.

To learn more about CC4C’s recent activities and plans for the year ahead, read the CC4C Newsletter -Oct. 2025-Aug. 2026.

Contact CC4C at cc4change@dawsoncollege.qc.ca

Pat and Kim would like to thank the Dawson College Foundation for its continued support.