Centre for Changemaking and Social Innovation
Be innovative. Affect change. Make a positive impact in your community.
Everyone a changemaker
Changemaker – “One who desires change in the world and, by gathering knowledge and resources, makes that change happen.” – Ashoka
Georgian’s Centre for Changemaking and Social Innovation brings together faculty, students and non-profit organizations to respond to complex issues and affect positive social change. Through student-led projects, research, workshops and innovative curriculum, the centre is inspiring the next generation of changemakers to use social entrepreneurial skills and mindsets to transform their community.
The goal of the centre is to promote and build on the capacity of students’ social entrepreneurial skills and mindsets through changemaking activities and in-class experiential learning opportunities. These skills include team-building, problem-solving, leadership development and communication.
“Social entrepreneurs are individuals with innovative solutions to society’s most pressing social problems. They are ambitious and persistent, tackling major social issues and offering new ideas for wide-scale change.” – Ashoka.org
I am a changemaker - Make the change - Be the change
Graduate with innovative and creative skills and mindsets that are in demand in today’s workforce and that will set you apart from the rest of the field.
2015 CPI Students Final Presentations
Be a changemaker!
Georgian College’s Centre for Changemaking and Social Innovation provides experiential learning opportunities, skill development, teamwork and networking that will inspire you to influence social change in your community.
Experiential learning opportunities
Experiential learning = stronger resumé
Experiential learning takes place when individuals engage in a process that involves meaningful experiences, reflection and integration. Active experimentation and involvement with real-life projects through established organizations in your community will develop knowledge, skills and attitudes, and result in skills that can be adapted to almost any career path.
Student changemaking experiences
The Centre for Changemaking and Social Innovation provides students with a unique, hands-on environment to develop essential changemaker skills and to influence positive social change in their fields.
Community Service Learning (CSL)
What is CSL?
CSL is an experiential teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility and strengthen communities.
Community Projects Initiative (CPI)
What is CPI?
CPI is a unique vehicle of teaching that allows students the opportunity to develop social entrepreneurial skills and mindsets through experience, resulting in innovative and transformative social change in the community.
Students who choose CPI as their placement are matched with a community partner that has indicated a gap in services. Teams undertake a project to be completed over a 14-week alternative field placement.
CPI provides opportunities for our students to graduate with innovative and creative skills and mindsets that differentiate them in the workforce.
As researched, Miller, Westley and Williams/Academy of Management Learning and Education, 2012, Vol. 11, No. 3, 349-370
- Ability to problem solve
- Ability to develop collaborative relationships
- Management of financial capital
- Ability to lead others
- Ability to communicate
- Interpersonal communication
- Ability to market organizations
- Manage strategy development
- Capacity to measure outcomes
- Build effective teams
United Front workshop series
What is the United Front?
The United Front is an exciting inter-professional student workshop series in which students can network and collaborate with professionals, social services and various community organizations to gain information, insight and knowledge from real-time changemakers.
Student opportunities and recognition
Social entrepreneurship is the creative use of resources to generate social and environmental change. Through the CSE, students have the opportunity to use creativity, innovation and enthusiasm, taking the lead in making change happen.
Students involved in Georgian College initiatives outside of their curriculum or program can create a co-curricular record which recognizes work they have done and provides a signed report of specialized skills developed through their participation.
Just another powerful tool to add to your portfolio!
Changemaker Wednesdays
What is Changemaker Wednesdays?
Hosted by Georgian College, this is an exciting opportunity for students, faculty members or community partners to come and learn about social entrepreneurship, craft, develop and pitch a social enterprise idea or join like-minded social innovators and be the changemaker through our new Changemaker Club.
The Sept. 23 session Social Entrepreneurship 101 asks the questions: What exactly is social entrepreneurship? And how can you use it to create meaningful and lasting change in your community, on campus and beyond?
- Learn from each other through creative collisions in our changemaker space at the Centre for Social Entrepreneurship
- Join the discussion and learn through the Entrepreneurship Learning Channel (ELC) series
- Make a pitch to a panel of social entrepreneurship experts (and possibly win some money) showcasing why your social enterprise idea is viable through the Excite! program
- Join like-minded social innovators and be the changemaker through the Changemaker Club
Join the conversation #gcchangemaker
The Duke of Edinburgh
What is the Duke all about?
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a self-development program available to young people ages 14 to 25. To date, over 500,000 young people from Canada, and over seven million youth in 130 countries have been motivated to participate.
The Duke Award encourages young people to:
- set their own goals and challenges
- work towards achieving them
- be recognized for sustaining the commitment they have made
This non-competitive award program is based on self-motivation with no set standards to achieve. The criteria for gaining an award is based on each participant’s individual improvement and potential at the starting point of the award. Even if an award is not attained, just being involved brings new friends, new knowledge and new adventures. The award program has three levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold. Each requires an increasing level of commitment and effort.
Fostering positive change within the community
Your connection to changemaking starts now!
Connect, network, share knowledge, be a leader, create social change, impact student learning
In 2012, the Centre for Changemaking and Social Innovation was established to provide community partners with the opportunity to utilize the enthusiasm, creativity and innovation of our student learners to work on projects that build capacity and address specific gaps in services that they otherwise lack resources to achieve.
The students in turn are exposed to exceptional experiential learning opportunities that enhance their skill levels and accelerate their employability – a true win-win scenario!
Become a community partner through CPI
The best centres of learning do more than transmit knowledge – they’re catalysts for change.
The Centre for Changemaking and Social Innovation believes that people are innate changemakers and are invested in supporting student learning through development of social entrepreneurial skills and mindsets that promote innovative and transformative positive social change in collaboration with our many community partners.
The Centre for Changemaking and Social Innovation works closely with community partners to share knowledge and determine gaps in services, then uses the enthusiasm, creativity and innovation of student-led projects to provide changemaking opportunities for community partners that may otherwise be lacking resources to fill.
Chad Lubelsky, J.W. Family Foundation Fund with CPI Students – Winter 2015
Move it Forward 2016 – Social Innovation in Education
What is Move it Forward?
Move it Forward is an annual event to say thank you to our communities and partners for not only supporting and providing learning experiences and opportunities for our students, but for giving back to the community.
This event offers a professional development opportunity to explore, recognize and connect with others interested in making central Ontario an even better place to live, work and play.
Move it Forward 2016 – Social Innovation in Education
Creative Collisions happened on June 10, 2016. With a focus on Social Innovation in Education in recognition of our community partners and the wonderful changemaking activities being implemented across our communities. The Orillia Campus welcomed visitors from all sectors including not-for-profit, education, faculty, service professionals, enthusiastic students and more.
The day of professional development and networking on the latest social innovation trends included discussions on arts and culture community innovation, education in the farming community, libraries as a maker space open to everyone and looking at education through capstone projects.
The day included lunch in The Den provided by The Last Class, our Georgian College social enterprise with student employees managing most aspects of the catering. The interactive day included an inspiration garden, labyrinth wellness walk, creative collisions area of displays, end of day mocktails and treats, free parking and more!
Past student-led projectsin collaboration with our community partners
Changemaking in our communities
Partners 2012 – present 
Partners 2012-15 
Partners 2014-15
Partners 2012-15 
Partners 2012-15 
New Partners 2015-16 
New Partners 2015-16
New Partners 2015-16 
Partners 2014-15 Ardtrea/Cumberland Beach Public School 
Partners 2014-15 
Partners 2014-15
Partners 2013-15
Partners 2014-15 
Partners 2013-15 
Partners 2014-15 St. Monica’s Catholic School
Partners 2014-15
Partners 2013 -15 Wellness Labyrinth
Partners 2012 -15 
FUTURE PARTNER! 
Are you a recent gradate, current student or individual looking to get involved in the social enterprise sector in this region?
Is your organization interested in learning more about social enterprise?
Are you an intermediary or community leader looking to grow your understanding or expertise in social enterprise?
senco is an initiative of Georgian College’s Centre for Changemaking and Social Innovation (CCSI).
Our region of Central Ontario aligns with the “footprint” of Georgian’s seven campuses in the communities of Barrie, Midland, Muskoka (Bracebridge), Orangeville, Orillia, Owen Sound and South Georgian Bay (Collingwood).
Welcome to the Social Enterprise Network Central Ontario (senco)
senco INSPIRES, CONNECTS and EQUIPS those looking to engage in social enterprise to face cultural, environmental and social challenges in our region.
We work with social enterprises, budding social entrepreneurs, organizations, intermediaries and community leaders to support innovative economic approaches to strengthen our communities. Our goal is to be the bridge to new knowledge, resources and supporting business practices to achieve financial growth and sustainability through social enterprise.
We are catalysts for change
Meet our changemaker team: inspiring social entrepreneurial skills and mindsets in our students, community organizations and beyond!
Please email general inquiries to ccsi@georgiancollege.ca.
- Suzie Addison-Toor, Director, CSI: Suzie Addison-Toor or ext. 3161
- Christine Hiles, Special Projects Assistant, CSI: Christine Hiles or ext. 3067
- Elly Green, Program Manager, senco: Elly Green or ext. 3430
- Allison Punnett, Co-ordinator, CSI: Allison Punnett
- Quentin Evans, Community Impact Projects Liaison: Quentin Evans or ext. 3389
- Nicole Norris, Community Impact Projects Liaison: Nicole Norris or ext. 3309
