Meet the Changemakers

Ontario Community Changemakers use their energy, creativity, and collaborative partnerships to create real community change. From pollinator gardens and advocating for transit, to creating spaces for art and healing, OCC participants activate public space, enhance civic engagement and foster social inclusion in their community.

Applications for the 2025 – 2026 program are now closed.

2025 Changemakers

Bolu Adedeji Sisterhood Protection Factor London, Ontario

Lise Andreana ArtOut Niagara on the Lake, Ontario

Antonio Arraut Mask Your Story North York, Ontario

Karen Miranda Augustine Kitchen Table Sesh Toronto, Ontario

Rebecca Bekele Peel Polaroid Project Brampton, Ontario

Amanda Bernard Indigenous Art Journey Toronto, Ontario

Abubaker Bukulu Voice Up Toronto, East York, Ontario

Lucy Cai Cycle Safe Ottawa Ottawa

Wilma Delo Filipino Street Games, Shared Stories Barrie, Ontario

Loretta Di Eugenio Theatre Making North Bay North Bay, Ontario

Kimberly Duguay Waabishka ma’iingan Garden River, Ontario

Nicole Dyble Piecing It Together Shows Pop-Up Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Austin Ekekhomen Shade and Trade Scarborough, Ontario

Nelly Folefack MAYA - Broken But Not Lost Community Hub London, Ontario

Logan Haney Pathways to Connection Kenora, Ontario

Sarah Hasan Can Companion Toronto, Ontario

Kathie Ho AccessAble Spaces Milton, Ontario

Julien Hodge COJA Civics Ready Ottawa, Ontario

Shalaka Jadhav Sandhills Lawn Games Club Kitchener, Ontario

Christian Latour Together We Play - Hamilton Hamilton, Ontario

Robert Lawler Time to Be Together and Help Our Community Utopia, Ontario

Karen Leary Community Includes Us! Toronto, Ontario

Melody Li From Rescue to Table: Community Kitchens Across Cultures Markham, Ontario

André Lorenz Feria Echoes of Home: A Kulintang and Community Choir Project Ajax, Ontario

Pamela Marsales Visualizing Our 8-80 Village Pathways Through Community Mapmaking Haliburton Village, Ontario

Esther Maud Wabshkaa Animkii Benesii Cultural Hub & Storytelling Lodge Thunder Bay, Ontario

Negar Pooya Windows of Memory Vaughan/Toronto, Ontario

Shauna Rae Youth For Truth (Y4T) Dorchester, Ontario

Marcel Stewart The Living Diary Hamilton, Ontario

Sam Tecle Capturing a Community Amidst Change Toronto, Ontario

2024 Changemakers

Robel Adugna On The Horizon Showcase Scarborough, Ontario, Canada

Mushtari Afroz Imagine There’s No Quota Pickering, Ontario, Canada

Nancy Angus Park your Stories: Storytelling in the GRAND Outdoors Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada

Nicholai Avigdor Melamed Taste of Barrie: Community through Cuisine Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Phil Cargill Golf & Chill - Let's play & vibe Brampton, Ontario, Canada

Victoria Davis CommUNITY HUB Outreach Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Jen Gadoua Ontario Adaptive Mountain Biking - Intro Riding Weekend Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

Hannah Gardiner Experimenting with Microparades in Waterloo Region Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Zwena Gray Queer Ecology Hikes Peterborough, Ottawa, & Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Asya Gunduz LubunTO Community Education and Engagement Project Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Sureya Ibrahim Healing the Community Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Rubyyy Jones The Save Rubyyy Jones Revue: QUEER BASH Paris,Ontario, Canada

Jasmyne Julien Your Story Matters Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada

Don Kwan Focus on Chinatown Ottawa, Ontario

Monica Loney Transformative Power of Public Art Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Sanaaj Mirrie Groove by the Lake Pickering, Ontario, Canada

Dokun Nochirionye Sudbury African Literacy Project (S.A.L.P) Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

Nneka Perry Beautifully Minded Scarborough, Ontario, Canada

Phoenyx/Nyx Farm to Table Food Access Project Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Dolly Roul Culture, Land and Joy - Black Youth Gathering Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Chloe Sanchez Unseen Stars: Empowering Crown Wards through Creative Expression North York, Ontario, Canada

Kasthuri Satgunanathan The Care for Change Project Toronto, Ontario, Canada

David Sheffield I Belong Here Cobourg, Ontario, Canada

Kiana Simmons Collective Farming Toolkit for Community Growing Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Meredith Sweeney Ward Night Market: Pop-up Community Centre Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Two White Feather Finding Common Ground Cambridge, Ontario, Canada

Nithya Vijayakumar Angry Locals Toronto, Ontario

Rignam Wangkhang Tibetan Greenspace Project Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada

Kerry Yang Stories of the North Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

Britt Zeus Speaking For Wildlife Peterborough, Ontario, Canada