08 Oct Thirty Local Leaders from Ontario Selected As 2025 Ontario Community Changemakers
TORONTO — October 8, 2025 —
Thirty local leaders from Ontario have been selected to receive $5,000 in grant funding, leadership development training and peer-to-peer networking to implement their project idea through the Ontario Community Changemaker (OCC) program.
Powered by 8 80 Cities, this multi-generational leadership and micro-grant program is designed for people with bold ideas to activate public space, enhance civic engagement, and foster social inclusion in their communities. The 2025 program will run from October 2025 to October 2026, including a 2-day Studio in Toronto. Changemakers will have 12 months to implement their projects while receiving ongoing training and capacity building from the team at 8 80 Cities, as well as a network of local public space experts.
“Each cohort takes on leadership grounded in their identities and unique contexts. In 2025-2026, OCC is bringing together communities from Scarborough to Sault Ste. Marie and everywhere in-between,” says Katie Konstantopoulos, Project Manager at 8 80 Cities. “Over the next 12 months, we invite Ontarians to follow along and get inspired by projects that focus on creating inclusive community spaces through culture, games, food, music, photography, podcasting, and other unique ways of making places for people.”
Now in its fifth year, the OCC program has become a launchpad for local leaders and placemakers that reflects the diversity of people and geography of this province. The program supports leaders of communities of all sizes, including rural areas, small towns, cities, and First Nations territories, as well as individuals with lived experiences that are currently underrepresented in the placemaking sector, including those from Indigenous, Black, and racialized communities and 2SLGBTQI+ backgrounds.
“We’re glad to see applicants of all ages remain excited about our multigenerational approach. As an organization, we believe our communities need and depend on changemakers of all age groups, which aligns with our vision of cities being places for people to grow up and grow old in,” says Jiya Benni, Director of Programs and Development at 8 80 Cities. “We need leaders from diverse ages, backgrounds and lived experiences to hold necessary conversations and build capacity for change through their projects.”
8 80 Cities reviewed nearly 450 applications this year, a highly competitive and unprecedented number of submissions for the program. The selection process was incredibly challenging, and the team is grateful for the generous feedback received from the OCC Advisory Committee and Balsam Foundation as well as our friends at Park People during the final selection period. With the addition of the latest cohort, the Ontario Community Changemaker’s network has now grown to 120 Changemakers from across the province.
“8 80 Cities spent time making key connections with media and dissemination partners this year, which allowed the program to increase the number and quality of applications received from rural communities, Indigenous communities, and communities across Northern Ontario,” says Camila Uriona, Communications Manager at 8 80 Cities. “Every Changemaker, and every applicant, is worth celebrating. We look forward to amplifying the efforts of Changemakers in these areas with our selection this year, and building on this momentum in years to come.”
The 30 participants will meet in Toronto on October 24 and 25 for the Ontario Community Changemakers Studio. This immersive two-day learning opportunity includes city tours, workshops, presentations, and meetings with local grassroots community leaders. The Changemakers will be able to build relationships with alumni and peers and work through their project ideas with support and coaching from 8 80 Cities. The program also features ongoing virtual coaching and capacity-building throughout the one-year grant period.
The program is powered by 8 80 Cities with funding from Balsam Foundation. To learn more about the program, visit Ontario Community Changemakers.
Meet the 2025 Ontario Community Changemakers
(For individual headshots, click here.)
Bolu Adedeji, London, Ontario
Sisterhood Protection Factor
Sisterhood Protection Factor (SPF) is a series of wellness pop-ups in London’s public parks designed for mothers. Each event combines movement (such as Zumba or stroller walks), storytelling circles, and practical mini-workshops on topics including parenting, careers, and finances. A children’s corner ensures accessibility, while diverse mom leaders co-facilitate sessions. Just like sunscreen protects skin, SPF protects a mother’s sense of belonging—creating safe, joyful spaces where women feel seen and supported. By activating parks and libraries, SPF transforms public space into vibrant hubs of sisterhood, safety, and civic connection.
Lise Andreana, Niagara on the Lake, Ontario
ArtOut
ArtOut’s goal is positive recognition for members of the LGBTQ community, through a four-part art program, followed by an exhibition and award ceremony at the Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre, a publicly held heritage building on the banks of the Niagara River.
Antonio Arraut, North York, Ontario
Mask Your Story
With Mask Your Story, participants will take part in a series of creative sessions where they design and personalize carnival masks using cardboard and mixed materials. Beginning with a simple blank mask, they will decorate, modify, and paint it to reflect their own lived experiences—whether stories of immigration and settlement, grief and healing, or any personal journey they wish to share. The process combines artistic exploration with storytelling, offering a safe and supportive space for self-expression. The workshop series will culminate in a community parade held in a public park, where participants can wear their masks, dance, and share their stories. This final celebration not only honours individual resilience but also creates a collective moment of joy, visibility, and connection.
Karen Miranda Augustine, Toronto, Ontario
Kitchen Table Sesh
Hosted by the Ancestral Arts Collective, Kitchen Table Sesh is a series of community dinners that offer food as a ritual, a remembrance, and a celebration. Each dinner will feature an invited elder (or special guest) who brings wisdom on the intersection of art, grief, and end-of-life care. At each dinner, one recipe will be prepared together, as cooking communally, especially for an elder, serves as an act of gratitude and care for each other. The purpose of this event is to facilitate networking, create a space for connection, and foster an intergenerational community of Black caregivers and death-care workers.
Rebecca Bekele, Brampton, Ontario
Peel Polaroid Project
The Peel Polaroid Project will capture the perspectives of BAC residents in Brampton through portrait photography, storytelling, and community dialogue. Rooted in narrative medicine, this initiative will collect 40 stories and portraits, exhibited in community spaces, transforming them into storytelling galleries that amplify lived experiences, spark reflection, and foster civic awareness.
Amanda Bernard, Toronto, Ontario
Indigenous Art Journey
Shawish Market will host a free Indigenous art event in Toronto featuring hands-on workshops, a vibrant vendor marketplace, and complimentary coffee, tea, and pastries. Open to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members, the event creates a welcoming space to learn about and experience authentic Indigenous art. Attendees will engage directly with Indigenous artists, participate in cultural workshops such as beading, and explore a curated marketplace where artists keep 100% of their earnings. By centring Indigenous voices, the event fosters cultural exchange, civic engagement, and social inclusion while uplifting Indigenous entrepreneurship and artistic expression in a supportive community environment.
Abubaker Bukulu, Toronto, East York, Ontario
Voice Up
Voice Up is a mobile podcasting studio that amplifies the voices of Black immigrant and refugee youth across Ontario. By transforming parks and public spaces into creative storytelling zones, the project makes media production accessible and participatory. Through workshops, youth develop digital storytelling skills, record personal narratives, and engage in discussions about civic issues that impact their lives. Activities include podcast training, live recording sessions, community listening events, and pop-up exhibitions that invite the public to engage with their stories. By centring marginalized voices, Voice Up fosters social inclusion, strengthens belonging, and transforms public space into a stage for empowerment and dialogue.
Lucy Cai, Ottawa, Ontario
Cycle Safe Ottawa
Cycle Safe Ottawa will activate public space by providing bikes as a zero-cost method for residents to explore, navigate, and commute in their local community. Workshops will teach residents how to ride a bike, how to commute safely, and how to repair and maintain their bikes. Bikeathons will provide an opportunity for community members to meet and make connections, fostering social inclusion.
Wilma Delo, Barrie, Ontario
Filipino Street Games, Shared Stories
Filipino Street Games, Shared Stories seeks to revive and showcase Filipino games that were once central to childhood in the 1900s. These games are played without electronic gadgets or expensive materials, fostering creativity, teamwork and genuine social connections. Through a series of community events and workshops in public spaces, the project will introduce these games to children, youth and even adults/seniors.
Loretta Di Eugenio, North Bay, Ontario
Theatre Making North Bay
Theatre Making North Bay offers free, accessible play-reading events for seniors, fostering connection, creativity, and emotional expression. Sessions in civic venues, such as the North Bay Public Library and White Water Gallery, as well as other underutilized spaces, feature interactive theatre activities that welcome all, regardless of experience. Materials and refreshments are provided through community partnerships.
Kimberly Duguay, Garden River, Ontario
Waabishka ma’iingan Play Centre
Waabishka ma’iingan is a safe play space for neurodivergent children to play, explore, and have fun. This project will use natural and recycled safe materials to create safe, supportive settings in the community where these parents/guardians can sit and enjoy watching their children play and explore nature on their own First Nation.
Nicole Dyble, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Piecing It Together Shows Pop-Up
The Piecing It Together Shows Pop-Up will be an all-ages inclusive space for collaborative art, music, and community programming. There will be a focus on accessibility and inclusion for LGBTQ2S+, IBPOC, and other equity-deserving groups.
André Lorenz Feria, Ajax, Ontario
Echoes of Home: A Kulintang and Community Choir Project
Echoes of Home is a community-based music project that brings together Filipino residents in Ajax through an intergenerational choir that blends kulintang, choral music, and storytelling. Throughout the project, participants will gather for weekly rehearsals and workshops that explore Filipino musical traditions and migration narratives. The project culminates in a public performance that activates local space and celebrates diasporic identity through sound. Centred on cultural memory, collaboration, and community care, Echoes of Home creates a welcoming space where Filipino voices, experiences, and heritage can be heard, shared, and passed on across generations.
Nelly Folefack, London, Ontario
MAYA – Broken But Not Lost Community Hub
MAYA is an intergenerational community hub rooted in the principle “Broken But Not Lost.” The project will bring together seniors, youth, and families to repair objects, cultivate gardens, cook anti-waste meals, and share cultural knowledge in London’s public spaces. By combining environmental action with social inclusion, MAYA transforms isolation into a sense of belonging and waste into valuable resources. Through repair workshops, storytelling gardens, and community kitchens, participants will rediscover their own value and that of others. This initiative will strengthen civic engagement, activate underused public spaces, and foster a culture of resilience, collaboration, and mutual support.
Austin Ekekhomen, Scarborough, Ontario
Shade and Trade
Shade & Trade Market Labs is an initiative that brings people together in overlooked lots and parkettes, turning them into shaded, welcoming spaces for gathering, earning, and civic action. The project hosts three free pop-up markets that double as civic studios. Each lab supports first-time vendors—especially youth and women selling from home—practical guidance on pricing, permits, and cashless sales, alongside small starter stipends. At the same time, residents engage in civic studios where they vote on local improvements like benches, safer crossings, and shade, while learning straightforward steps to act. The project emphasizes accessibility and active community participation.
Julien Hodge, Ottawa, Ontario
COJA Civics Ready
The COJA’s Civics Ready project will organize five events across five high schools, focusing on teaching 11th- and 12th-grade students about the civic process, with a particular emphasis on municipal politics. At the same time, this project will create valuable and engaging volunteer opportunities for youth to learn useful career and life skills.
Logan Haney, Kenora, Ontario
Pathways to Connection
Pathways to Connection is building a ‘pathway’ that will integrate restorative practices and community connection to promote proactive community engagement and relationship building amongst community members in the Kenora area. This project will engage community members in activities and events that impact our community in initiative-taking while making it accessible and inclusive for all to participate and create meaningful and positive connections.
Sarah Hasan, Toronto, Ontario
Can Companion
Can Companion proposes small, purposeful interventions that make collecting recyclables easier and dignified. By equipping existing bins with simple, hygienic attachments, anyone can safely gather valuable recyclables. Prototyping and community feedback will ensure that the “Can Companion” creates a circular neighbourhood.
Kathie Ho, Milton, Ontario
AccessAble Spaces
AccessAble Spaces is on a mission to make community spaces welcoming for everyone. Conversations are the first step toward supporting individuals and organizations in creating truly inclusive spaces. From interactive workshops and practical resources to event-specific advice, the project supports the reimagining of spaces so that everyone can participate.
Shalaka Jadhav, Kitchener, Ontario
Sandhills Lawn Game Club
Sandhills Lawn Games Club expands the cultural definition of “lawn games” to include “street games” from the Global South. Staged as play and cultural dialogue, the project highlights how games signal cooperation, tension, and shared values. “Members” of the fictional club will gather to play adapted games, and receive native pollinator seeds, bringing attention to the ways that our public parks are heterogenized by lawn-grasses. In prompting reflection on land use and recreational space, we reimagine lawns and parks not as passive backdrops but as dynamic commons where community values are negotiated, contested, and reshaped through joyful play.
Robert Lawler, Utopia, Ontario
Time to Be Together and Help Our Community
Time to Be Together and Help Our Community is a program where a group of individuals with special needs come together monthly to learn how to plan and maintain a garden, grow fruits, vegetables, and herbs. As each grows, they will learn how to cook healthy meals and preserve them for the winter. While learning to cook, bake, and/or preserve, they can provide food for those in our community who lack access to these resources. They will discover how to lead a healthy life while making a positive impact in our community and learning the importance of composting, growing our own, and so much more.
Christian Latour, Hamilton, Ontario
Together We Play – Hamilton
Together We Play – Hamilton transforms underused public spaces into inclusive, social hubs through board game events. These four-hour gatherings are bilingual, accessible, and welcoming to all ages and backgrounds. Facilitators guide participants through easy-to-learn games that encourage teamwork, conversation, and intergenerational connection.
Karen Leary, Toronto, Ontario
Community Includes Us
Community Includes Us! will focus on social inclusion of seniors and on intergenerational opportunities within the community. The project aims to offer a range of programs that will enrich the lives of seniors, encompassing art, storytelling, movement, and music. These programs will run every week.
Melody Li, Markham, Ontario
From Rescue to Table: Community Kitchens Across Cultures
From Rescue to Table: Community Kitchens Across Cultures is a year-long, bimonthly series of cook-along demonstrations led by local POC chefs at rotating POC-owned food businesses and public plazas across the GTA. The series teaches community members to transform rescued surplus food into culturally rooted, authentic, low-cost, and sustainable dishes—helping people reconnect with their cultural identity while turning kitchens and public spaces into inclusive, environmentally responsible hubs where communities can flourish.
Pamela Marsales, Haliburton Village, Ontario
Visualizing our 8-80 Village Pathways Through Community Mapmaking
Visualizing our 8-80 Village Pathways through community mapmaking will create an innovative community-made map. The process will involve discovery, conveying routes visually and describing them intuitively. People will be invited to contribute hand-drawn versions of their own walking and biking routes to favourite destinations.
Esther Maud, Thunder Bay, Ontario
Wabshkaa Animkii Benesii Cultural Hub & Storytelling Lodge
The Wabshkaa Animkii Benesii Cultural Hub & Storytelling Lodge will create a welcoming public space where youth, Elders, families, and neighbours gather to share culture, stories, and food through monthly storytelling circles and workshops for ribbon skirt and shirt making, drum and rattle teachings, and regalia showcases. Seasonal feasts will also celebrate community and a sense of belonging. This project strengthens cultural pride, fosters reconciliation, and builds inclusion by bringing people together across generations and backgrounds.
Negar Pooya, Vaughan/Toronto, Ontario
Windows of Memory
Windows of Memory engages immigrant elders in Ontario to reflect on their journeys of arrival and belonging. Through guided workshops and conversations, participants will transform their life stories into visual narratives using collage, archival photographs, letters, and symbolic objects. The final works will be presented in public spaces, inviting the broader community to connect with untold stories of migration, identity, and resilience. By transforming personal memories into shared experiences, the project fosters inclusion, activates public spaces through art, and creates a space for intergenerational dialogue and recognition.
Shauna Rae, Dorchester, Ontario
Youth For Truth (Y4T)
Youth for Truth (Y4T) is a youth-led initiative that reimagines what journalism can be in the hands of young people from rural areas. It’s a space for exploration, curiosity and transformation where young people are empowered to ask bold questions, tell authentic stories, and engage meaningfully with their communities. All while learning our own truth, both individually and collectively, and how we remain rooted in our own values.
Marcel Stewart, Hamilton, Ontario
The Living Diary
The Living Diary is a public art project based in Hamilton’s Gibson neighbourhood. The project invites residents to share short, unpolished reflections on life along Barton Street East. These voices are curated into layered audio soundscapes, accessible through QR-coded listening posts along Barton Street and at storefronts. A community workshop will bring neighbours together to reflect and create collective poems from their words. Drawing from theatre, sound art, and civic engagement practices, The Living Diary creates space for imagination, challenging the stigma attached to Barton and affirming the creativity and resilience that continue to shape it.
Sam Tecle, Toronto, Ontario
Capturing a Community Amidst Change
Capturing a Community Amidst Change is a project that aims to capture a community in flux, one that is changing. Jane & Finch is more than just an intersection; it is a community comprising many neighbourhoods and diverse people from around the world who have settled here and made this place their home. Now in this moment, Jane & Finch is undergoing massive changes, from whole swaths of housing being torn down, to the Finch West LRT going right through the heart of the community, my project asks the question: in poor Black & racialized communities, who gets to set the agenda for what change looks like?
About 8 80 Cities
8 80 Cities is a nonprofit organization based in Toronto, Canada. We are dedicated to contributing to the transformation of cities into places where people can walk, bike, access public transit and visit vibrant parks and public places. Our approach is to engage people and communities across multiple sectors, inspiring the creation of cities that are easily accessible, safe, and enjoyable for all. We achieve our mission through grant projects, research and advocacy, and innovative services. For more, visit: 880cities.org.
About Balsam Foundation
Balsam Foundation exists to enable and galvanize the well-being and potential of our communities. We are committed to a future where all Canadians benefit from a high standard of health and well-being. For this reason, our funding will reflect approaches that put people first, strike a balance between personal and collective wellness, and acknowledge the impact of social determinants of health and the context within which people live, work and play. For more, visit balsamfoundation.com.
Media Contact
Katie Konstantopoulos, Project Manager, 8 80 Cities, kkonstantopoulos@880cities.org, 289-212-3530.
Jiya Benni, Director of Programs and Development, 8 80 Cities, jbenni@880cities.org, 647-800-5590.
