Summit for Creative Community Solutions

The first Summit for Creative Community Solutions, hosted by the Laurier Hub for Community Solutions on May 16, 2024, was a vibrant celebration of ingenuity and collaboration. This year’s theme was “Innovation, Sustainability, Inclusion.”

The Summit featured a series of compelling keynote addresses, interactive workshops, and dynamic panel discussions, all designed to ignite the spark of creativity and drive meaningful change. The event also included artistic performances, showcasing how creativity can be harnessed to address social issues and foster a sense of belonging.

The Summit is an initiative in partnership with the City of Brantford, Laurier’s Sustainability Office, Enterprise Brant, Alumni Office, Belonging Brant, Chamber of Commerce Brantford-Brant, and the Office of Research Services.

Eric Meliton, Manager of Laurier’s Sustainability Office, said, “The inaugural Summit for Creative Community Solutions showcased diverse perspectives on innovation, sustainability, and inclusivity. As part of our support, the Sustainability Office offered a tour of key projects and initiatives at the Brantford campus, highlighting our 2023-2028 Sustainability Action Plan.”

Peter Smith, Founder and Creative Director of the Canadian Centre for Rural Creativity and a presenter at the Summit, described the event as follows: “The Summit brought together so many creative voices from a number of different communities and in that weave, a lot of stories got told - stories that offered not only food for thought - but ideas for action.” The Summit clearly showcased the power of community and the potential that emerges when people come together with a shared vision for a better future.

Stay tuned for the Summit 2025!

Check out the full schedule of presentations, workshops, and performances. Visit Summit 2024 Schedule. 

Keynotes for Summit 2024

Creating Community along the Grand River

Ellie Joseph and Jay Bailey, Founders of Two Row on the Grand  

Using Image to Bridge the Gap betwen Science, Education, and Policy

Christian Clauwers, Photographer and EU Climate Pact Ambassador  

What You and I Can Do to Create Sustainability in a Rapidly Changing World

Robert McLeman, Professor, Department of Geography and Envrionmental Studies