Summit for Creative Community Solutions 2026 Schedule

The 2026 Summit for Creative Community Solutions will take place November 4-5, 2026, at the Best Western Hotel and Conference Centre in Brantford, Ontario.

Schedule

[Schedule will be updated as needed.]

Day 1: November 4, 2026

8:30 to 9:00 a.m. | Location: Gala Room

• Registration and Refreshments

9:00 to 9:45 a.m. | Location: Gala Room

• Land Acknowledgements & Thanksgiving
• Welcoming Remarks & Keynote: Jonathan Newman, Reflections on Universities’ Roles in Community Partnerships

9:50 to 10:50 a.m. | Session 1

Panel | Location: Room 1 | Amplifying Community Expertise in Violence Prevention

• Allison Prieur, Shared from the Start: How a Community-Engaged Research Practice Partnership Came Together
• Jenn Root, Marcia Oliver, Joanna Brant, Jezeth Esmas, Kasey Palitano, Community Expertise in Violence Prevention: Centering Practice-Based Knowledge in Research Partnerships
• Taha Hayat, Taylor the Turtle: An Educational App for Children and Parents

Round Table | Location: Room 2 | Accessibility in Continuing Education

• Moderator: James Popham

10:50 to 11:00 a.m. | BREAK

11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. | Session 2

Panel | Location: Room 1 | Community Collaboration and Systems Change

• Shaneeza Nazseer, Breaking the Experience Barrier for Young & Newcomer Professionals
• Fatima Muzzamal, Town and Gown Social and Economic Impact report
• Alexis Giles, Municipal Employee's Experiences with Work-Related Online Harassment

Workshop | Location: Room 2

• Brenden Sheehan, Board Governance

12:00 to 12:50 p.m. | Location: Gala Room

• Lunch
• Student research poster presentation
• The BioAdaptive Stand-Up Squad

1:00 to 2:00 p.m. | Session 3

Panel | Location: Room 1 | Community-Based Approaches to Health Equity and Wellbeing

• Amanda Bakke, Implementing an Evidence-Based Anti-Racism Training Program Across Rural & Remote Health Systems - Lessons from Northeastern Ontario
• Anna Do, From Listening to Action: A Community-University Partnership Approach to Housing and Health Knowledge Translation in Hamilton’s Beasley Neighbourhood
• Sugam Basnet, My Mental Health, My Strength: Navigating the Invisible Battle

Workshop | Location: Room 2

• Shawna Riebling, Mobilizing Knowledge Effectively

2:00 to 2:10 p.m. | BREAK

2:10 to 3:10 p.m. | Session 4

Panel | Location: Room 1 | Youth Engagement and Leadership in Educational Spaces

• Kaye Conoy, From Conversation to Action: Developing a Student-Faculty Partnership Model for Wellbeing-Oriented Learning Environments
• Melissa McLetchie, Social Justice in a Social World: Youth Engagement Through Sociological Learning
• Vanessa Oliver, A Community Partnership for 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth-Led Sexuality Education

Workshop | Location: Room 2

• Ryan Huckle, Integrating Ethics into Work

3:15 to 4:15 p.m. | Session 5

Panel | Location: Room 1 | Youth Agency in Social Change

• Kylie Dennis, The Nature and Potentials of Activism: Reimagining Young People’s Political Engagement and Expression of Rights
• Erika Savage, Cognitive Engagement Across Academic and Sport Contexts
• Sandra Danolovich, Making Games with Care: Community-Engaged Research through Collaborative Game Design

Panel | Location: Room 2 | Reimagining Community Spaces and Connections

• Jeremy Fojut, Lonely Infrastructure: How Play Can Rebuild the Spaces Between Us
• Martha Cassidy-Neumiller, Greening Steeltown: Sensing with Community
• Sean Liu, Reimagining Member Engagement in Downtown Brantford: A Community-University UX Partnership

4:15 to 6:00 p.m. | Location: Gala Room

• Networking Event & Refreshments
• Musical Performance by Lisa Costa

Day 2: November 5, 2026

8:30 to 9:00 a.m. | Location: Gala Room

• Registration & Refreshments

9:00 to 9:45 a.m. | Location: Gala Room

• Keynote: Amanda Demmer, From Community Priorities to Collective Possibilities: The Future of Community-Based Research Partnership

9:50 to 10:50 a.m. | Location: Gala Room

• Film Screening, Bridging Divides: Voices and Visions about Homelessness in Midsize Cities

11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. | Session 6

Panel | Location: Room 1 | Institutional Change and Public Accountability

• Ardavan Eizadirad, Navigating DEI Challenges in the Public Sector: From Symbolic Commitments to Shared Accountability
• David Prang, Intersection of Business and the University
• Laine Young, Andrew Spring, Jie-Soo Park, Building a Food Future in Waterloo Region

Workshop | Location: Room 2

• Elyse Milller, Navigating Funding

12:00 to 12:50 p.m. | Location: Gala Room

• Lunch

1:00 to 2:00 p.m. | Session 7

Panel | Location: Room 1 | Music, Community, and Collaborative Partnerships

• Karen Cyrus, University and Community Partnerships: The Role of Relationships in Research Ecosystems
• Eileen Lin, Serving the Community Through Music: Investigating the Applications of Music During Wound Care
• Demian Kogutek, Scaling Improvised Active Music Therapy from the Lab to the Broader Community

Workshop | Location: Room 2

• Amy Brandt, Community Development 101: Moving Ideas into Actions

2:10 p.m. | Location: Gala Room

• Refreshments & Closing Remarks
• Musical Performance by Demian Kogutek

Session Details

Keynotes: Jonathan Newman and Amanda Demmer

Session 1

Panel | Amplifying Community Expertise in Violence Prevention 

TBD

Moderator: TBD

Return to Schedule. 

Round Table | Accessibility in Continuing Education

TBD

Moderator: James Popham

Return to Schedule. 

Session 2

Panel | Community Collaboration and Systems Change 

TBD

Moderator: TBD

Return to Schedule. 

Workshop | Board Governance

TBD

Return to Schedule. 

Session 3

Panel | Community-Based Approaches to Health Equity and Wellbeing

TBD

Moderator: TBD

Return to Schedule. 

Workshop | Mobilizing Knowledge Effectively 

TBD

Return to Schedule. 

Session 4

Panel | Youth Engagement and Leadership in Educational Spaces

TBD

Moderator: TBD

Return to Schedule. 

Workshop | Integrating Ethics into Work

TBD

Return to Schedule. 

Session 5

Panel | Youth Agency in Social Change

TBD

Moderator: TBD

Return to Schedule. 

Panel | Reimagining Community Spaces and Connections

TBD

Moderator: TBD

Return to Schedule. 

Session 6

Panel | Institutional Change and Public Accountability

TBD

Moderator: TBD

Return to Schedule. 

Workshop | Navigating Funding

TBD

Moderator: TBD

Return to Schedule. 

Session 7

Panel | Music, Community, and Collaborative Partnerships

TBD

Moderator: TBD

Return to Schedule. 

Workshop | Community Development 101: Moving Ideas into Actions

TBD

Moderator: TBD

Return to Schedule. 

Performances

Return to Schedule. 

Exhibitions

A poster showcase of creative community projects and film screening

Return to Schedule.