Overview
The Changemaker Certificate is an extracurricular program offered by the Institute for Community at Mount Royal University. Over the fall semester, I participated in weekly discussions exploring systems thinking, social innovation, and community-focused approaches to change. This opportunity helped students better understand and recognize how systems operate, where barriers emerge, and how meaningful solutions can be developed collaboratively with communities rather than for them.
Throughout this learning journey, we explored how institutions, policies, environments, and social structures can shape people’s everyday experiences. Through conversations, workshops, and collaborative activities, I began developing a stronger understanding of how complex systems influence accessibility, participation, and well-being within communities.
Receiving my certificate alongside the program organizers (Cordelia Snowdon-Lawley and Barb Rallison)
What We Explored
-Systems thinking and systems mapping
- Community-centred and participatory approaches
- Social innovation and collaborative problem solving
- Identifying barriers within institutional systems
- Leadership through listening, reflection, and collaboration
- Designing with communities rather than for them
Opening Ceremony
Weekly Gathering
World Cafe with Catamount Community Partners
Key insights of the certificate written on post-it notes
Final System Map
A Shift in Perspective
While the program introduced me to systems thinking and community-centred approaches to change, one of the most meaningful takeaways was much more personal.
Many of our discussions focused on identity, authenticity, and the ways people navigate systems that are not always designed with them in mind. Early on, those conversations pushed me to reflect more deeply on my own experiences growing up in Quebec before moving to Alberta, and how adapting to contexts where my native language was no longer the norm shaped my sense of identity and belonging.
For many years, I shortened or avoided using my hyphenated name to make it easier for others to pronounce. Thanks to this certificate program, I gradually became more comfortable reclaiming my foreign-sounding name and embracing it as an important part of my identity rather than something that needed to be simplified for other people’s comfort.
My speech about reclaiming space and staying authentic at the final celebration ceremony
How This Influenced My Work
Many of the ideas explored throughout the program continue to appear throughout my work, particularly my interest in dismantling systemic barriers, improving well-being, and creating community-centred design.
Whether I am researching student well-being, evaluating website navigation, or assisting in planning events, I often find myself returning to the same core question: how can we more thoughtfully support people’s well-being while recognizing the larger systems shaping their everyday experiences?
