Community support
Does your non-profit or grass roots organization need access to modest funding, space or promotions?
Are you a professor or student wanting to support in bringing community-based knowledge into your class?
Below are examples of the kinds of work that the OCE supports and the ways in which we offer that support.
Contact us if you are interested in obtaining more information.
Protest & Pedagogy
4th SPACE
The OCE provided support funding for Protest & Pedagogy, an event series held at Concordia's 4th Space as a "lens through which to reflect upon the unfinished business of decolonization, the role of pedagogy and institutions, and ongoing discussions about race and racism." The series was held in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of a major student protest, which took place Sir George Williams University, a precursor of Concordia, and highlighted discriminatory pedagogical practices and institutional failures.
Year(s) active: 2019
ACCM Documentary Theatre Project
The OCE provided honoraria for the production team of “On Life and Living,” a documentary theatre piece two years in the making which told the story of Aids Community Care Montreal, a local community organization.
Year(s) active: 2015
Round Table Forum on Strengthening Black Families
African-Canadian Development and Prevention Network (ACDPN)
The OCE provided space and financial support to a roundtable hosted by African-Canadian Development and Prevention Network (ACDPN) in partnership with Concordia University to explore how to address the challenges facing Black families, especially the over-representation of Black youth in the provincial Youth Protection system, and to increase access to best practice prevention approaches.
Year(s) active: 2013
Amal Center for Women Seminar Series
Amal Center for Women
The OCE provided space for a five-part speaker series developed by the Amal Center for Women to promote female empowerment and raise funds for their organization.
Year(s) active: 2016
Public Consultation on Systemic Racism
Bienvenue NDG
The OCE facilitated access to space at Loyola campus and helped promote the public consultation on system racism which was organized by Bienvenue NDG, a community organization mandated to hold the session as part of Quebec’s consultations on systemic racism.
Year(s) active: 2017
Anti-Bullying Conference
Brian Bronfman Family Foundation
The OCE provided space to an anti-bullying initiative of the Brian Bronfman Family Foundation, which aims to promote a more harmonious and empathetic society through a range of projects.
Year(s) active: 2014
Quebec on the move: English-speaking community-builders and social changers from 1960-2010
Centre for Community Organizations (COCo)
The OCE waived library atrium rental fees and collaborated on an opening event for COCo’s “Quebec on the Move: English-speaking community builders and social changers from 1960–2010” exhibit, which aimed to contribute to the vitality of Quebec’s English-speaking communities by sharing and developing the recent history of its social movements. The project was funded by Canadian Heritage and supported by the Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network.
Year(s) active: 2014
Race & Pedagogy
ChamPaint Montreal
The OCE provided support funding for ChamPaint Montreal's Race & Pedagoy event at Head & Hands. This event was held for students of colour to come together over painting, champagne, and hot food and discuss their experiences in academia.
Year(s) active: 2019
International Women’s Day Performance
Choeur Maha
The OCE facilitated Montreal choir Choeur Maha’s three public performances, which were held at Concordia for the second year in commemoration of International Women’s Day.
Year(s) active: 2014, 2017, 2018
Blanket Exercise Workshop
CHNGR
The OCE collaborated with CHNGR to organize the Blanket Exercise, an event held for the general public at the District 3 Innovation Center at Concordia and aims to use popular education methodology to build understanding about our shared history as Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Year(s) active: 2018
Reconciliation Strategy consultations
City of Montreal
The OCE organized two consultations with Concordia students and Indigenous citizens in support of a reconciliation strategy for the City of Montreal’s Commissioner of Indigenous Relations.
Year(s) active: 2018
StartUp Nations
Commission de developpement economique des Premieres Nations du Quebec et du Labrador
The OCE collaborated in hosting StartUP Nations, a three-day event for Indigenous youth on social and collective entrepreneurship bringing together youth from a wide range of Quebec Indigenous communities to develop their entrepreneurship ideas and engage with experts.
Year(s) active: 2017, 2018
National Strategic Planning Meeting
Community-Campus Engage Canada
The OCE hosted the national strategic planning meeting from Community-Campus Engage Canada, an organization committed to strengthening Canadian communities through community-campus engagement.
Year(s) active: 2018
Creating Common Ground: The Community Mapping National Summit
Community Mapping Network
The OCE booked on and off-campus space and provided catering, coordination, and promotional support to “Creating Common Ground: The Community Mapping National Summit” at Concordia University, which consisted of two public events to examine cartography’s ability to affect change.
Year(s) active: 2015
Creative Video Day Camp
Coop Collective Vision
In partnership with the Dean of Students Office, the OCE subsidized the cost of sending youth from lower-income families from Verdun Elementary School to attend the Creative Video Day Camp, which is organized by Coop Collective Vision and gives creative youth the opportunity to express themselves through film production.
Year(s) active: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
Concordia Black History Month: Black Artist Residency Exhibition & Programming
Critical Feminist Activism and Research (C-FAR)
The OCE provided financial support to the Montreal Black Artists-in-Community Residency Exhibition and Programming, which aimed to create a platform for representing Black identity in Montreal and to foster an emerging and crucial relationship between Black communities and our University.
Year(s) active: 2017
Youth Entrepreneurship Project
École Barile
The OCE hired a Master's student, as part of his internship requirements, to work with a teacher at École Baril, where they developed and delivered a series of workshops to teach a special needs class about entrepreneurship and guide them through the process of launching their own micro-business.
Year(s) active: 2016
Social Innovation Challenge
EDGE
A Network for Ministry Renewal & Development, the Ministries in French of the L'Eglise Unie du Canada/United Church of Canada, Percolab and Marlo Turner Ritchie consulting
The OCE and CHNGR supported the Social Innovation Challenge on behalf of Concordia University. The challenge was an opportunity to connect people with social innovation ideas to funders looking to support positive change in local neighbourhoods and communities.
Year(s) active: 2016
"This Is a Book for Parents of Gay Kids" Book Tour
Everyone Is Gay
The OCE provided space and promotional support to the Concordia stop of the book tour for “This Is a Book for Parents of Gay Kids,” written by the co-founders of Everyone Is Gay.
Year(s) active: 2014
Family Information Fair
The OCE provided catering to the Family Information Fair, a free event which offered information relating to local resources and services for families.
Year(s) active: 2018
Moose Hide Campaign event
First Voices Week
The OCE sponsored and provided staff support to First Voices Week Concordia's Moose Hide Campaign event. The Moose Hide Campaign is a grassroots movement of Indigenous and non-Indigenous men and boys who are standing up to violence against women and children.
Year(s) active: 2019
Tillutarniit
FOFA Gallery
The OCE provided financial support for the Tillutarniit festival, which celebrates Inuit art, film, and culture and is presented by the FOFA Gallery. Its outdoor location and interactive programming brings together families and passersby from Montreal and Inuit communities.
Year(s) active: 2017, 2018
Projet InterACTion
Groupe Harmonie
The OCE promoted volunteer opportunities and provided catering for the launch event of Groupe Harmonie’s Projet InterACTion and also produced a video about the project, which offered computer and internet workshops to seniors living in HLMs in downtown Montreal.
Year(s) active: 2014
Autour de Mair private screening
Hejer Charf, Filmmaker
The OCE hosted a screening of “Autour de Mair,” a film about Maïr Verthuy, the co-founder and first director of the Simone de Beauvoir Institute.
Year(s) active: 2015
Indigenous Directions Leadership Group
Action Plan: Indigenous Students Approval Process
The OCE’s Geneviève facilitated group discussions as part of this action plan consultation organized by the Indigenous Directions Leadership Group and held at the Concordia Aboriginal Student Resource Center.
Year(s) active: 2018
Action Plan: Indigenous Community Approval Process
The OCE’s Charmaine, Geneviève, Emma, and Alex helped facilitate this event organized by the Indigenous Directions Leadership Group and held at the Concordia Centre for Teaching and Learning.
Year(s) active: 2018
Monthly Committee
The OCE’s Charmaine and Geneviève are members of the IDLG, which meets once a month to advance the Indigenous Strategic Directions for Concordia.
Year(s) active: 2017, 2018
Building Respectful Relationships with Indigenous Peoples Workshops
The OCE provided logistical support to these three days of intensive training held on Loyola Campus, provided by Alannah Young Leon and Denise Nadeau and co-presented by the Indigenous Directions Leadership Group (IDLG) and the Religions and Cultures Department at Concordia University.
Year(s) active: 2017
L’École d’été
Institut du Nouveau Monde
The OCE helped organize two discussions, one of which was in partnership with the Montreal Urban Aboriginal Community Strategy Network and Canadian Roots Exchange, during the annual L’École d’été conference. The event was organized by l’Institut du Nouveau Monde and brought together hundreds of engaged youth, community organizers, and civil society leaders.
Year(s) active: 2018
Jamaica Independence Celebration
Jamaica Association of Montreal
The OCE collaborated with the Jamaica Association on this celebration of 55 years of Jamaican independence.
Year(s) active: 2017
Art Hive Symposium
Janis Timm-Bottos, faculty member
The OCE provided catering for the first ever Art Hive Symposium, an opportunity to explore, learn, reflect, and co-design possibilities for the dissemination of arts-based social inclusion projects across Canada.
Year(s) active: 2014
RECREAR Magnify residency program
Jeanne Sauve Foundation
The OCE assisted the Jeanne Sauvé Foundation by finding venues at Concordia and performing outreach to interested researchers for its RECREAR two-week residency program, an opportunity for practitioners to dive deeply into personal and organizational transformation.
Year(s) active:
Remix Ed unconference
LEARN Quebec
The OCE provided event space to Remix Ed, a pedagogical UNconference which encourages the sharing of experience and expertise in teaching.
Year(s) active: 2016, 2017, 2018
En la casa, la cama y la calle
Liz Miller, faculty member
The OCE hosted a pre-screening conversation and cocktail with Liz Miller and women’s rights groups in Montreal before the premiere of the film “En la Casa, la cama y la calle,” or “At Home in Bed and in the Streets,” at the Rendez-Vous Festival.
Year(s) active: 2014
Summit on Philanthropic Culture
Mallet Institute
The OCE gave logistical support and coordinated with Concordia, which sponsored the Mallet Institute’s Summit on Philanthropic Culture, a multi-day event held at the Palais des Congrès de Montréal.
Year(s) active: 2017
Métis Kitchen
Faculty of Fine Arts
The OCE hosted and provided financial support for the first Métis Kitchen Table Talk in conjunction with the Department of Art History and Julie Nagam, Visiting Scholar on the topic of critical art discourse that values Indigenous knowledge systems.
Year(s) active: 2018
Drupal Camp
Montreal Drupal Association
The OCE provided space to Drupal Camp, which provides the opportunity to learn and share the principles of open-source software development at its annual three-day event.
Year(s) active: 2017, 2018
Spring Gathering, Office Space, Committee representation
Montreal Urban Aboriginal Community Strategy Network
The OCE provided a work space to employees of the the Montreal Urban Aboriginal Community Strategy Network and hosted its Spring 2018 Gathering. The OCE’s Geneviève represents Concordia on the Employment and Education Circle committee and provides logistical support to MAMU!, an annual employment fair for Indigenous Peoples.
Year(s) active: 2018
Housing Activism from New York City to Montreal: Conversations with Movement for Justice in El Barrio
Movement for Justice in El Barrio
The OCE collaborated with the Centre for Community Organizations (COCo), the Comité d’Action de Parc Extension (CAPE), and the Centre for Gender Advocacy in organizing two learning exchanges between Montreal housing rights organizers and the East Harlem-based Movement for Justice in El Barrio, which concerns itself with issues surrounding gentrification.
Year(s) active: 2017
Creative Spirits
Native Montreal
The OCE provided space to Creative Spirits, which hosts digital art workshops for Indigenous youth.
Year(s) active: 2018
Next City Vanguard Conference Montreal
Next City
The OCE provided space and programming support for the Next City Vanguard experiential leadership conference, a design challenge which focused on the needs of community partners.
Year(s) active: 2017
Leanne Betasamosake Simpson in Conversation With Moe Clark
Pop Montreal
The OCE provided support to Masters and PhD English students from a class about Indigenous Canadian literature and cultures to attend “Leanne Betasamosake Simpson in Conversation With Moe Clark” at the POP Montreal Symposium as well as Simpson’s performance.
Year(s) active: 2018
The Road to 2017
Quebec Community Groups Network
The OCE provided discounted rental space, promotional support, and words of welcome to the delegates of “The Road to 2017: Young Quebecers Leading the Way,” which aimed to actively implicate young Quebecers in Canada’s sesquicentennial through the lens of history, heritage, and civic engagement.
Year(s) active: 2016
Roots for Innovation
RACINE CARREE
RacineCarrée is an impact-oriented experiential learning hub. Building off of partnerships between Concordia University and Montreal-area schools, RacineCarrée brings together university and primary school students to design and implement real-world solutions for existing needs in the local community.
Year(s) active: 2015, 2016
Radical Resthomes Discussion Group
Radical Resthomes
The OCE provided space for bi-weekly meetings at Loyola campus for the discussion group of Radical Resthomes, which aims to boost comfort and autonomy for seniors by promoting innovative arrangements beyond the conventional retirement home.
Year(s) active: 2014
Global Gathering
Resource Movement
The OCE found venues at Concordia and assisted with outreach to researchers for the global gathering of the Resource Movement, a cross-class organization focused on amplifying the power of existing social and environmental movements.
Year(s) active:
LOYC 398 Film
Rosemarie Schade, faculty member
The OCE supported production of a short film documenting the experiences of LOYC 398 students and NDG community members. The filmmaker, David Adelman, also worked on a short video about the course for OCE’s Spotlight on Community Engagement series.
Year(s) active: 2014
My Montreal, Our Values
Salima Punjani, journalism student
The OCE covered costs associated with with the exhibition at Loyola Chapel of “My Montreal, Our Values,” a participatory photography project aimed toward celebrating the cultural diversity of Montreal.
Year(s) active: 2014
Froot Cup
Santropol Roulant
The OCE waived facilities fees for Santropol Roulant, which hosted their annual soccer tournament fundraiser at the Loyola field. One year, the OCE coordinated a Concordia team for the event.
Year(s) active: 2014
Celebrating Our Seniors Contributions
Seniors Action Quebec (SAQ)
The OCE partnered with Seniors Action Quebec to host a celebration during which nine seniors were recognized for their outstanding contributions to their communities.
Year(s) active: 2013
Concordia Black History Month: Black Artist Residency Exhibition & Programming
Simone de Beauvoir Institute
The OCE provided financial support to the Concordia Black History Month: Black Artist Residency Exhibition and Programming project, which aims to create a platform for representing Black identity in Montreal and foster an emerging and crucial relationship between Black communities and the University.
Year(s) active: 2018
Board Meetings
St-James Drop-In Centre
The OCE provided space for meetings of the board of St. James Drop-in Centre, an organization which offers a safe and supportive community-oriented environment to those who are marginalized and/or homeless.
Year(s) active: 2017
Stone Carving Workshop
Eduardo Della Foresta, Faculty of Fine Arts
The OCE provided support funding for Abelie Napartuk from Pourvinituq and Simiuni Nauya from Akulivik to share their community-held knowledge and expertise of stone carving in a hands on workshop during the Sculpture 210 Undergraduate class - Material practices class.
Year(s) active: 2018
University Women's Club of Montreal Fundraiser
University Women's Club of Montreal
The OCE hosted the University Women’s Club of Montreal’s Fundraiser at no charge as it raised funds to support a scholarship for Concordia students..
Year(s) active: 2014
Westmount Science Camp
The OCE supported the Office of Research in their partnership with the Westmount Science Camp, which promotes a love for science among youth through hands-on participation.
Year(s) active: 2014
Annual Meeting
World Social Forum
The OCE presented a workshop and organized discounted rental space for film screenings during the World Social Forum, an annual meeting of people associated with civil society organizations and social movements committed to a more inclusive, sustainable world.
Year(s) active: 2016
Youth Gathering
Canadian Roots Exchange
The OCE supported the participation of four youths in the annual Youth Conference in Saskatoon, a by youth/for youth event at which Concordia’s delegation is attending and presenting workshops which will engage participants in interactive dialogues on solidarity, reconciliation, and challenging negative stereotypes.
Year(s) active: 2018
Youth Stars Foundation
Youth Entrepreneurship Symposium
The OCE provided event space for Youth Stars Foundation to host a Youth Entrepreneurship Symposium, which provided business workshops for underprivileged youth, promoting equal opportunity for all.
Year(s) active: 2018
Hip Hop Town Hall
The OCE provided event space and support funding for Youth Stars Foundation's first annual Hip Hop Town Hall conference, a free event for Black History Month. The event examined the Montreal hip hop scene and the impact of hip hop music on popular culture, including questions around how to preserve the authenticity of the artform, an important mode of expression.
Year(s) active: 2019
Zab Maboungou, Master Classes and Workshops
Zab Maboungou & Nyata-Nyata
The OCE provided support funding for dancer Zab Maboungou of Compagnie Nyata-Nyata to share community-held knowledge and expertise through master-classes and workshops in the context of a large-scale foundations course, FFAR 250 Interdisciplinary Studies and practices class.
Year(s) active: 2018
