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Photo by Abundance Bureau
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SHIFT Centre for Social Transformation
September 2025
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The heat waves have seemingly broken, which has signaled a change in the air. A colder change, but also a lighter and unhazy one.
Many community organizations disperse and slow down their pace to enjoy the summer weather, and while there are always whirlwind moments that spark action (made possible by invisible, year-round work), summer (when possible) tends to be about recreation. The routine of systems-change is altered so that we can reset.
As autumn approaches, we move in this cycle towards another period of reset, one for the land. A period of rest and recreation, followed by a period of slow decay.
As we look back on what has changed—in us, around us, through us—what can we discover? And as we contemplate another winter, what can expiration teach us if we listen? What grounds us in times of rest and what grounds us in times of decay? And are they the same?
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Events at our space
Hoodwinked in the Hothouse: False Solutions to Climate Change
Thursday, August 28 @ 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Join Climate Justice Montreal for a workshop crafted around the Hoodwinked in the Hothouse zine and focusing on issues such as hydroelectricity, carbon capture, natural gas and the real solutions to the climate crisis! In the 12 years since the second edition of the zine was released as a pop-ed zine, practices and policies to address climate change have expanded and deepened false solutions in shocking and alarming ways. Hoodwinked demonstrates how climate change false solutions perpetuate, expand and reinforce colonial-imperial structures.
Film Screening: The Unstoppable Jenny Garcia
Saturday, August 30 @ 1 - 4 p.m.
Join us for an unforgettable event celebrating the launch of The Unstoppable Jenny Garcia! which tells the story of 13-year-old Jenny, a talented and driven Filipino-Canadian dancer from Scarborough who is on a mission to lead her dance troupe to fame - until a cancer diagnosis threatens to rob her of her dreams. Hosted by Centre Kapwa, we’re coming together to honor strength, community, and the power of storytelling. This EXCLUSIVE screening will be followed by a powerful community talkback with Fly Lady Di and France Stohner, diving deep into mental health, youth, and the arts.
Gradience
Saturday, September 6 @ 5 - 8 p.m.
Over the summer, the Office of Community Engagement (OCE) and Press Start worked together on a 12-week art and social transformation mentorship, which paired local youth from Pointe Saint Charles with Concordia student mentors. Through this collaboration, mentees explored social justice themes and developed skills across a range of artistic mediums.
Gradiance is the culmination of this mentorship: a showcase and artist talk where participants will present their works, reflect on their creative journeys, and share how art can be a vehicle for social transformation, empowerment, and reimagining better futures.
Art and Social Justice
Friday, September 12 @ 3 - 5 p.m.
The Social Justice Centre is launching a new initiative to foster and energize interdisciplinary research on social justice at Concordia as well as explore two sets of issues: arts for social justice and social justice for arts. Join us to create an ongoing, interdisciplinary group of professors and students at Concordia interested in exploring these two thematic clusters.
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Confronting Pride Series
This Pride Month in Montreal, we got to experience multiple perspectives that make up the collective push to detangle what was once a protest movement from the commodified celebration it is today. Yara Coussa spoke to us about what it was like to organize Wild Pride, a brand new festival focused on building communities of resistance and multiplicity. Queer Concordia President Jessica Winton argued for a plurality of tactics, and for queer activists to not shy away from coming to the table with decision-makers, and even with those we oppose, to make material gains for their community. Queer McGill organizer Abe Berglas zoomed out further to consider how our current system of hyper-individualism and personal (often financial) actualization is incompatible with the intersectional identities that make up the LGBTQIA2S+ community. Community, as Berglas ultimately argued, is in fact the key to achieving justice. Jon Marvin Reyes offered personal and heartfelt reflection on just how integral safe and supportive community spaces are while navigating intersecting identities. While these different views on queer organizing do challenge each other, they demonstrate both the diversity of tactics at our disposal and the long road toward liberation for all that is still ahead of us.
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Credit: William Wilson
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We're Hiring a Communications Assistant!
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Photo by Abundance Bureau
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If you are a creative, welcoming and detail-oriented individual interested in assisting with SHIFT’s communications to meaningfully engage the community and increase our social media presence, this position might just be for you!
Be sure to apply before September 14!
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Submit your content to the SHIFT Newsletter
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We send out a newsletter every 4-6 weeks, and are happy to promote our wider community's activities & opportunities that are aligned with SHIFT's values, and benefit students, Concordians, and/or SHIFT's wider community members.
Send your requests through this form.
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Série « Affronter la fierté »
Au cours du Mois de la fierté à Montréal, nous avons pu découvrir les multiples perspectives qui composent l'effort collectif visant à dissocier ce qui était autrefois un mouvement de protestation de la célébration commercialisée qu'il est aujourd'hui. Yara Coussa nous a parlé de l'organisation de Fierté Indomptable, un tout nouveau festival axé sur la création de communautés de résistance et de multiplicité. Jessica Winton, présidente de Queer Concordia, a plaidé en faveur d'une pluralité de tactiques et a encouragé les militants queer à ne pas hésiter à s'asseoir à la table des décideurs, et même de ceux à qui nous nous opposons, afin d'obtenir des gains concrets pour leur communauté. Abe Berglas, organisateur ave Queer McGill, a élargi le débat en examinant comment notre système actuel d'hyperindividualisme et de réalisation personnelle (souvent financière) est incompatible avec les identités intersectionnelles qui composent la communauté LGBTQIA2S+. La communauté, comme l'a finalement fait valoir Berglas, est en fait la clé pour parvenir à la justice. Jon Marvin Reyes a proposé une réflexion personnelle et sincère sur l'importance des espaces communautaires sûrs et solidaires pour naviguer entre les identités intersectionnelles.
Si ces différents points de vue sur l'organisation queer se contredisent, ils démontrent à la fois la diversité des tactiques à notre disposition et le long chemin qui nous reste à parcourir vers la libération pour tous.
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Crédit: William Wilson
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Nous recrutons un.e assistant.e de communications!
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Photo by Abundance Bureau
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Si vous êtes une personne créative, accueillante et soucieuse du détail, intéressée par l'aide à la communication de SHIFT afin d'impliquer de manière significative la communauté et d'accroître notre présence sur les réseaux sociaux, ce poste est peut-être fait pour vous !
N'oubliez pas de postuler avant le 14 septembre !
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Soumettez votre contenu à la newsletter SHIFT
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Nous envoyons une lettre d'information toutes les 4 à 6 semaines et sommes heureux de promouvoir les activités et les opportunités de notre communauté élargie qui sont en accord avec les valeurs de SHIFT et qui profitent aux étudiants, aux Concordiens et/ou aux membres de la communauté élargie de SHIFT.
Envoyez vos demandes par le biais de ce formulaire.
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