City of Brantford and Wilfrid Laurier University StartUp Lab Brantford celebrated the conclusion of the fall 2025 Community Changemakers program on Wednesday, November 19, 2025.
At the celebration, nine innovative community-based projects were awarded funding to help kickstart their projects in Brantford.
“The Community Changemaker Program is an incredible opportunity to support residents develop new projects that increase safety, wellbeing, and belonging in our community,” said Kevin Davis, Mayor for the City of Brantford. “I am proud of the projects this year’s Changemakers participants have successfully proposed. On behalf of City Council, we look forward to seeing the positive impact these projects will have in Brantford.“
This year’s program invited residents to propose projects that activate local neighbourhoods and support the priorities of the City’s Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan by:
- Making neighbourhoods more vibrant, safe, inclusive, and/or sustainable
- Developing stronger relationships between residents, neighbourhood groups, and local organizations
- Enabling residents to become more actively involved in their community
- Fostering local pride and a sense of belonging
Over the course of six weeks, participants developed their ideas with the free support of an experienced professional in community development and innovation at Laurier StartUp Lab Brantford. Participants learned how to build out proposals, budgets, and create presentations for funding opportunities. The program concluded with a final pitch to a panel of judges from the City of Brantford. The selected projects will receive funding to launch and implement their projects, with each participant also receiving a certificate from Wilfrid Laurier University.
The following 2025 Community Changemaker projects received funding to help launch their ideas in the community:
- Parker’s Promise by Shalyn Wilson: creation and distribution of resource kits for new and expectant parents, featuring strategies and tools for grounding themselves in stressful situations, contact information for community service providers, and educational materials.
- Pass the Puck Forward by Steve Karalis: a social enterprise initiative where residents can buy mini “pucks” to redeem for food and drink at participating local businesses, encouraging a pay-it-forward model of spreading generosity, local pride, and community connection.
- Quilt of Belonging by Sharon Gashgarian: a display of the famous Quilt of Belonging: a collaborative work of art that celebrates Canada’s diversity, at local events in collaboration with community arts and heritage organizations.
- Brantford Food Skills Initiative by Rachael Kruger: a series of free, hands-on food security educational workshops, offered in partnership with the Brantford Station Neighbourhood Association, covering a range of topics, including growing your own food, meal preparation, and food preservation methods.
- Sidewalk Joy Art Cart by Natasha Buscombe: creation of a small mobile art gallery that will travel around as a pop-up art installation at community events, encouraging participation in art making, sharing art, and learning about local artists.
- Water Lantern Festival by Crystelle Perez and Nicolas Choo: a festival where community members design and release biodegradable lanterns to celebrate the importance of the Grand River, incorporating storytelling, environmental action, and community unity.
- Eagle Place Drop-In Art Classes by Jackie Cooper: free monthly art classes over the course of 10 months where residents ages 16 and up can participate in guided, hands-on activities that foster creativity and encourage self-expression.
- The Golden Standard Initiative by Chelsea Davies: a startup to increase awareness of the services and resources available for preventing and reporting drug-facilitated sexual assaults and intimate partner violence, including distribution of GHB testing strips to local businesses and organizations.
- Dutch Canadian Liberation Celebration by Will Prinzen, Paul Veldhuis, and Ramesh Rajaduray: a celebration event held May 1 to 3, 2026, in partnership with the Canadian Military Heritage Museum, including the development of an accompanying locally devised musical theatre production.
The StartUp Lab Brantford and the City will continue to support these Changemakers as they work to bring their ideas to life, providing guidance and problem-solving assistance throughout the implementation process.
“For the past nine years, the Community Changemaker Program has been a powerful platform for collaboration between the City, Laurier’s Startup Lab Brantford, and passionate residents who are determined to create an innovative, thriving, and connected community,” said Julie Perkins, Laurier StartUp Lab Brantford, Program Coordinator. “The energy and creativity emerging from this program has been truly inspiring and we look forward to seeing these projects implemented in our community.”
Since its inception in 2016, the Community Changemakers program has been a springboard for innovative community projects, including the launch of the Neurodivergent Arts Collective, Eagle Place Community Pantry, Book of Hope, and Active4Kids Sports Experience. The next cohort of the program will launch in fall 2026. To learn more about the Community Changemakers program and previous Changemaker projects, visit StartUp Lab Brantford at https://bit.ly/2025Changemakers
