Highlights from the Inaugural See Different Changemaker Summit: Celebrating youth, belonging, and action

On September 20, 2025, we hosted our first-ever See Different Changemaker Summit, a national celebration of youth leadership, belonging, and action. Held virtually, the summit brought together youth, educators, parents, and community partners from across Canada to honour the incredible ways young people are shaping a more inclusive, compassionate, and equitable future.

A National Gathering of Changemakers

The Changemaker Summit is an annual gathering where youth from the See Different community come together to share stories of impact, connect with peers, and celebrate a shared commitment to equity, inclusion, and belonging.

This year’s summit featured:

• An inspiring keynote on activism and belonging by Anne-Marie Pham, CCDI’s Vice President of Engagement;

• A youth-led panel on holistic wellbeing and belonging;

• Ten incredible Changemaker Grant presentations; and

• The exciting reveal of our first-ever Sticker Design Contest winners, a creative showcase of what belonging means through art.

  
  

We were also deeply honoured to begin the day with Mi’kmaw Elder Mutchi Bennett, whose wisdom, love, and generosity of spirit grounded us in gratitude and community. Wela’lioq Mutchi!

Youth Panel on Holistic Wellbeing

Led by the Changemaker Summit Youth Planning Committee (Nathan Varghese, Saryssa Thiara, and Kaylie Kuehl) and moderated by CCDI’s Megan Wishart, the panel explored what it means to build healthy, connected communities.

Together, they shared insights on empathy, listening, and collective care, reminding us that belonging grows when we create spaces where everyone can feel seen, supported, and valued. Their closing reflection captured it best: belonging starts with how we show up for one another, and becomes powerful when we turn care into action.

Thank you so much to this incredible group of young folks for all their hard work and dedication, and for putting on such a fantastic panel discussion!

Celebrating Creativity: Our First-Ever Sticker Design Contest

This year, See Different launched its first national Sticker Design Contest, inviting youth across Canada to share their vision of diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and ReconciliACTION through art. The creativity, depth, and imagination of the submissions were truly inspiring, and we are thrilled to make this contest an annual tradition that celebrates youth voice and vision!

Here are the 2025 winners and the stories behind their designs:

Nahom Assefa – “7th Level of Creation” (Diversity) Inspired by the sacred Mi’kmaw Creation Story as shared by Elder Stephen Augustine, Nahom’s artwork depicts Glooscap meeting Mother Earth, an exchange of warmth, colours, and wisdom that symbolizes belonging and the interdependence of all life. The design’s vibrant palette of sky, sun, trees, night, and snow reflects the harmony and respect found in nature and community alike. Nahom describes the piece as both an offering to Mi’kmaw teachings and an invitation for viewers to reflect on their own place within creation.

Joshua Ralph – “Bountiful Berries” (Equity) Featuring Cedar Waxwings, birds known for their generosity in sharing food, Joshua’s piece uses nature as a metaphor for fairness and community care. By passing berries down the branch so every bird can eat, the flock models how equity ensures that everyone has enough to thrive. This stunning design reminds us that true belonging means sharing abundance and ensuring no one is left behind.

Braylen Lasaga – “It’s Your Space Too” (Inclusion) Mi’kmaw artist Braylen Lasaga’s design features a warm and welcoming home adorned with “Hello” written in many languages, symbolizing inclusion that goes beyond invitation to genuine belonging. People gather and connect outside the home, reflecting spaces where identity, culture, and voice are seen, valued, and reflected. The message is simple yet powerful: it’s not enough to open the door, we must ensure the space inside truly supports everyone’s ability to show up fully and authentically as themselves.

Anthonia Bebiem – “Our Lady” (Accessibility) Anthonia reimagines Lady Justice through the lens of accessibility and care. Instead of a sword, she holds a sunflower in one hand, a symbol of invisible disability. In her other hand, she lifts the scales of justice. One bowl has many hearts, while the other carries a single poppy leaf. Though uneven in number, the scales remain perfectly balanced. This speaks to the idea that accessibility is not about sameness, but equity and justice. When some people need more and others less, true justice ensures everyone is supported freely and no one is left behind. Her balanced scales reflect the truth that equity, not sameness, creates justice. Adorned with motifs from her own Edo culture in Nigeria and an orange feather honouring Indigenous resilience, the figure stands on a yellow-brick path leading directly to her, a barrier-free road toward belonging for all.

Angela Negus – “Gloqowej Migjigj (Starry Turtle)” (ReconciliACTION)Another talented Mi’kmaw artist, Angela’s beaded medallion (designed and beaded by her) depicts a snapping turtle walking beneath a starry sky, surrounded by a medicine wheel and a birch bark eight-pointed star (based on a Mi’kmaq petroglyph). Drawing on the concept of “Msit No’kmaq” (“All my Relations”), her beadwork honours the interconnection between all living things, Earth, the stars, spirits, and people. The turtle represents Turtle Island, carrying the land and all who live upon it. For Angela, belonging is the understanding that every being, colour, and story is essential to the circle of life, and that there is no greater sense of belonging than knowing we are all relations.

✨ Congratulations to all our winners, we were blown away by the thought, intention, and TALENT, that went into all your designs and we are so grateful you chose to share your art with us! As well, a HUGE and heartfelt thanks to every young artist who submitted a design in our contest this year. Your creativity shines a light on the inclusive, equitable, and connected future we’re creating together, one story, one design, and one act of belonging at a time. ❤️

Changemaker project presentations

At the heart of the summit were the ten youth-led Changemaker projects, each one a powerful example of how young people are transforming their communities through creativity, compassion, and collaboration.

From coast to coast, these projects tackled real-world challenges through innovative, community-based action, with topics like: from mental health and representation in sports to arts-based community building, micro-scholarships for youth, and civic action.

What made these presentations especially inspiring were the stories behind them, stories of lived experience, courage, and the determination to create lasting change. Many grantees partnered with schools, youth groups, and community organizations, creating ripple effects of learning and belonging that extend far beyond the program.

Each presentation reminded us that when youth are trusted with the tools and support to lead, they don’t wait for change, they build it!

To explore the incredible initiatives from last year’s Changemakers, visit our April blog post, and stay tuned for November’s blog, where we’ll shine a spotlight on this year’s projects and share their growing impact across Canada.

With gratitude

This milestone was made possible through the dedication of so many:

• Our Changemaker grantees, who are leading with courage and creativity;

• Our Youth Planning Committee, who shaped the summit and shared their voices;

• Our Sticker Design Contest winners and all who submitted designs, whose creativity continues to inspire our national community; and

• Our partners, sponsors, and donors, whose support ensures the See Different program remains free and accessible to youth across Canada aged 15–26.

Thank you for being part of this journey, your support helps us continue to build spaces where youth can connect, lead, and create meaningful change.

Watch the Summit Recording Click here to view the summit recording

Password to watch: 612NQm8!(Please note: this link will expire in 120 days.)

Stay connected and keep the momentum going: 🌐 www.seedifferent.ca📱 Instagram @seedifferentcanada🎵 TikTok @seedifferentcan💼 LinkedIn: See Different on LinkedIn

With gratitude,

The See Different Team