ABOUT SHIFT
From food security to health services, our partners are creating alternative spaces, filling service gaps, and piloting projects that attempt to change systems. Teams made up of community members and Concordians are chosen by grant selection committees of peers from within and without the institution. Once selected, we link partners to relevant university resources across a range of access points including our downtown working and event space, student internship program, and research collaborations.
Vision
Started in 2019, SHIFT envisions creating a transformative & collaborative ecosystem where diverse people, communities, and organizations work together to address major societal challenges and create a more just, inclusive, and broadly prosperous Montréal.
Mission
Connect diverse people, institutions, ideas, and expertise in order to catalyze transformative societal impact
Facilitate impact-oriented participatory research and experiential learning
Provide training, support, and strategic guidance for existing and emerging initiatives focused on social and institutional transformation at Concordia and beyond
Host a welcoming and dynamic space where students, staff, faculty members, and community members can network, skillshare, and collaborate on challenges that exist both inside and outside of the university
Values
These 8 key principles guide SHIFT's approach to relationships, programming, and our goals
Justice
Anchoring transformative work in commitments to equity, diversity, and inclusion
Reconciliation
Centralizing the concerns and goals of Indigenous communities
Reciprocity
Investing in long-term, mutually beneficial relationships and partnerships
Sustainability
Prioritizing the flourishing of people and planet
Groundedness
Maintaining relevance through listening, connection, and collective action
Collaboration
Working across disciplinary and institutional boundaries
Courage
Taking leaps, learning from successes and failures, and pressing ahead
Humility
Recognizing what we don't know and embracing diverse forms of expertise, including lived experience
