CHANGEMAKER EDUCATION RESEARCH FORUM
The Changemaker Education Research Forum (CERF) brings together practitioners and scholars from around the world to enhance the knowledge base of social innovation and changemaking.
CERF was initially launched by Ashoka Canada in 2020, previously the Canadian Changemaker Education Research Forum (C-CERF) and has now grown into a global gathering hosted by Ashoka U and Ashoka Canada.
Special Edition of Social Innovations Journal
The Social Innovations Journal (SIJ) published a special edition in January 2023 highlighting research from the 2022 Changemaker Education Research Forum, titled Identifying and Addressing Cultural, Geopolitical, Structural, and Educational Barriers to Social Innovation. Click here to explore the research.
A “Meet the Authors” virtual symposium was held on January 25, 2023 to launch the special edition. Click here to watch the recording.
2022 CERF
The 2022 CERF was held at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and online from September 17-18. For the first time, CERF was held in conjunction with the International Social Innovation Research Conference (ISIRC). There were two thematic streams for this Forum: The Impact of Changemaker (Social Innovation) Education and Cultural, Geopolitical and Structural Barriers to Social Innovation. Over the course of two days, CERF featured 14 presentations and two Lunch & Learns, including a Lunch & Learn with Ashoka Fellow Jennifer DeCoste. The Forum hosted 30+ people in-person, 25+ people online and 30+ people at Lunch & Learns, including Ashoka Change Leaders, practitioners, researchers and students.
To learn more, click here to download the 2022 CERF Program.
2021 CERF
The 2021 CERF was held virtually from March 15-18 alongside the Ashoka U Exchange. The theme was Changemaking Research and included two streams: the Changemaking Research Showcase, through which researchers shared their insights, findings, and learnings with other participants, and the Research Connector Workshop, a space for collaborations that link the research capacity of Changemaker Campuses with the research needs of Ashoka Fellows, Ashoka Staff, and other Changemakers. To learn more, click here to download the 2021 CERF Program.
2020 CERF
The 2020 CERF was held at the Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto, Ontario on January 15. As the inaugural CERF, this Forum focused generally on bringing together researchers, practitioners, and theorists to discuss changemaking practice and theory.
