Empowering Creative Interventions for Justice

SOCAP25 Session Proposal: Empowering Creative Interventions for Justice
Session Title: Empowering Creative Interventions for Justice: Catalyzing Community-Driven Change through the Impact Awards
Session Description:
The Center for Art and Public Life (CAPL) at California College of the Arts has been empowering students to lead place-based initiatives that address critical social justice issues since 2010 through the Impact Awards. These awards provide funding and mentorship to student-led projects that engage communities in solving urgent problems, such as housing, education, health, and social well-being.
For 2025, the theme is Creative Interventions for Justice in a Changing World, which invites students to design creative, community-driven solutions that foster social equity. In this session, we will explore how the Impact Awards offer students the resources, mentorship, and platform to implement sustainable, local solutions while addressing issues of equity, inclusion, and justice.
Key Focus Areas:
Place-Based, Community-Driven Solutions
The Impact Awards focus on developing solutions tailored to the specific needs of local communities. This session will discuss how art, design, and social entrepreneurship can address critical challenges like housing and education. Through examples of past projects, attendees will gain insight into how local communities shape the solutions that serve them best.
Empowering Local Leadership and Agency
Attendees will learn how Impact Award projects give community members agency by involving them in the design and execution of their solutions. From young voters increasing political engagement with Echoes of Tomorrow: The Power of Your Vote, to immigrant stories shared through In My Pajama, From Silk Road to San Francisco, these initiatives demonstrate the power of community-driven action.
Sustainability and Scaling of Local Interventions
Many Impact Award projects have succeeded in scaling from grassroots efforts to large-scale initiatives. One such example is Rubber Impact Awareness by Mandana Macpherson and Gigi Obrecht. Their project focused on raising awareness about the environmental impact of rubber inner tubes, a major source of landfill waste. They worked with the San Francisco Unified School District to create a syllabus teaching students how to repurpose these inner tubes into usable materials for classroom projects. This innovative approach not only addressed environmental sustainability but also provided an educational tool for local schools. Their project gained significant recognition, leading to an invitation to speak at RubberCon Paris, an international conference focused on rubber recycling and sustainability. This session will explore how such initiatives can be scaled to create lasting change, both locally and globally.
The Role of Arts and Culture in Community Well-Being
Creative initiatives such as Resilience of Poppies: Manifest Differently show how art and culture can foster community healing and resilience. By addressing trauma and creating solidarity through creative expressions, these
projects contribute to the well-being of communities and promote long-lasting social change.
Bridging Academia with Industry This session highlights the critical connection between academia and industry through the Impact Awards. These awards create opportunities for students to collaborate with industry professionals, gaining real-world insights and contributing fresh perspectives to the workforce. By bridging the gap between academia and industry, students gain valuable exposure, while industry leaders can harness the creativity and passion of emerging talent to shape innovative, impactful solutions.
Featured Projects:
Echoes of Tomorrow: The Power of Your Vote
This project empowers young adults by increasing political literacy and voter engagement, addressing barriers to voting, and fostering active participation in the democratic process.
In My Pajama, From Silk Road to San Francisco
A storytelling, mapmaking, and textile art project addressing immigration and housing, creating solidarity and healing through art workshops with immigrant communities.
Resilience of Poppies: Manifest Differently
Using the craft of crochet, this project tells the stories of those who have overcome violence and tragedy, creating a platform for solidarity, healing, and collective action.
Rubber Impact Awareness
Mandana Macpherson and Gigi Obrecht’s project raised awareness about the environmental impact of rubber inner tubes. By partnering with the San Francisco Unified School District, they created a syllabus to educate students on repurposing these materials for classroom projects, leading to a broader conversation on sustainability.

Session Format:
Panel Discussion
Past Impact Award recipients will share their experiences, lessons learned, and successes in scaling place-based creative interventions. They will discuss the process of engaging with local communities, addressing urgent needs, and integrating arts-based solutions into broader community development.
Interactive Q&A
Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions about scaling community-driven projects, overcoming challenges, and ensuring sustainability.
Breakout Sessions
Participants will break into small groups to brainstorm their own place-based creative interventions, with feedback from mentors on how to develop actionable and impactful projects within their communities.

Session Takeaways:
Tools for Community-Driven Solutions
Learn how to design and implement place-based projects that address local issues such as housing, education, and well-being, using arts and culture as tools for change.
Sustainability Models for Local Initiatives
Gain insight into how to ensure that creative interventions can be scaled and institutionalized for long-term impact, especially in underserved communities.
Empowerment through Local Leadership
Understand how to build local leadership and agency, ensuring that communities lead their own development processes through collaboration and creative action.

Why This Session Matters to SOCAP25:
This session aligns with SOCAP25’s mission to convene thought leaders and innovators to accelerate the movement of capital toward impact. The Impact Awards exemplify how creative, community-driven projects can address urgent local issues, such as housing, education, and health, while fostering sustainable change. By showcasing these initiatives, this session will highlight the potential for arts-based solutions to create lasting impact within communities and beyond while also highlighting the role of investors in scaling and funding student-led projects that drive real-world change. Participating in this session offers thought leaders the opportunity to partner with students to co-create innovative solutions, and provides investors with a unique opportunity to engage with transformative projects that align with their values and generate impactful returns. Given that many investors often look at traditional schools, CCA provides an excellent alternative to engage directly. with students who are actively shaping solutions to today’s pressing challenges.

Session Speakers:
Katayoun Bahrami – Past Impact Award recipient, social entrepreneur, and artist.
Mahsa Hakimi – CAPL mentor, community leader, San Francisco Arts Commissioner and expert in social entrepreneurship.
Tracy Tanner – CAPL program director, focused on scaling local creative initiatives.