Community Threads. Designing for Connection and Belonging.

How can we design to promote integration, togetherness and belonging, strengthening the social fabric of our communities?

To answer this question, Carleton University design students under the guidance of Associate Professor Chiara Del Gaudio, have partnered with the Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre, to design proposals that support, celebrate and represent community values and emphasize connection through interactive, inclusive and community-centred design.

The Rideau Community Hub (The Hub) is a decommissioned high school in Ward 13, Ottawa (815 St. Laurent Blvd). Its facilities are rented by local NGOs that provide services to underserved communities, including food security, employment, immigration support, digital literacy, and childcare. The Hub is perceived as a safe and trusted space, which is key to addressing the needs of vulnerable populations.

The Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre is a not-for-profit organization that offers a range of social support and services aimed at empowering residents, fostering resilience, and promoting inclusion. Its activities address food insecurity and well-being through programs such as a food bank, Ottawa Community Food Partnership, Social Harvest, and Good Food Box. The Centre supports immigrants, older adults, and other local community members through services, programs, and volunteer opportunities. The Centre envisions “a safe, dignified, and fulfilling life for all Rideau-Rockcliffe residents.”

Anchored in Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre’s trusted role in the community, students set out to co-create solutions that are inclusive, sustainable, and context-sensitive.

Carleton University’s and the Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre invite you to view, participate in and explore these design proposals in an exhibition of student projects at !

What is going to happen?

4:00–4:30 pm – Brief introduction to the collaboration, the process, and the participants

4:30–7:00 pm – Visiting the exhibition & interactive activities to provide feedback and contribute to the ideas

4:30–7:00 pm – Celebrating together, connecting, and building community!

Join us!

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Incubator13 - Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre, 815 Saint Laurent Boulevard, Ottawa, Canada

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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