CSC 3 Model

Creative Strategies for Change’s (CSC) mission is to mobilize arts and education for social justice. We define social justice as both a process and a goal. Informed social change, with lasting effect requires substantial time and responsiveness. CSC programs work for change on a variety of levels. We believe that institutional, interpersonal, and internal change all require large scale ideological change, or cultural change for true lasting impact. This is one way the arts come into play. We work with communities, schools, organizations, and institutions, and our approach is community-based.

  • Social Justice Frameworks: Social justice is a society where all social groups have equitable access to safety, resources, and opportunities, and individuals are able to be self-determining and interdependent. CSC’s social justice framework supports a growing demand for training in diversity, inclusiveness, and cultural awareness, and goes further to address the root causes of inequities. This critical examination provides the framework for informed action toward our goal of more just, equitable, and vibrant communities.
  • Arts Engagement: CSC views the arts through a very broad lens, activating the social imagination with theater and multimedia, West African music and dance, Hip Hop and spoken word. The arts facilitate innovative approaches to grappling with challenging social issues. The arts engage the senses, bring us into the moment. The arts are inclusive, they inspire freedom of expression and multiple modes of communication. The arts support learning, collaboration, and the integration of new information. The arts ignite dialogue and cultivate deeper understanding of diverse perspectives and experiences. The arts acknowledge the whole person, and encourage us to move, to feel, to laugh, to cry, to question, to consider, to reach, to rise. Communities that are rich in the arts and cultural responsive are communities better equipped to engage in ideological, institutional, interpersonal, and internal change.
  • Restorative Practices: Restorative practices promote individual and collective health and wellbeing and employ intentional processes for collaborative communication and conflict transformation. CSC utilizes a systems approach to facilitate the development of culturally relevant restorative practices for the communities with whom we work. Communities that utilize responsive restorative practices are able to define their healing and cultivate sustainable practices to support greater individual and collective health, vitality, equity, and justice.