Beyond the Classroom
Three Decades of Community Building explores what a career in community development, locally and abroad, has taught Debbie Resurreccion about building places where people are safe enough to grow. Drawing on her work as a Dawson College faculty member, her years standing beside women whose lives had been marked by war and violence, and her advocacy for immigrants seeking dignity and fairness, Debbie makes the case that education must reach past the classroom and into the lived realities of people's lives. At the centre of her talk is a mission she returns to often: communities where children grow up free to dream, free to grow, and free from fear.
Debbie Resurreccion
Faculty, Community Recreation & Leadership Training, Dawson College
Debbie Resurreccion has over 30 years of experience working in community development locally and abroad, work that brought her to Dawson College as a faculty member in Community Recreation and Leadership Training (CRLT), a three-year technical program she herself completed in 2000. At Dawson, she develops, plans, administers and implements the services within the Faculty of CRLT. She educates CRLT students and prepares them to work in the field of leisure, recreation and community development, exploring environmental education, promotion, communication, teamwork, professionalism and planning for the field. Debbie also completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Relations from Concordia University along with a certificate in Family Life Education. CRLT shaped her — not only as an educator, but as a woman committed to building safer, stronger spaces for others.
What began as her own journey of finding her voice became her life's work.
Debbie always felt the call to work with the youth, and in the beginning of her career she worked for a non-profit organization called Couples for Christ Canada. Her main role was to support personal, social and emotional development, organize faith sharing activities, and implement youth programs and leadership training. In her years of experience, she stood beside women whose lives had been ravaged by war and violence. She listened to their stories, held their grief, and witnessed a strength that forever changed her understanding of resilience.
As a community worker supporting marginalized groups and a board member of Women on the Rise, Debbie believes education must extend beyond the classroom and into the lived realities of people's lives. She has advocated for immigrants fighting for dignity and their rights to equality and fairness, believing justice is an act of service and compassion.
Being a godmother to 18 godchildren is one of the greatest honours of her life. It has taught her to be an example of curiosity, adventure, family and love, and to be an extension of support to their parents. Through birthdays, challenges, milestones, and quiet conversations, she has learned that leadership and teamwork begin at home, in presence and consistency. The seeds planted in young hearts today become the values that shape tomorrow. One of Debbie's deepest life missions is to help create communities where children can grow up safe and free — free to dream, free to grow, and free from fear.
She is a big advocate of Nature and believes in Nature as a mentor. She draws inspiration from Mama Earth and enjoys being in the outdoors. Debbie believes in well-being for all and in sustainability practices so we can live in harmony with the earth, mind, body and spirit. When Debbie's not involved with school projects or community events, you can find her most likely to be journaling, reading, praying, meditating and taking the time to play!
Debbie often says "keep it on a dL…divine Love," it's a great reminder to care for each other, to be accountable, and to work alongside each other side by side. She strives to live that truth every day — with hope in her heart, faith as her compass, and divine love as the rhythm that guides her forward.
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