Universities increasingly recognise the potential of creative practice to foster dialogue around complex social issues; however, artivism is often conceptualised as isolated campaigns or artistic interventions rather than as an ongoing institutional practice. This paper argues that artivism can function simultaneously as a form of public engagement and as a pedagogical approach that cultivates critical citizenship, collective care, and social justice.

Drawing on practice-based experiences from the Centre for Sexualities, AIDS, and Gender at the University of Pretoria, the paper examines two interconnected initiatives: the Just Leaders Programme and Sexual Assault Awareness Week (SAAW). While the Just Leaders Programme positions students as co-creators of visual and creative interventions that encourage critical engagement with gender, sexuality, and structural inequality, SAAW extends this work into the public sphere through visual campaigns, symbolic design, and participatory awareness activities that challenge cultures of silence surrounding sexual violence.

Rather than viewing these initiatives as separate programmes, the paper proposes them as complementary expressions of a broader artivist pedagogy. Together, they demonstrate how universities can embed creative practice across teaching, community engagement, and institutional activism, transforming participants from audiences of awareness into agents of social change.

By positioning artivism as both a pedagogical process and a public practice, the paper contributes to conversations on participatory design, higher education, and socially engaged creative practice, offering a model through which universities can cultivate sustained cultures of dialogue, accountability, and collective action.

Keywords: Artivism; Higher Education; Participatory Design; Community Engagement; Social Justice