Abstract
Creative communities increasingly function as sites of social experimentation, offering opportunities to drive creativity for social change. This paper examines the role of creative communities as small-scale infrastructures for inclusion through a case study of a digital arts community for youth in Eastern Europe. We evaluated a short-term, peer-led intervention (N = 14) designed to strengthen Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) literacy and bystander agency among teenagers. Using a pre–post survey design, we observed high baseline alignment with inclusive values and descriptive increases in knowledge of how to intervene in harassment and build inclusive spaces, although no statistically significant differences were detected. Leveraging peer credibility and experiential design, the intervention provided participants with the practical tools to move from passive support for inclusion toward active agency. We argue that in contexts with limited institutional DEI support, creative communities can operate as agile, low-cost platforms for promoting inclusive norms, contributing an example of creativity for change in youth education.