A Journey Through Art – Renata's Story

Moving to Canada wasn’t part of Renata’s plan. It wasn’t a dream or a long-term strategy. It was an act of survival. Her family packed five suitcases and their broken hearts, left their jobs, their home and their country, and began their journey to Canada.

Before Renata ever led a single workshop, she led with her heart. When she tells her story, you see the beginnings of a leader shaped not by titles or training, but by lived experience, deep empathy, and a fierce belief that mothers deserve to be heard.

Renata had a simple idea: Women need a place where their stories matter, where expression leads to discovery, and discovery leads to healing.

That’s how Inside Art was born – not as a program, but as a response. A response to grief, to migration, to isolation, to the aching need for a space where immigrant women could recognize themselves again.

Turning Insight Into Community

The Women’s Insight Project (WIP) offered Renata something she hadn’t had since arriving in Canada: time, structure, and support to explore her own ideas. She joined the cohort not because she saw herself as a leader, but because she hoped her lived experience might help other women navigate similar challenges.

Through the project, Renata received training in human-centred design and program facilitation, and she connected with other mothers who understood the weight of starting over in a new country. Together, they learned how to turn personal experiences into community-driven solutions – the kind that grow from real needs, not assumptions.

With guidance from WIP mentors and the encouragement of peer mothers, Renata refined her idea into what would become Inside Art. What started as a simple idea grew into a structured, eight-week creative space at Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House.

By giving Renata structure, guidance, and a platform, the Women’s Insight Project unlocked something powerful: the leadership potential that had always been within her.

Mothers’ Wisdom, Leading the Way

Renata’s story is not an exception – it’s a blueprint.

Every day, mothers across Canada carry insights shaped by lived experience – insights about safety, belonging, mental health, childcare, community, and connection. And like Renata, they often know exactly what their communities need. What’s missing is the space, support, and tools to turn those ideas into reality.

Launching in 2026, the Social Innovation Studio will be Canada’s first national hub where mothers’ lived experience becomes the foundation of research, program design, and systems change.

We’ve seen what happens when mothers lead. Inside Art was just one seed – planted by Renata, nurtured through the Women’s Insight Project, and grown into a movement of healing and connection.

Imagine a space where the support that helped Renata thrive is available to mothers in every community. Where dozens, hundreds, thousands more Mothers-in-Residence can develop their ideas into solutions for their communities – solutions that can then be scaled into programs offered across the country.

This is the future we are creating – one where mothers’ wisdom drives innovation, policy, and community change. And we need your help to make it a reality.

Seeding Mother-Led Innovation

This December, help us raise the first $50,000 needed to bring the Social Innovation Studio to life. When you invest in mothers’ leadership, you don’t just help one family – you spark community solutions that last for generations.

Give today.

Power the leadership of mothers.

Because when mothers thrive, children flourish and communities prosper.

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