“Over the years, we’ve learned that parks and public spaces can play a vital role in welcoming newcomers to Canada and helping them integrate into communities,” says Leah Houston, founder and artistic director of MABELLEarts. “In 2016, when waves of Syrian refugees came to Canada, we invited those being resettled in our area – central Etobicoke’s Mabelle neighbourhood, not far from Toronto Pearson – to take part in our summer programming. While working together to transform a small park in the centre of the community, we’ve built lasting relationships with people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.”
Creating change through art
MABELLEarts is a special kind of organization that exists to create art and inspire collaboration among neighbours. In the process, it transforms neglected spaces into meeting places where people in low-income communities can connect, make friends and pursue economic opportunities.
Help where it’s needed
Founded in 2007, MABELLEarts set out to gain a deeper understanding of the needs of community members and the barriers they faced in their search for meaningful employment. Today, the not-for-profit’s training and employment program provides summer jobs and post-secondary preparation for local youth; job-related training for diverse community members; hands-on skills development for newcomer women; and a range of volunteer opportunities for newcomers, refugees and asylum-seekers.
In 2018, the GTAA, having previously supported the organization’s arts programming, committed an additional $300,000 in funding to MABELLEarts over a three-year period. One of the largest-ever donations made through our Propeller Project, the funds will be used to scale up community leadership programming, skills development and placemaking activities with the goal of creating more employment and economic opportunities for community members.
“The GTAA understands how an arts organization can be an economic engine in a low-income neighbourhood,” Leah says. “Among other priorities, the GTAA’s investments will enable us to offer more training and support to women for small-scale economic ideas. For example, we’ve retrofitted a trailer into a mobile kitchen. Women from the community will now have the opportunity to make food they can then sell out of the trailer during our events.”
A fitting tribute to a special place
Tasmeen Syed, a Grade 11 student at the local high school, has been involved with MABELLEarts since she was five years old and is now a part-time staff member. “There was never much to do in our neighbourhood,” she recalls, “so we’d run around the park. One day we saw a program that MABELLEarts had organized, and we joined in. Since then, I’ve been involved in everything from building a large public bake oven in the middle of the park to making paper, creating shows and doing after-school activities.”
The young woman credits MABELLEarts with helping her find a path in life. “They really care about you and try to incorporate something for everyone. In the future, I want to become a psychiatrist and help people – but in a way that makes everyone feel safe, welcome and special, just like MABELLEarts does.”
“The GTAA understands how an arts organization can be an economic engine in a low-income neighbourhood.” — Rana Sarkar, Consul-General of Canada, San Francisco and Silicon Valley
Strengthening our Communities