For the second straight year, the Art for Moms workshop will be held at The Refugee Centre this spring. For 10 weeks beginning March 24, moms from across the city can attend art workshops, which will be coordinated by Jude Ibrahim. The goal is to offer women a safe and welcoming place to express themselves and connect with other mothers in the community. People can sign up anytime throughout the 10-week period based on availability.

Each week, Ibrahim said, they’ll tap into a new art technique or medium that’s related to a certain theme, such as motherhood, identity or self-compassion. For example, in one of the workshops, the theme will be “exploring identity,” and they will use collage-making as the art technique. All supplies will be provided.

Some of the workshops will also have guest speakers. While Ibrahim is still working on the guest list, one will likely be a nurse, who would talk about postpartum health, for example. The speakers will be able to share resources and services that exist in Montreal.

While the workshops are open to all mothers, Ibrahim said she created the program for those who are new to the country and experiencing isolation and loneliness. “I designed it with the intention of providing a space for newcomer mothers to have a place to connect,” she said. “Specifically, if we think of forced migration and refugees; there’s a lot of barriers to accessing services. So, I wanted to create a space for mothers to connect with other people in the community, but also to be connected to organizations who can support them.”

Ibrahim added that the art component to the workshop is just as important as the information the guest speakers will provide because it provides the moms with a different language to express themselves.

“It holds a lot of therapeutic benefits in terms of stress relief, in terms of mindfulness,” she said. “I really wanted to utilize the natural and visual qualities of art making in this program. Being a refugee can be isolating and hard, specifically for mothers who have to play many rolls throughout their lives.”

Founded in 2015, the Refugee Centre is a non-profit organization that helps integrate immigrants and refugees to Canada. They help newcomers with legal support such as asylum claims, and employment aid, for example.

The art workshops will be held Friday between 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. from March 24 to May 26. There is space for approximately 15 participants. Moms can attend as many workshops as they want, free of charge. The workshops will be held in English, but interpretation can be provided if needed. To register, click here. 

For more information, visit the website.