Women’s powerful stories take centre stage this March     Winnipeg (February 15, 2023) —The Shoe Project is taking to the stage for the first time in Winnipeg on March 11 and 12, 2023, at the Manitoba Museum. This evening event features personal stories written and performed by newcomer women living in Winnipeg.  The Shoe Project reveals…

The Shoe Project MEDIA ADVISORY   Ukrainian woman among performers as The Shoe Project takes the stage in Windsor   WINDSOR (Feb 1, 2023) — On February 26th, ten Windsor-area women, originally from Nepal, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, China, Sudan and Nigeria will share their stories of immigration and adaptation to Canada – through a…

The Shoe Project MEDIA ADVISORY     TORONTO (November 10, 2022) — Canadian charity The Shoe Project has launched its annual online auction and among the 50+ items up for grabs are designer shoes from famed Canadian women – top litigator Marie Henein, journalist and podcaster Wendy Mesley, two time Olympian and Olympic Silver Medalist,…

Why I am a Monthly Donor – Danielle McLaughlin     I have been involved with The Shoe Project since its earliest days.   Since the meeting sessions in the basement of the Bata Shoe Museum to the fabulous performances by the Project participants across Canada, I have been a proud supporter and enthusiast. Now, as…

The Shoe Project MEDIA ADVISORY   Working with stranded Afghan women to tell their stories provides unparalleled insights   TORONTO (June 8, 2022) — The Shoe Project has wrapped up the preparations for its performance by a group of women evacuated from Afghanistan to Pakistan. Since January, they have been mentored online by Canadian writers…

Thank you to our outgoing Board of Directors: Katherine Govier Toronto (Chair) Nick Rundall Toronto (Secretary) Georgina Steinsky Toronto Heather Gardiner Toronto Danielle McLaughlin Toronto Roya Chalaki Calgary Barb Howard Calgary Filiz Dogan Toronto   Board of Directors voted in at our December 2021 AGM: Barb Howard Calgary (Chair) Barb has been on The Shoe…

The Shoe Project (TSP) is a unique initiative with Canadian writers and theatre people giving immigrant career women the written and spoken skills to succeed. In workshops and through individual coaching, they are given the tools to launch new careers by being trained to write and perform their stories. Now celebrating ten years TSP is…

TORONTO (January 5, 2022) — The Shoe Project announces its first international workshop, assisting 60 schoolgirls aged 18 to 25, evacuated from Afghanistan to Pakistan. They will be mentored by Canadian writers and performance coaches of The Shoe Project to write and perform their stories. The girls are former students of the Marefat High School…

IN THEIR SHOES The Shoe Project has created In Their Shoes, its fund to support and empower women arriving in Canada from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.     The fund will allow Afghan women to attend all its workshops, coaching sessions and performances with the support they need through its network of former refugees.   The Shoe…

  MEDIA ADVISORY Canada’s The Shoe Project makes leap from stage to screen Catch short films by immigrant and refugee women on Multiculturalism Day   TORONTO (June 15, 2021) – No Canadian experience. Job-seeking immigrant and refugee women in Canada are often rejected by potential employers with those words, a systemic challenge The Shoe Project aims to change.   In…

“I am interested in the art of writing, the joys and pleasures and the power of reading.”   Souvankham Thammavongsa, author of short-story collection How to Pronounce Knife, answered questions of an alumna of The Shoe Project Simten Osken.     Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself beyond your official bio?…

Ava Homa is a Kurdish-Canadian journalist and author. Her debut novel Daughters of Smoke and Fire (HarperCollins, May 2020) weaves fifty years of modern Kurdish history. It is an evocative portrait of lives and stakes faced by 40 million stateless Kurds and a powerful story that brilliantly illuminates the meaning of identity and the complex…

Caroline Adderson, the author of five novels and the Vancouver mentor for The Shoe Project, has had a new novel in August. “A Russian Sister” tells the true story behind Anton Chekhov’s play “The Seagull” through the eyes of his sister Masha.       Q. Could you start by telling us a little bit about…

Great news! The Beauty of the Moment by Tanaz Bhathena has been awarded the 2019 Nautilus Gold Award for Young Adult Fiction! Tanaz is an alumna of The Shoe Project, and we are very proud! The Nautilus Award looks for “exceptional literary contributions to spiritual growth, green values & sustainability, high-level wellness, responsible leadership and…

We have a new chapter in Edmonton. The Shoe Project will partner with Workshop West Playwrights’ Theatre.  Recruitment is planned to begin in fall 2020.    

In collaboration with Gerda Cammaer, Associate Professor in Film at Ryerson University, and independent filmmaker Serene Husni, The Shoe Project will turn a selection of shoe stories into short films. With the aid of film mentors,  twelve of our participants will have the opportunity to create short films in their own voice, based on their…