WePress Community Arts Space
Registered Name: WePress Community Arts Space Society
Business No: 750321721RR0001
This organization is designated by Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) as a registered charity. They comply with the CRA's requirements and have been issued a charitable registration number.
This charity is fully set up with CanadaHelps, allowing for faster donation processing and access to more features
ABOUT WEPRESS
WePress is a non-profit community arts organization creating accessible creative opportunities on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, in what is now known as Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
Our mission centers on transforming two fundamental systemic problems: the marginalization of Downtown Eastside residents from cultural spaces and the disenfranchisement enforced through unequal access to artistic tools and opportunities.
We approach artistic programming through a framework of creative justice—recognizing that access to artistic tools, skills, and spaces is unevenly distributed and systematically denied to many communities.
OUR CORE PROGRAMS
Art Kits: We distribute portable creative workshops containing professional-grade art materials and artist-created educational zines directly to community members facing barriers to traditional arts spaces.
Community Workshops: We facilitate accessible creative gatherings where participants can learn techniques, share skills, and build connections in intentional, safer spaces.
OUR APPROACH
We operate from a place of solidarity, not charity, working horizontally with community members rather than delivering top-down services. Our programs employ peer workers who are connected to the DTES or those facing precarious employment at living wages ($25/hour), centring lived experience and creating meaningful employment opportunities.
We meet people where they are, whether in SROs, encampments, or community spaces, and provide the tools they need to explore their creativity. Our work is built on deep relationships with peers and neighbours in the Downtown Eastside and beyond.
Through our programs, we envision a creative ecosystem built on networks of mutual support, where resources are shared horizontally and communities develop resilience through art-making.
All the work we do is made possible through the support of our community partners, funders, and the incredible artists and peer workers we collaborate with.
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