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The Arts Incubator

Winnipeg, Manitoba

The project is grounded in a dynamic process of collaborative engagement and capacity building, utilizing arts-based research methodologies to ensure the work is both relevant and empowering. A key focus is Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR), which positions young people as leaders in investigating their own economic realities and co-designing their futures. Through a series of co-design workshops, digital storytelling projects, and community forums, ECO-STAR North facilitates intergenerational knowledge transfer, connecting youth with Elders and established creators. This hands-on, community-led approach ensures the resulting toolkit is not an academic exercise, but a living, practical resource built by and for Northern innovators, strengthening a resilient and interconnected creative ecosystem.
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  • Lena’s Strong Game
  • In Bookstores

Lena’s Strong Game

Lena feels her strong body sets her apart. But self-acceptance sparks a game-changing power! Can she help a new friend find confidence in himself too?
The Arts Incubator - Winnipeg October 15, 2025

Short Stories from The Arts Incubator Winnipeg and Art Borups Corners Storytelling Club

What if your greatest strength felt like your biggest secret? Published by the Arts Incubator Winnipeg, Lena’s Strong Game introduces Lena, a soccer star with powerful legs that propel her across the field. But despite her talent, Lena feels deeply self-conscious about her strong body, hiding her legs and holding back her true potential. She longs for thin legs like the other girls, letting shyness dim her otherwise bright game.

Then Rory arrives, a new teammate who also feels shy and is quickly targeted for being different. Witnessing his hurt, Lena sees a reflection of her own struggles with body image and self-worth. Can Lena find the courage to embrace her unique strength, both on and off the field? Will she learn that true power comes from within, and that celebrating your own body can inspire others to do the same?

This inspiring story champions the dignity of the self, reminding young readers that every body is a strong body, and that empathy and self-acceptance are the most powerful plays of all. Perfect for anyone learning to love themselves exactly as they are.

Support Northwestern Ontario and Manitoba Literacy and Publishing: Order Your Books and Short Stories Today

Books, short stories and publications are available in bookstores across Canada, the United States and internationally in outlets such as:

Fable, LaFeltrinelli Internet Bookshop, Palace Marketplace, Rakuten Kobo, Smashwords, Thalia, Vivlio

About the Author

Eva Suluk is an interdisciplinary artist and storyteller whose work is deeply rooted in the land. Her work has been supported by the Canada Council for the Arts. An accomplished hunter, filmmaker, and traditional drum dancer, Eva weaves together the ancient and the modern in her art. She finds her greatest inspiration and stories while spending time on the land, where her hunting adventures and love for her culture guide her creative spirit.

ISBN: 978-1-0698063-7-6

About the Author

The Arts Incubator - Winnipeg

The Arts Incubator - Winnipeg

Administrator

The Arts Incubator - Winnipeg is a participatory arts collective and living lab, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. It's a space where innovation and creativity thrive. It's latest iteration was launched in 2021 with funding and support from the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse. Today, working with students and faculty from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, we fuse traditional and participatory media arts with artificial intelligence, music, storytelling and community-driven, land-based artist residencies to cultivate new voices and bold ideas. Whether through collaborative projects or immersive experiences, our small but vibrant community supports creators to explore, experiment, and connect. Join us at the intersection of artistry, technology, culture and community—where every moment is a new opportunity to create.

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Tags: Northwestern Ontario Arts SDG 10 SDG 4 Winnipeg Manitoba

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Across the vast, culturally rich landscapes of Northwestern Ontario and the broader Canadian North, a powerful creative movement is taking shape. From the intricate beadwork of the Anishinaabe and Dene to the striking sculptures of Inuit carvers and the digital art of a new generation, creativity in these regions has always been more than expression — it is storytelling, identity, and survival.
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MANITOBA ARTS PROGRAMS

This platform, our Winnipeg, Manitoba hub and programs have been made possible with support from the Manitoba Arts Council Indigenous 360 Program. We gratefully acknowledge their funding and support in making the work we do possible.

Manitoba Arts Council Indigenous 360 Program

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Arts Incubator was seeded and piloted with strategic arts innovation funding from the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse. We thank them for their investment, supporting northern arts capacity building and bringing the arts to life.

Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse Logo

NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO ARTS

This platform, our Northwestern Ontario hub and programs have been made possible with support from the Ontario Arts Council Multi and Inter-Arts Projects Program. We gratefully acknowledge their funding and support in making the work we do possible.

Ontario Arts Council Multi and Inter-Arts Projects Program
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