From humble beginnings and a daring artistic imaginative and prescient, Alvin Leonard, founding father of Damaged Canvas, has remodeled inventive ardour right into a thriving enterprise empire.
What began as a dream rooted in artistic arts has grown right into a dynamic enterprise, mixing innovation, technique, and resilience. Leonard’s journey is a testomony to how expertise, when nurtured with self-discipline and entrepreneurial braveness, can evolve into a robust model that reshapes industries and evokes a brand new era of creators.
“What started as a grassroots imaginative and prescient has grown into a world motion centered on restoring hope via creativity and human connection.
Damaged Canvas was based on the assumption that artwork has the ability to remodel lives. Treasured Ezeamama, my co-founder and I recognised the silent struggles many younger individuals face, notably round psychological well being.
The aim, he stated, is to design and implement artistic workshops, mental-health schooling programmes, outreach initiatives, and advocacy campaigns.
“We noticed how creativity might assist break that silence. The inspiration got here from witnessing how even one protected, supportive atmosphere might change an adolescent’s mindset and future,” he stated.
The artistic artist and mental-health is obsessed with utilizing artwork as a instrument for therapeutic and empowerment, and has devoted his life to creating protected areas the place younger individuals and susceptible communities can categorical themselves, construct resilience, and entry mental-health assist.
He established Damaged Canvas in 2012 in Miami, Florida. as a grassroots initiative, therefore, he started with minimal capital. Based on him, “The early phases have been self-funded via private contributions, neighborhood assist, and small fundraising efforts. Over time, partnerships, donations, and collaborative initiatives helped us develop our attain.”
Although the enterprise began small, it has grown to a good organisation. And the area of interest that stands Damaged Canvas out amongst is its integration of creativity with medical mental-health experience.
“We don’t simply host artwork occasions, we deliberately mix artwork, storytelling, music, and spoken phrase with licensed professionals like medical doctors and behavioural therapists.
“We additionally focus closely on culturally tailor-made programmes. Whether or not in Nigeria, Rwanda, or Grenada, we adapt our strategy to the native tradition, guaranteeing that our influence is significant and sustainable. Our mannequin is relational, community-driven, and rooted in dignity,” he stated.
This has helped the organisation to develop each geographic and impactful. Leonard emphasising on the expansion, stated, “We started in faculties similar to North Miami Senior Excessive, Edison Senior Excessive, and North Miami Center College, mentoring at-risk youth. As we speak, we function internationally, impacting communities in Haiti, Grenada, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Ethiopia.”
To mitigate the murky enterprise area amid surging inflation, he stated that his technique focuses on sustainability via partnerships, donations, and collaborative programming.
“We leverage neighborhood volunteers, in-kind donations, and strategic alliances with establishments and NGOs to scale back operational prices. By holding our construction lean and impact-driven, we’re in a position to stay adaptable even throughout financial challenges,” he famous.
Among the challenges he encountered alongside the best way embrace funding limitations, mental-health stigma inside sure communities, and logistical difficulties when increasing internationally, amongst others.
To beat these obstacles, he defined that his workforce needed to embrace persistence, strategic partnerships, cultural sensitivity, and neighborhood engagement.
“Schooling has been key in addressing stigma. Collaboration has helped us navigate funding and logistics. Above all, staying mission-driven has allowed us to maintain pushing ahead,” he burdened.
Regardless of all, Leonard believes that Nigeria presents each challenges and great alternatives.
He emphasised that whereas financial pressures and inflation have an effect on operations, there’s a rising consciousness round psychological well being, youth empowerment, and inventive industries.
“The chance lies in bridging creativity with structured mental-health schooling. Younger Nigerians are expressive, modern, and culturally wealthy.
“By offering protected platforms {and professional} steering, the trade can expertise important development and significant social transformation,” he stated.
He reiterated that his plans to develop the social influence organisation embrace scaling brushstrokes and breakthroughs to extra cities in Nigeria and different African nations.
Apart from, he intends to deepen institutional partnerships with hospitals and faculties, increasing mental-health education schemes throughout orphanages and underserved communities, and develop structured coaching applications for facilitators and neighborhood well being staff internationally.
Leonard counsels younger entrepreneurs to begin with objective, not simply revenue.
“Be clear about your mission and stay constant even when development appears gradual.
“Construct robust relationships, keep adaptable, and don’t underestimate the ability of beginning small. Impression compounds over time when rooted in authenticity and repair,” he stated.
