Our Pillars

Our vision is to create a world where all our daughters feel empowered, respected and safe; where their sisters can exercise all of their talents and abilities without inhibition; and where mothers may live their senior years as active members of the community with dignity.

We believe that there are four areas where we can create the most impact and change for women and girls in BC. All of the Minerva Foundation’s initiatives are built upon these four pillars: Education, Leadership development, Economic security and Safety.

Education – Training and advanced education is often necessary to develop one’s full potential and contribute to your family and society in a meaningful way. Single mothers, mature women re-entering the workforce, women in non-traditional fields and immigrant and Aboriginal women can face educational barriers. Minerva has established The Education Awards Program in partnership with post-secondary institutions throughout the province to assist women in BC to further their education. Minerva provides the infrastructure for foundations, individuals, associations and corporations to either establish an annual award or endowed fund, in order to assist women in furthering their education.

Leadership development – Understanding leadership styles, acquiring the tools to be able to motivate people to work together to accomplish great things and developing your network are all critical to leadership development. Minerva has several leadership programs to help women learn from one another to achieve their personal, educational and career goals and to advance opportunities to pursue leadership roles in all facets of society including business, government and the community.

Economic security – Women returning to work after an absence from raising children, caring for elders, immigration or other reasons, often face a number of unique challenges different from other job seekers. They may have outdated skills and connections; reduced earning potential; specific income needs; untapped new skills and interests and limited awareness; or lack of confidence about re-entry into a different marketplace. The Minerva Helping Women Work™ initiative is a unique career-mentoring program that supports highly-skilled and undervalued professional women who feel “boxed in” in their attempts to re-enter the workforce and provide economic security for their families.

Safety – A feeling of safety is basic to our emotional and physical well-being yet many women and children do not live and work in safe environments. This severely limits their productivity and self- sufficiency. The Minerva Foundation is addressing safety education initiatives by awarding community grants to support women-centered organizations with their existing community programs.

Our Brand Story

It is said that both Neptune and Minerva competed for the rights to the City of Athens. It was determined that whoever devised the gift most useful to mortals would be granted the city as their own. Neptune created the horse and Minerva created the olive Minerva’s gift won the city. Minerva’s useful gift of the olive offered an ongoing source of food, work and a sustainable, healthy life for the community.

We have incorporated the olive leaf into our new brand identity as it is a symbol of our work – work that permanently changes lives and creates community.