Story
Origins and Philosophy
The Belonging Studio was born from a deeply personal journey through exclusion and systemic failure, and also through community connection and collective healing. This blended perspective, shaped by navigating and working within oppressive systems, sparked a powerful reimagining of how we care for one another and build spaces where everyone can belong.
The studio draws its name and spirit from our early beginnings in the arts. It is a creative space that encourages curiosity, experimentation, and action. As a studio, we foster an ongoing cross-disciplinary practice and continually develop our approaches, tools, and processes.
Our approach is intentionally joyful, loving, and curious, designed to reduce friction and inspire meaningful participation. We understand belonging as an evolving relationship with ourselves, each other, and the communities we create together. At The Belonging Studio, we are committed to shaping a future where everyone feels seen, valued, and empowered to take part.
If you are passionate about community building, come say hello!
To Pui Yee
To Pui Yee 杜佩怡 (she/her) is a Hong Kong born, Toronto-based multidisciplinary designer committed to cultivating communities of belonging through collaborative design and the Founder and Principal of The Belonging Studio. She brings deep expertise in strategy, implementation, organizational change, service design, program development, and community engagement, with a focus on advancing equitable regenerative systems. Her work spans grassroots initiatives and large-scale systems transformation across arts and culture, education, healthcare, and infrastructure, all designed to center community voices and drive collective impact.
At The Belonging Studio, she designs and facilitates journeys that enable people to connect, navigate complexity, and co-create a shared vision for change. She also launched Make a Mark, a community of practice that brings together practitioners dedicated to advancing belonging through community-building. She is a national award winner, receiving the Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation for her research, Sensory Design Guidelines, developed in partnership with Grandview Kids to create inclusive guidelines for children's healthcare spaces. Pui Yee holds a Master of Design in Inclusive Design from OCAD University, specializing in healthcare environments, and an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from McMaster University.
Outside of her practice, she has a deep love for designing human spaces, gardening, camping, and birding.
Values
Practice Ecosystem
Practice Ecosystem
Belonging is at the heart of everything we do. Across our ecosystem of services and products, we consult with organizations to transform systems, gather communities at events, share learning that mobilizes knowledge, design tools for collaboration, and we partner with multidisciplinary practitioners to bring new ideas to life. Together, we build the capacity for people, communities, and systems to flourish.
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