Hope Omoregie
After taking part in the Ideas Collective, Hope transformed her idea for a simple card game into Hope’s Home, a growing social initiative creating spaces for meaningful conversation, personal growth and community connection. Read her story to find out more.
Creating Change, One Conversation at a Time: How the Ideas Collective has Inspired Hope
After taking part in the Ideas Collective, Hope Omoregie developed the confidence, tools and support to transform her idea into Hope’s Home, a growing social initiative creating spaces for meaningful conversation, personal growth and community connection.
Hope, a 23-year-old Nigerian-Irish social worker from Clifden, has always been driven by inclusion and creating spaces where people who are often left out are brought into the room. When she came across the Ideas Collective on Instagram, she hesitated at first, unsure about the commitment. But after a friend encouraged her to apply, she took the leap.
Hope joined the programme with an early-stage idea: “Above the Surface”, a card game designed to help young people build self-esteem, reflect more deeply, and move beyond surface-level conversations. Through the Ideas Collective, she was supported to shape and strengthen this idea, exploring how it could create real impact.
At the time, Hope’s idea Above the Surface was still in its early stages. Through the Ideas Collective, she began to see its potential in a completely new way.
A key moment came during a session where Clare, our Leadership and Innovation Manager, challenged participants to think without limits.
" I discovered that your ideas can actually go as far as you want them to go. And that changed everything for me — I realised I didn’t have to put limits on myself.”
The programme helped Hope shift her mindset, not just about her project, but about her own ability to create change. What once felt like a small idea became something with real potential to impact others.
Being surrounded by like-minded peers and facilitators also gave her the confidence to take her idea seriously and begin sharing it more openly. But one of the most impactful aspects of the programme for Hope was hearing directly from activists and changemakers.
"Every part of the Ideas Collective was amazing to be honest, but I really loved when we had activists come in and share their stories. That made me realise that every story that I heard that summer started off as an idea or a burning passion and turned into something so inspiring."
Before joining the programme, Hope associated social change with large-scale action, like protests, campaigns and being highly visible. The Ideas Collective helped her reframe this understanding.
“I used to think I had to be out there doing something big, but social change can start small, in your community.” she said, “Even if you impact five people, that matters, and those five people go on to impact more.” This shift in perspective became central to her work, grounding her approach in community, connection and everyday impact.
Through the programme, Hope developed Above the Surface into a physical card game designed to help people move beyond small talk and engage in deeper, more meaningful conversations. The game uses prompts that guide players from light topics into more reflective discussions creating space for honesty, vulnerability and connection.
Since launching, the game has already reached over 150 people, spreading organically through word of mouth, from Ireland to Canada and Spain.
Building on this momentum, Hope launched Hope’s Home, a social initiative focused on creating spaces for personal growth, connection and empowerment.
Her first event, organised with less than two weeks’ notice, brought together around 85 people, a moment that reinforced her belief in the power of community.
“Impact can’t be forced — people will show up when something truly matters.”
For Hope, the Ideas Collective was more than just a programme, it was a turning point: it gave her the tools to develop her idea, the confidence to act on it, and the mindset to see her potential as a changemaker. It also opened unexpected doors, from new opportunities to international experiences, reinforcing the value of putting her work out into the world.
“Just being in that space opens doors, your intention shouldn’t just be funding, it’s about the opportunities that come from it.”
Hope’s vision is to continue growing Hope’s Home, developing new products and creating accessible spaces where people feel empowered to change themselves and in turn, the world around them. Her journey is a powerful example of what can happen when an idea is nurtured in the right environment and when someone is given the support to believe in it.
Watch Hope's Interview below.
Did Hope’s story inspire you to turn your own idea into something real? Check out the Ideas Collective and join us this year.
