What
does being Canadian mean?
We can not define Canada as only
one culture. Canadian society is multicultural,
multiracial, multifaith and multilingual. Your identity
is made up of what you value from various cultures that
make up your ethnic background.
Being the first generation means
that one has to keep its cultural heritage and try to
combine it with the Canadian lifestyle and values. At one
extreme there is the uniqueness of the individual and at
the other extreme all citizens of the earth; somewhere in
the middle lies a Canadian identity.
Does being Canadian mean that we
share borders and citizenship?
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Take pride in belonging to a
country that promotes unity and equity.
When you limit yourself to the
influence of one group, you deny yourself from learning
about the Canadian culture. Canada's greatest asset is
diversity. We have to maintain an equilibrium between the
rights and the duties of both immigrants and their
welcoming society. If put in a small village in another
country, many would discover their culture. By getting to
know other cultures, we get to know our own. Racism often
emerges when people feel insecure about who they are. You
have to know who you are. Then you have to get to know
the others. It is hard to respect others' behaviours when
we ignore what causes them to act the way they
do.
Being the first generation means
that one has to work to keep their cultural heritage in
balance with a new culture.
Confront your own culture. Can you
define your culture? Can you pinpoint differences and
similarities between your background and others? Are
these different enough that you can talk about a
different culture?
Ask Yourself
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How do we see ourselves, how do
others see us?
ie. Canada is seen as a
humanitarian, multicultural country that is willing to
learn and accept many different people. But how do
Canadians see the country as a whole?
How I see myself (individual) may
be different from how people see me.
This also applies to communities.
How does one community see another?
Discussion
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- What are the values of
Canadians? What does it mean to be Canadian?
- What makes up Canada?
- Canada is a constantly changing
place; are we ready to move away from the status
quo?
- A teacher opens a student's
agenda and sees a swastika drawn. What should the
teacher do?
All Canadian cultures were at one
point faced with conflict between their own cultural
heritage/ethnic background and the culture of their new
surroundings. Differences and adjustment are the things
which make the transition to the new culture difficult.
These include a change in language, food, value systems,
traditions. These may seem like easy things to change,
but to an immigrant, a difficulty with these things could
translate to a resentment of their new land. Someone who
has lived in Canada for a long time might ask why there
is such a big deal about blending the two different
cultures. Immigrants are faced with this difficult
juggling act -- a dilemna in which they feel they might
have to compromise their traditions to fit in with the
surrounding culture.
Two conflicts facing immigrants
have always been adjusting to the new culture and
maintaining their own cultural heritage. Often the values
and traditions of one ethnic culture get swallowed up by
the surrounding environment.
For many people, the feeling of
being Canadian has somewhat erased the feeling of being
an immigrant. This may be true for a large number of
people in our society. However, we must never lose sight
of the fact that we are all immigrants to this country
and that our ancestors suffered and sacrificed to reach
Canada. Some of our ancestors were escaping from famine,
war, and religious, social and political persecution. To
escape these things they migrated to Canada just as
people migrate today.
Personal
Stories
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(real stories from
real youth, writers
are kept anonymous)
Moving to Canada was probably
the most difficult experience that I ever encountered.
I remember having to leave my friends, my nanny, my
grandparents. I had so many emotional connections with
the Philippines that leaving it was like severing my
identity. I knew that I didn't have much of a future
in the Philippines, so the promise that I'd have a
better life in Canada was what brought me to accept
living in this new land.
When I came to Canada, I tried
to establish my own emotional connections, but things
were never the same. The people, the food, the
traditions all these things didn't have the same
familiarity to me as things from the Philippines.
Making friends with Caucasians, East Indians, etc. was
also something I had to get used to because I never
before had to do that. There really is not much
difference in making friends from other races and
cultures, but I latched onto whatever reminded me of
my hometown, no matter how friendly my classmates
were. I tried making friends, but I always seemed to
find more solace in befriending people from the
Philippines. I guess that was my comfort zone.
After being so used to the
presence of Filipinos, it became quite difficult to
make friends with people from other cultures, such
that whenever I was in their presence, I'd withdraw
from them, remaining as inconspicuous as possible. For
some reason, I wasn't comfortable making friends with
people from other ethnic groups. I felt very inferior
when I was with them. This was probably because of my
hard accent, awkward English and different mindset.
When I later realized the importance of being with a
variety of cultures, I felt terrible because it became
so difficult later on to make friends with them. It
was difficult to break out of the mentality and habit
of ignoring these people. I just wish that I had been
able to do so sooner and I wish the people around me
would have done the same.
When I visited the counsellor's
office, I noticed a new, Asian student sitting in her
office, with lowered head, hunched shoulders and in
her quivering hand, a wrinkled Kleenex. From what I
saw, she seemed depressed to be in the school.
Apparently, she was a new student to school. She spoke
no English, and was placed in classes where English
was the language of instruction. She couldn't make any
friends because most of the people she was with were
Caucasians who ignored her for she knew not a word of
English. Nowadays, I wonder what became of her; is she
actually getting much from Canada or does she now
dread the idea of living here?
Activities
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Everybody is unique.
Your identity is defined by:
language
family environment
religion
geography
heritage
traditions
1) Think of an analogy that
describes what it's like to move into a new surrounding.
A new person moves into your neighborhood. Do you welcome
them with open arms and give them a fruit basket or do
you not acknowledge their presence? In many ways, this is
very much like migrating to Canada. Discuss what
similarities these have and the feelings that could
possibly go on when that neighbour is not welcomed?
2) Participate in a game called
Bafa Bafa. This activity involves forming separate groups
that will have to create their own language, value
system, traditions, etc. After this, individuals from one
group are placed into the other group and vice versa. By
doing this activity, we are simulating the experience of
an outsider within a foreign culture. The purpose of
Bafa-Bafa is to provide a unique experience to those who
are not familiar with the difficulties associated with
the immigrant experience.
3) Hold a mini UN conference to
discuss issues that are important on the international
stage. Students would spend time researching their given
country through books, magazines, newspaper, embassies
and through personal interviews with members of that
community. Through their research they will understand
the point of view of another country or culture and be
more accepting when dealing with that culture in their
daily lives.
4) Connect with a new immigrant
family. Spend time with them and get to know them and
their culture. By doing so, you will both gain a new
understanding, and be able to share that understanding.
5) Think of the traditions you have
in your family now. Think about how these traditions have
changed for you and will change for your children. Think
of how the traditions from your culture have changed and
how they will change with your children.
6) Within some groups the concept
of dating during the teen years is considered
inappropriate behaviour. List some examples of conflicts
involving family values and the surrounding culture.
Things that might be considered alright in the outside
environment, may not be acceptable to the internal value
systems which a particular family may hold from their
background.
7) Establish programs in which new
immigrant students are paired up with friendly people who
become their "buddies" and help them integrate into the
school community.
Tools
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Measures of
change
Remember that it is difficult to
please everyone. Sometimes you may cause problems by
trying to please everyone. A good way to measure change
is to identify if the barriers between recent and not so
recent immigrants start to decrease. Are the students in
your school beginning to integrate during social
activities, during lunch and in the library or class
room? Is there a better sense of harmony in all
groups?
Students
Commission recommendations
The following recommendations
are taken from a national report created by youth. After
discussing issues of national identity, immigration and
community, they came up with the
following.
Responsible citizenship means that
each individual contributes to the enhancement and
maintenance of a unified community. Racism spreads faster
in large homogeneous groups where people think their
beliefs are superior. Racism is a learned response. It is
important for the youth of Canada to become a positive
force in their communities to help their
peers.
Responsible citizenship means that
each individual contributes to the enhancement and
maintenance of a unified community.
Curriculums should include
education on ethnic cultures and their role in Canadian
history by recognizing people's accomplishments of the
role models in Canadian society.
Being Canadian is willing to go and
get to know each other in the different regions of this
vast and beautiful country. Travel to appreciate the rest
of the country and our heritage from one coast to
another.
When you are not able to define
your own culture, you become afraid of others.
Tips for action by
youth
Resources available: It would be
helpful to find an interested teacher, and convince
them to help you with what you are working towards.
They can assist you in what you are doing and help you
organize and get other staff and administration on
board.
If you are having a problem
locating more specific material look for your local
multicultural association. They can help you locate
more specific information. Certain cultural groups may
have their own cultural societies, these can also be a
great resource.
Sometimes it may be more
effective to do your first few presentations to people
you know are interested, then these people can help
you with a future presentation.
