SDG3: Good Health and Wellbeing

Understanding the systems that create cultural identity imbalance for racialized immigrant Canadians.

Alita Vaz

Individual Video Interviews

Groups got a chance to answer a few questions about their topic and the exhibition. 

Visualizing the Problem

Culture makes up an important part of each person’s identity. As a multicultural country, Canada is home to many immigrants of diverse cultures across the globe. Across these cultures, there are different values, traditions, beliefs and ways of interacting with other people. Many immigrant Canadians get stuck between deciding how much of their cultural identity they want to identify with, and how much they want to assimilate into Canadian culture. This is especially difficult for racialized immigrant groups, who already face discrimination in systems across the country, such as in schools and workplaces. These Canadians simply do not know who they are, often feeling that they are not enough for their ethnic culture or western culture. If not dealt with properly, a cultural identity crisis can impact mental health and affect future generations. As a multicultural country, we need to celebrate the diversity that makes up Canadians and integrate various cultures into our systems. Changing these systems starts with us.