Cristina Guerrero, PhD, and Blaise Humblelaine Cabanban, BA
Fostering Bayanihan: Learnings from Working With Filipino Newcomers At A Toronto High School
The Filipino community is one of the fastest growing in Canada. Between 2011 and 2016, the Filipino population in Canada grew from 662, 600 to 837, 130 persons. The proposed paper adds to a previous publication documenting the specific roles of Bayanihan in a 3-year initiative aimed at supporting the well-being and academic success of Filipino newcomer youth attending a Toronto public high school.
The presenters will begin by sharing an examination of immigration trends as well as the political, economic, and social factors that contribute to the youth’s presence in Canadian schools, including information on the legislative provisions leading to the higher proportions of females with professional backgrounds in healthcare. These circumstances provide a noteworthy backdrop to conversations on the youth’s experiences with alienation, family reunification, and educational experiences. In their work, the concept of Bayanihan is central; it refers to a process of building community and relationships in a schooling context that is new to the youth.
Drawing from our commitments to culturally sustaining pedagogy and relational practice as well as multiple data sources like student focus groups, the presenters share how various layers of school, family, and community support can positively impact the academic success, well-being, and leadership potential of Filipino students. They will also share the insights gleaned from the youth and our work with them and provide a series of recommendations for educators and other child and youth care practitioners to consider when designing interventions with this group of young people. It is important to share all these insights to further inform practitioners’ practices when it comes to integrating culturally relevant strategies at school and in the classroom in order to foster belonging and well-being. This information can also be helpful to inform new directions for working with youth from Filipino and other diasporic groups.
Eamama Daniyal, MA
The Assyrian Chaldean Syriac Student Union and Youth-Led Diasporic Identity Rebuilding
It is undeniable that diasporic youth face hard intergenerational trauma from older generations, often pressuring them to maintain their identity through the ways they were used to — religion and politics being the main two. But we are starting to see youth using new tools and technology to redefine their position in the diaspora. This research will focus on the relationship between MENA minority diasporic youth and how they have redefined what ‘diasporic identity’ means to them. It is important to note that the discourse and scholarly work on these diasporas is still fairly new and so a comparative approach to different groups will be important. A particularly interesting comparison is between diasporic youth in their redefining process compared to social movements in the form of cultural organizations and groups.
This preliminary study looks at the Assyrian Chaldean Syriac Student Union (ACSSU) of Canada, a student-led non-profit, and how they provide a space for Assyrian youth — an indigenous ethnic minority to the Middle East — to maintain their identity and choose to focus on identity building as a diasporic group. The goal is to shift the work away from diasporas as victims of assimilation into the host country or a longing to return to their homeland, to one where youth are creating a new sense of belonging while maintaining a proud and confident connection to their identity.
Cristina Guerrero, PhD
Cristina Alexandra Guerrero is a Professor in the Bachelor of Child and Youth Care program at Humber College in Toronto, Canada. She holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum Studies and Teacher Development as well as a Bachelor of Education from OISE/University of Toronto. She also has a Master of Arts in Spanish Language and Literature and an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto. Prior to joining Humber College, she worked as a secondary social sciences teacher and instructional coach at the Toronto District School Board. Cristina is also an avid runner and enjoys running wherever she travels. Sample publications include “Building culturally sustaining leadership with Filipino youth: Empowerment, belonging, and community building at a Toronto high school” in Relational Child and Youth Care Practice; “Designing and facilitating an “adapted” practicum amid pandemic times. Crisis and Opportunity: How Canadian Bachelor of Education Programs Responded to the Pandemic”; “YPAR as policy production: Youth building relationships with home, school, and community to mobilize change” in S. Winton, G. Parekh, & B. Carpenter (Eds.) Critical Perspectives on Education Policy and Schools, Families and Communities; and “Queer(y)ing culture through professional learning communities: A reimagining of culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy” in Perspectives on Urban Education.
Blaise Humblelaine Cabanban, BA
Blaise Humblelaine Cabanban is a Filipino-Canadian working as an Immigrant and Refugee Counselor since 2016. Born in the Philippines and immigrated to Canada with her family when she was in Grade 10, she graduated Honours Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Trent University and received professional education & training funded by OCASI, at the University of Toronto and McMaster University. Blaise facilitates culturally relevant projects and initiatives in schools and is committed to providing opportunities to newcomers who experience the impacts of family reunification, immigration, and settlement issues by eliminating key barriers and cultivating resilience.
Eamama Daniyal, MA
Eamama Daniyal (she/her) is an Assyrian researcher born in Canada completing her PhD in Sociology at York University. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies with a Minor in Political Science from York University and recently completed her Master’s degree in Migration and Diaspora Studies at Carleton University. Her research interests lie at the intersection of diaspora studies and social movements, with a particular focus on diasporic youth from minority groups in the MENA region. Eamama has worked on different projects around migration, and most recently worked on a project on the precarious work of interpreters at the IRB and the impact on sexual minority claimants. During her MA in Migration and Diaspora Studies, she familiarized herself with Stuart Hall’s idea of cultural identity and diaspora as well as Pierre Bourdieu’s Social and Cultural Capital theories to expand on the topic of diasporic youth—specifically Assyrian youth — and the ways in which they are redefining what diaspora what means to them. As she moves forward, Eamama hopes to expand the research to focus on particular youth-led organizations in areas where there have been large populations of Assyrians mobilizing in the diaspora, areas like Chicago, Toronto, and Los Angeles.
