One-and-a-half Generation Filipinx Youth in Metro Vancouver: Narratives of Negotiating Ethno-Cultural Identities
Date
2023-06
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Abstract
The landscape of Filipinx migration stories to Canada is diverse, and the majority of stories have emerged from studies with Filipinx adults. This narrative inquiry (NI) explored the storied lives of one-and-a-half generation (1.5G) Filipinx youth in Metro Vancouver, their experiences and capacities to develop and negotiate their ethnic identities in three sites of interactions: a) nuclear and extended families, b) school and peers, and c) the wider communities. In this study I gained insights into the impact of migration and acculturation on Filipinx youth who straddle their country of origin and host country which is timely as the Philippines continues to be one of the top three sources of new immigrant families in metropolitan areas such as Metro Vancouver (Statistics Canada, 2022a). NI and Sikolohiyang Pilipino (SP) enabled me, the researcher, to facilitate a respectful process with the participants to tell their stories at their level of readiness. Filipinx youth expressed their experiences through creative ways in combination with first language, Tagalog or Taglish (a combination of Tagalog and English). This generative process benefitted the youths in co-constructing their own storied lives, exploring their awareness of who they are becoming and carving pathways that professionals such as teachers, settlement workers, and social workers could anchor their programs and services. Four narrative threads weave through the five narrative accounts: 1) pride in Filipino identity with the ability to speak a major language in the Philippines; and insights from interactions in three sites: 2) nuclear/extended families; 3) school with peers and staff, and aspirations to pursue post-secondary education; and 4) the wider communities. This study amplifies the voices of 1.5G Filipinx youth and invites various professionals to 'open doors' for newcomer youths.
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Keywords
Filipinx youth, narrative inquiry, Sikolohiyang Pilipino, acculturation, racialization
Citation
Nguyen, M. S. M. (2023). One-and-a-half generation Filipinx youth in metro Vancouver: narratives of negotiating ethno-cultural identities (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.