Founder and CEO Arundati Dandapani was invited to moderate an exciting panel on the personal narratives of immigrants’ belonging and well-being for the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) that took place on the weekend of September 28, 2024. Moderating the panel aligned with her mission and work at Generation1.ca, given that Professor Arundati also teaches and is often the first point of contact for immigrants rebuilding their careers and lives in North America. Her panelists’ work echoed many of the stories of Generation1.ca members day in and day out with some differences.
Shiva Mazrouei, a 1.5-generation immigrant from Iran, discussed the Iranian diaspora in Canada, which now numbers 400,000. She highlighted two common migration routes for her community—through Turkey as a transit point or directly to Canada/North America for permanence. Mazrouei explored the unique challenges faced by 1.5-generation immigrants caught between two cultures, with parents often questioning whether relocation truly benefited their children or left them feeling culturally dislocated. Her findings emphasized the complex relationship between belonging and well-being, revealing how migration, political turmoil, and the COVID-19 pandemic shaped identity and mental health narratives.
The theme of “belonging nowhere and everywhere” resonated across the panelists’ stories as we explored common ground in our narratives and findings. Miggy Esteban’s creative approach to identity through movement and rest inspired the audience to think beyond traditional spaces of care. He encouraged the creation of spaces that nurture creativity through movement, energy, and kinesis—helping immigrants find connection and a sense of belonging. Miggy’s work through dance was strongly resonant of Esie Mensah, a keynote at ESOMAR’s Toronto Congress in 2022. Jose Miguel “Miggy” Esteban offered a choreographic narrative that explored the mad and queer routes of PilipinX diasporic inspirations. Emerging from a somatic/dance practice inspired by the Tagalog word “pahinga” meaning rest, Esteban challenged dominant discourses on belonging and mental health. It was an important presentation for its powerful critique into Canadian industrial capitalism and multicultural expectations and the need to value diverse expressions of identity and wellbeing, that cited as well from the Nap Bishop Tricia Hersey of the Nap Ministry’s book Rest is Resistance.
Walter Rafael Villanueva, a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto, shared a moving autoethnographic account of caregiving, dementia, and the complex FilipinoX diaspora. He recounted his mother’s journey as a Filipina caregiver in Canada, later diagnosed with vascular dementia, exploring the intersections of cultural identity, caregiving, mental health, and familial bonds across migration. Villanueva highlighted the often-overlooked struggles of immigrant caregivers and how mental health, disability, and cultural expectations converge. His mission is to keep sharing his mother’s story to inspire deeper care and empathy as caregiving responsibilities shift with age.
Founder Arundati Dandapani has skillfully woven together stories, insights, and groundbreaking research to propel Generation1.ca forward through her work across diverse sectors often presented at various industry forums. With a deep understanding of the evolving narratives within the immigrant experience—shaped by age, circumstances, and the profound before-and-after of migration—she has championed the cause of an often-overlooked yet culturally essential group. Immigrants, who belong both everywhere and nowhere, bring with them challenges that demand tailored, innovative, and differentiated community efforts. Under Arundati’s visionary leadership, Generation1.ca has been at the forefront of this grassroots movement, leading transformative change for over a decade since her own journey to North America.
