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Ricordo: Keeping Italian Culture Alive Through Memory and Family Values

Sam Circelli is a member of the Italian Community of London. He has lived in Canada since 1954, when he and his family immigrated from Italy at the age of 7. He describes his memories of his childhood, his transition in coming to Canada and how he keeps his Italian Culture alive. Sam also touches on how he passes these values onto his children and how Italian Culture evolves over time
Inter-generational Discussion on Cultural Evolution

The portrait examines three generations of an Italian family and how the culture is passed on through these generations. We began by discussing the migration to Canada of my community partner’s father, how he felt in the first couple of days in Canada, and how he was able to maintain his cultural heritage while being in a foreign land. We discussed how Beverly’s father would cook Italian food, go to church and listen to Italian opera to immerse himself in his roots. Beverly then expressed the importance that her father placed on family, and how this is a core value that has been passed on to her children. She then told me a story about how every Sunday, her family still gets together in her house to have Sunday supper.
Colombia to Canada: A journey of self discovery and cultural identity.

In this video, Emilio Borja discusses his journey with his cultural identity. Borja discusses topics such as his life before Canada, his reasons for coming to Canada, what he misses about Colombia, and what he likes about life in Canada. All these topics build up to Borja’s discussion of cultural identity. Borja tells us what he feels his personal cultural identity is and explains why he feels this way. Borja then explains his definition of cultural identity, and how he believes cultural identity is fluid and able to change over time. He also explains why he feels this fluidity can be both good and bad.
Staying Connected Between Two Cultures

The video is made to portray my community partner’s experience of migrating from Colombia to Canada. (as stated in the subject) It portrays how she had to learn to adapt to a completely different and new culture, and what she has done to stay connected with both her heritage in Colombia and new life in Canada. It shows how she overcame obstacles to build a new life and the things that helped her stay focused and feel a part of Canadian culture. It discusses the Colombian community here in London, Ontario and her work as an Army reserve for Canada. This video’s goal was to analyze her completely different lives and views of both cultures, and see what she did in order create her own identity. She also compares aspects of the two countries and what she finds most important to herself.
Maintaining Japanese identity: Life as a Canadian immigrant and Mother

The video explores the life of Chigusa Peters who is a new Japanese immigrant to London, Ontario and also a mother of three daughters. During the interview, Chigusa first talks about her own identity and the difficulties she encountered in adapting to Canadian culture. She also discusses the differences between life in Canada and life in Japan. In the hopes of passing on Japanese traditions to her daughters, she takes them to karate classes every Monday and Wednesday, and to the Japanese language school every Saturday morning. The video ends with her talking about which aspects of Japanese culture she hopes her kids will be able to learn through these activities.
Seeing the World Through a Colombian Lens: Travel Stories from Roberto Mocetón

Roberto Mocetón shares the cultural importance of travel in Colombia. He reflects on his motivations for personal travel after moving from Bogotá, Colombia to London, Canada with his family. Roberto views travelling as an opportunity to connect with his family, become more globally-minded, and pass along these values with his son. He highlights that travel is a way for us to learn from and connect with others. In this video, he also reflects on the similarities and differences between the role of travel in Colombian and Canadian cultures.
A Story of Circumstance: From Nicaragua to Canada

This member of the London Hispanic Community moved to Canada as a refugee in 1985. She fled government violence and persecution in 1979, specifically after participating in student protests. She began her journey in Nicaragua, moving north through Central America to Mexico, before moving from Mexico to Canada. For this community member, the importance of family and work ethic have been the cornerstones of her values and motivations. She has been in Canada for 35 years as of 2019. Some of the things she misses most about Nicaragua is the slower pace of life, and the tendency for family to be very close-knit. She is very involved in the London community, especially in the Nicaraguan London community, and regularly participates in fundraisers and charity events to help children in Nicaragua, as well as the immigrant community in London.
An Identity of Work: The Importance of Work and Family in the Life of an Arabic Canadian Immigrant

The story of an Arabic Canadians journey in immigrating, finding employment, and regaining his identity in his chosen line of work, This is a portrait which demonstrates the struggles new immigrants face, the highs and lows of moving countries and being in new cultural contexts, and how identity can be lost and found in the work that we do. Through the lens of this portrait can be seen the truth of what it is like to search out opportunity and work hard for a dream that many Canadian citizens share: to do what you love with those you love in a place where you feel secure and happy.
Aldo at the Marconi Club: A Portrait of Italian-Canadian Identity in London

This portrait is based around Aldo, an Italian-Canadian member of the London community. Aldo visits the Marconi Club, an enduring and popular meeting place and events hall for Italians in London. We follow Aldo through different parts of the building, and learn a little about the club’s activities and how the Club has been important to Aldo in his life. Aldo then answers questions about his childhood, his Italian-Canadian identity, and his desire to maintain his Italian language proficiency.
Home in Canada: Immigrant from Germany to Canada in 1980s

Reinhild came from Chemnitz, Germany. She immigrated with her family to Canada in the 1980s. She taught mathematics in Western before. This video will introduce her immigrant process and the factors she thinks affect her integrated into Canada.
Finding Home: The Waves of Life

A story about the struggles and hardships that come with moving to multiple countries within a short time period. What does settling mean and where does one find home.