The Voice of Immigration’s Second Generation is reported at the Project Vaughan Conference.

Sabrina presented early work on a paper she is co-authouring with Francie Romano; The Second Generation: An Evolution in Culture. The conference was produced by the Mariano A. Elia Chair in Italian-Canadian Studies at York University and hosted by Councillor Tony Carella of the City of Vaughan.

Excerpts from the presentation:

Canadians born from Italian parents are becoming increasingly responsible for the future of the Italian culture in Canada.   They are being called upon to define the next iteration of Italian-Canadian identity and how successive contributions and status will continue to be made and enjoyed.  The Vaughan community of Italians has nurtured them with excellence in areas including: entrepreneurship, politics, the arts, and media. Their lineage is descendent from a group of hard-working, fun-loving, and family-oriented people.  What will be said of the achievements and character of the second generation?

Over the past 20 years Vaughan has become the primary venue for Italian-Canadian life, wherein Italian immigrants have built an intricate web of businesses, social clubs, bocce teams, and influence. How will these efforts continue to survive with their successors? What traditions will be kept?  In what ways will the community come together and in what ways will it contribute to this dynamic country? Using a Vaughan/Italian community lens, this paper will discuss the existing structures that propagate the Italian-Canadian culture. While fully recognizing the emotional connections to ancestry, language, and land that permeate any discussion of culture, the paper will address domestic configurations for:  the arts, business associations, political representation, media, and mentorship. It will also confer upon the current relationship between Italy and Italo-Canadians. Such ties include: voting rights, real estate interests, trade, tourism and study, and municipal recognitions.

Click here to view the event PDF.