Connecting the Dots
Cultural Diversity Series
In honour of World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development on May 21st, The Circle Education, talks with young people to celebrate different backgrounds.
A series of interviews will be published here and in the Driftwood throughout May and the beginning of June, accompanied by three blogs that fit within the theme.
Through our youth, we hope to offer a look at the world from different perspectives. In this way, we begin to open up horizons, providing our societies with connection and making them more inclusive.
Interviews by Marcia Jansen, Communication Leader at The Circle Education.
Summers in Aklavik to explore Gwich’in roots
Rikilyn Traer’s summers used to revolve around visits with family and friends in Aklavik in the Northwest Territories. The recent residential school findings were a turning point for her. It made her realize she wants to be more part of the Gwich’in heritage and...
From Beijing to Salt Spring Island; Rachel’s Culture Shock
Rachel Xie had just turned fourteen when she moved from Beijing, a city with more than 21 million people, to Salt Spring Island. All by herself. After four years at GISS as an international student, she reflects on the cultural differences she has experienced while...
Canada and Mexico Both Feel Like Home for Sanchez-Wickland Sisters
Zoe and Sashi Sanchez-Wickland were born in Canada, have a Mexican father and a Canadian mother, and live on Salt Spring Island. Every year, the two sisters go to Puerto Escondido, the place where their dad grew up, to live there for a few months and connect with...
Cultural Curiosity and Compassion
Today is World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development; a day to celebrate different backgrounds. In the weeks that bookend this important day, The Circle Education is connecting the dots between similarities that blend us together in a shared humanity...
Move from Ukraine to Canada Gives Ivanna Different Perspectives and Outlook on Life
Ivanna Darmokhid was thirteen when she moved from Ukraine to Salt Spring Island. The teenage years can be a difficult time to leave your friends and family behind, but Ivanna was excited for this new adventure in her life. She’s grateful that her parents took the leap...
Welch Siblings See Multicultural Background as a Bonus
Keshua, Levi and Zyah Welch have a Grenadian dad and a Canadian mom with Dutch roots. They had a Canadian upbringing on Salt Spring Island, with the Grenadian humour of their dad and a touch of Dutch from their great-grandparents. Last year they had the chance to get...
Connecting the Dots
Leading up to World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development on May 21st, Janine Fernandes-Hayden kicks off with a blog about how her feelings changed about the question “Where are you from?” “Where are you from?” With brown skin and an "exotic"...