First-year SFU Business students. | Photo courtesy of Beedie School of Business, Flickr

In Canada, post-secondary education is often seen as necessary in order for youth to compete in the job market and achieve their professional ambitions. But for Filipino youth, studying in Canada may also be fundamental in making a successful transition to a new country.

Patrick Cruz, 26, is a visual artist who moved to Canada when he was 18 years old and studiedat Emily Carr in Vancouver.

“School is very important in terms of shaping and broadening the perspective of someone who is transitioning,” says Cruz.

Tamara Hombrebueno, an undergraduate student and Ambassador of SFU’s Beedie School of Business, moved to Canada at the age of 8 and shares the same enthusiasm for post-secondary education.

“Attending a Vancouver-based university or college is a great way to transition to the local community,” says Hombrebueno. “The students, faculty and staff are so welcoming and understanding of multicultural backgrounds, making it easier for anyone who is new to the city.”

Work-life

While young Canadians may be the most educated generation in history, underemployment and unemployment of youth (ages 15–24) is a significant concern in Canada – according to Statistics Canada, this year the average for unemployed youth was between 13.5 and 14.5 per cent – and one that deserves further attention when considering immigrant youth populations.

Filipino youth who have recently moved to Canada face these economic conditions while also contending with the anxiety of being displaced from their country, language and community. According to Cruz, it is an experience filled with struggles, successes and conflicts.

Like many young Filipino-Canadians, Cruz’s first job was at a fast food restaurant in Surrey.

“[Many fast food workers] are also immigrants like me who also took the job upon their arrival. A lot of them also held their positions for as long as 10 years and never looked for another option,” says Cruz.

Many Filipinos who move to Canada are employed in food and hospitality services and domestic care despite having high levels of education or professional experience. This demonstrates the difficulties for Filipinos, especially youth, who are seeking fair and meaningful employment.

This is an issue that the recently opened Filipino Community Centre in North Vancouver hopes to improveby providing resources that help Filipinos connect with better employment.

Adaptation and identity

Red Horse (Banketa Session), acrylic painting by Patrick Cruz. | Photo by Patrick Cruz.

For a Filipino youth, migrating to Canada also involves navigating his or her identity as a young adult and a Filipino-Canadian. Cruz believes that Filipinos who have immigrated to Vancouver tend to attach too much of their agency to their family or community and that this insular mentality contributes to a fear of adaptation and a lack of risk-taking.

“Although it is safe and secure, it is also highly problematic and limiting, especially for the youth,” says Cruz.

Cruz’s art explores notions of cultural identities as fluid and adaptive.

“[Education] can help open the young minds of the Filipino youth with what is possible beyond our own cultural beliefs and traditions,” he says.

While living and studying in Canada might influence young immigrants to adapt their beliefs, perhaps more readily than older adults, this may also affect their involvement in their former cultural traditions and language.

“It is easy to get caught up in the Canadian lifestyle and forget one’s roots and traditions,” says Hombrebueno. “I have changed [much] since arriving in Canada, and it has been hard to retain certain things such as the Filipino language.”

Hombrebueno feels that young Filipinos can respond to these challengesby becoming involved in organizations like Filipino youth groups, which can be found on campus and in the local communities.

“There are plenty of Filipinos living in Vancouver and thus lots of opportunities to get involved in that community,” she says.