Session One Recap: Exploring Personal Identity and Belonging Through Art

Recap of session 1

From the facilitator journals, written on January 23, 2023 - unedited

Recap of session 1

From the facilitator journals, written on January 23, 2023

What happens when you ask a group of teenagers to define themselves?

That was the question at the heart of our very first session of Dual Identities, a community art program I facilitated for Latin American youth navigating life between two cultures, two languages, and two versions of themselves.

We started simply. I introduced the concept of dual identity: what it means to carry two worlds inside you? then, I framed the guiding question for the day: What does it mean to be Latino in Canada?

From there, we explored the Personal Identity Wheel, an activity where participants fill out an identity map and share their answers with the group. What I love about this exercise is how quickly it breaks the ice. Suddenly, strangers are finding out they share the same fears, the same pride, the same things they've never quite put into words before.

And that last part matters. One participant, Mariana, paused when she got to "adjectives that best describe you." She said these were things she doesn't normally think about; she had to actually stop and reflect. That moment of pause? That's exactly what this program is designed to create.

After our debrief, I asked participants to make something. Using the question "Which part of your personal identity is most important to you?" as their prompt, they were invited to choose from an array of materials: found objects, paints, collage paper, felt, pastels... and simply create. I walked around each table, talked through their ideas, and watched something quietly powerful unfold.

''Being latina is special, because it is a language that is a bit difficult, but beautiful. Even more so if you are from Mexico. Its cultures and everything, that’s what I Identify with” - S. 18 years old

About this program

Dual Identities is a community art program for youth, facilitated by Carolina Aguirre. The program uses art-making, storytelling and reflective dialogue to explore identity, belonging and cultural pride.