In this episode of the CPI Podcast, we take a look back on The Second Gen series produced by Karina Zapata, the CPI’s first Podcaster-in-Residence. 

The Second Gen offers a glimpse into the experiences faced by the children of immigrants. The episodes explore different topics that affect first-generation Canadians — like discussions on being the eldest child to the sometimes polarizing experiences in the LGBTQ2S+ community. As a daughter of immigrants herself, Karina brings her background and experience to each part of the series.

Host Sam Jolin talks to Karina about the series, what inspired it, and how it all came together.

Colonization isn’t always a new topic for children of immigrants whose parents came from countries that were colonized. Still, many children of immigrants are navigating the guilt and responsibility that comes with living on stolen land and making a home in a country that has displaced Indigenous Peoples from theirs. In this episode, host Karina Zapata speaks with Coralia Sevilla from Calgary, Alberta, Gabby Aquino from Scarborough, Ontario and Jessica Pacunayen from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. We discuss how learning about Indigenous history and culture has been pivotal in helping them understand how colonization impacted their home lands and their people, as children of immigrants.

Living up to your parents’ expectations can be a challenge. That pressure is often heightened when your parents sacrificed everything they had to move to a brand new country to make a better life for their families. In this episode, host Karina Zapata speaks with Crystal Wai from Calgary, Michelle Au in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Tausif Syed in Victoria, B.C. about how they try to make their parents’ sacrifices worth it through their success. We discuss how it can feel like you’re never doing enough, as children of immigrants.

For many children of immigrants, speaking their heritage language can feel like one of the few ways of maintaining their cultural identity, being born and living away from their motherland. But by the second generation of immigration, many people lose the ability to speak their mother tongue. In this episode, host Karina Zapata speaks with Kayko Jarvis, Isabel Stanleigh and Carole Yue, all from Calgary, Alberta, about what it’s like to speak — or not speak — their mother tongues. We discuss how it affects their cultural identity and relationships with their families, and how they plan to navigate the situation with future generations.

Being part of the LGBTQ2S+ community comes with extra challenges as children of immigrant parents whose cultures and beliefs are often opposed to their queer identities. In this episode, host Karina Zapata speaks with Cece Chow, Camila Gomez and Abhi Sanhi, all from Calgary, Alberta, about their experiences as queer children of immigrants. We discuss the feeling of not belonging in both cultural spaces and queer spaces, and how the guests learned to live authentically — as their full selves — despite the adversities they faced.

Navigating mental health as children of immigrants can be challenging, coming from communities who may not believe in getting support for it and parents who were often too busy surviving to focus on their own wellbeing. In this episode, host Karina Zapata speaks with Clara Jaide from Calgary, Alberta, Shanice Coombs from Brantford, Ontario, and Alonso Melgar from Toronto, Ontario. Each guest has faced various challenges with their mental health in their lives, from facing racial violence, to not being allowed to attend therapy growing up.

Eldest children of immigrant parents often have to bear the weight of taking on extra work and responsibilities to help their families succeed. In this episode, host Karina Zapata speaks with Rome Lim from Hamilton, Ontario and Cassandra Ngo from Markham, Ontario about their experiences as the eldest children of immigrant parents. From navigating language barriers to being the main emotional support to parents experiencing hardships, we discuss the pressure eldest children of immigrants often face, and how that changed the way they live as adults.