Bio: Dr. Rana earned her PhD as a Marie Curie scholar funded by the European Commission. "Diasporic Constructions of Home & Belonging" (CoHaB) was the title of the international research group she worked with as an Early Stage Researcher, and had been actively involved in the CoHaB network that included the University of Mumbai, Oxford University, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of Munster, and Stockholm University. Dr. Rana's focus bridges her backgroun in diaspora studies, cultural studies, literature and psychology with mental health. Her interests in the experiences of migration, psychological safety, youth mental health and addictions, and discourse around mental health in South Asian families are topics she actively engages with in her current location of Ottawa. One of her projects involves the development and facilitation of mental health workshops for South Asian youth in Canada. Dr. Rana's aim is to continue to advocate and help those with mental health challenges through policy initiatives and community engagement with a focus on youth and young adults, and on IRER populations; to model better practices of inclusion and resilience for future generations to build upon; and to actively build national and international networks and mental health initiatives while advocating for the importance of qualitative research, lived experiences and collaborative community initiatives and partnerships.  I am currently developing youth focus groups in Ottawa, and I'm starting with local South Asian youth. This is underway as we speak. I can reference the development of these youth mental health groups, my PhD research where I conducted multiple focus groups with young adult and adult members of the Victoria Punjabi-Sikh community, and the interviews I conducted with young adults for my a chapter on Indo-Canadians in Canada published in a text on Diversity, Culture and Counselling. 

Abstract: When investigating and interpreting the evolution of ways in which South Asian Canadians define, explore and represent themselves as South Asian Canadian, an essential step would be to get to know the South Asian Canadians that are being spoken about here. Exercise a respectful curiosity, show people that you care and that you are an open listener. As a scholar of narratives, cultural studies, the Indian diaspora and as an advocate for mental health I have had many opportunities to engage in ethnographic research and informal interactions with members of the South Asian community in Canada. Given my interest in intergenerational family dynamics in the South Asian community I have noted that for many individuals, self-identification and representation are often linked to one’s self-confidence. There are instances where a supportive family or other social environment can enhance one’s confidence in self-expression and identification. I argue that while change is inevitable, and that the South Asian Canadian community has many successes to be discussed, there are young adults who I have spent time with that are struggling as they negotiate stigma and social anxieties that exist in their homes and cultural communities. The depth of connection or support for some South Asian Canadian individuals is lacking.

When it comes to the discussion of evolution, this disconnect between generations is not new. Nor is it new that there is value placed on maintaining social appearances, and that there are serious fears of being rejected by one’s community. What I am interested in discussing further, in-order to develop and facilitate workshops for youth and young adults, is what can be done to help encourage members of the South Asian Canadian to become ‘un-stuck’ and to continue evolving. Let us also discuss strategies of empowerment and resilience of the newer generations so they can be better versions of those who came before them – after all isn’t that what evolving is all about.