You and Me, My Neighbour and Your Great Ancestor

March 30, 2022 | Montréal

Having been a Youth Cultural Ambassador in Montréal during 2021-2022, I have only grown more and more fond of Youth for Youth Québec. As I became part of the Y4Y team, I was eager right from the beginning to work for the Belonging Project because I was so deeply connected with its mission.

Growing up in Montréal as an anglophone I’ve definitely been on the receiving end of some harsh comments and strange reactions when trying to speak french in customer service positions. Due to this sort of linguistic pressure and disconnect, I have even gone as far as to consider leaving the province in the future. This organization and this project would have been so effective and meaningful to me 5 to 10 years ago, so I could not have been more excited to try my best to bring forth events that might strengthen the sense of provincial belonging in someone else. Going into the initial brainstorming to figure out what events I wanted to plan and host, I tried to figure out what my personal favourite parts of Montréal are. A lot of my connections to where I live stem from my childhood, which is where my two first event ideas came from.

I think that we have a surprising amount of stunning parks and pathways and pieces of nature in the midst of our metropolitan city that I think we all take for granted. It might be literal, but building our ties with the literal land and nature that surround us, is a perfect way to feel more connected, which is why I decided to focus on wildlife specific to Québec for my first event. I think that Montréal is rich in diverse available activities, from Cabane à Sucre to light festivals, escape rooms, to curling lessons! I have lived here my entire life and even now I am discovering new adventures, music festivals and art exhibits that are so rich in diversity and might not be present in every city in Québec - that makes us stand out.

“It is the beauty of having continuous opportunities to get to know the life and reality of those who are different from me.”

Finally, I landed on possibly the greatest theme that I tie with Montréal, and that is food! What is so beautiful about the ever-growing, strong food culture here in Montréal is its multicultural diversity. Just like the leisure and artistic activities, I am discovering a new ethnicity’s food every single year here in this city and I think that is so beautiful because it includes and welcomes as many people as possible into the city’s food culture. The beauty of restaurants and home recipes is that they are generational bases that are passed down and maybe changed a little with each generation. The sharing of those recipes that we hold close to our hearts helps us become more open to all of the different cultures that make up the mosaic that is Montréal. If I were, to sum up, the beauty of my city, it is you and me, my neighbour and your great ancestor. It is the beauty of having continuous opportunities to get to know the life and reality of those who are different from me. I only hope that I was able to bring a piece of joy or a fond memory to even just one event participant because that’s what Montréal has brought me.

Author
Mia Cooper-Graham
Youth Cultural Ambassador (Montréal)
for Y4Y’s You are Here: The Belonging Project