Why it matters
cultural identity
Who you are and who you become is shaped by where you come from and what you experience; therefore, it is important to understand how cultural identity impacts mental health.
When multi-cultural children are born into homes with 1st or 2nd generation American parents sometimes the culture can get lost, and parents can struggle with teaching it - especially with the day-to-day life stuff. If we keep losing culture from generation to generation we risk the loss of our culture.
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Cultural identity is an important contributor to people's wellbeing. Identifying with a particular culture gives people feelings of belonging and security. It also provides people with access to social networks which provide support and shared values and aspirations.
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A person's understanding of their own cultural identity develops from birth and is shaped by the values and attitudes prevalent at home and the surrounding, noting that the cultural identity, in its essence, relates to our need to belong. Everyone needs to feel accepted and “at home” with a certain group.
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Do we need culture?
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Unfortunately, much of culture is being lost because parents are struggling to pass it on to their children. Due to different circumstances, whether it be assimilation, time, or other reasons.
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We interviewed different parents about their experience with integrating their culture in their families, we found that there is not only a struggle passing it on, but it’s also because a lot of them don’t know their culture. There is a lot of shame in the community when parents do not pass down the culture to their children, especially the language. This leaves them feeling outcasted. our goal is to design something that will help parents teach children about their cultural identity.
In addition to its intrinsic value, culture provides important social and economic benefits. With improved learning and health, increased tolerance, and opportunities to come together with others, culture enhances our quality of life and increases overall well-being for both individuals and communities.
Reviews:
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stories
"The books in our culture box helped my son and I connect to our cultures. It was so nice to have a book that he could see himself in!"- Shayla
Family time
"This box got my kids off their screens and it didn't feel like a chore at all. I don't even think they realized they were learning. We had so much fun!"- Kim
Connection
"I loved that we were able to start celebrating our own cultural celebrations and not just American holidays"- Rochelle