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Meera Atkinson  “Second generation” — the child of an immigrant born or raised in Australia.
Unpack the issues...
“When people migrate from another place or have parents from another place there are values and attitudes you get mixed up about regardless of where you come from. “You go through trying to figure out your identity,” says Ofa Fotu, the 27-year-old daughter of Tongan parents who immigrated to Western Australia. Ofa was born and bred in Perth, the only girl in a family of six brothers (two step-brothers from a previous marriage, two the biological children of her parents, and two adopted). As members of the Free Wesleyan Church in Tonga there were challenging times for her parents as new migrants in Australia:
“When my parents joined the church here it was in the early stages when the Uniting Church was declaring that it was a multi-cultural church.” Ofa says being “second gen” has its own challenges, which she confronted in part by taking a trip to Tonga, alone, at 21. “I definitely feel a strong connection to Tonga. It’s where my parents grew up. There’s a real power in knowledge of their background.” “It was good to go back because cultures can become idealised and being torn between two [cultures] has its moments. On one hand you have to abide by some of the cultural values and attitudes to communicate with your parents but on the other hand you think ‘Why can’t I just do what I want to do?’ I know I haven’t found the right balance as yet but what makes it less stressful is the fact that I talk about it with other people who have the same experience.” The miracle is that she finds time to talk about it, and to help other second gen young people talk about it, given her hectic schedule. Ofa is a trained high school teacher currently employed by Scripture Union in WA as Administrator for the Creative Arts Department and Writer/Director for ‘Moves and Voices,’ which performs shows for primary schools that promote Christian values. Ofa is also a member of the Multicultural Next Gen Working Group, part of the Uniting Church National Assembly agency Multicultural and Cross-Cultural Ministries, and a Youth Leader at the Beth Shalom Tongan Congregation in WA. She is also a Christian artist and is in a band with her fiancé whom she will marry in October. It’s clear that her faith fuels this incredible vitality: “Energy comes from God and I’m trying to be obedient in doing what he wants me to do but human tendencies always get in the way.” As a ‘second genner’ Ofa says she had to strip away cultural influences, both from the Australian church and her Tongan heritage, in order to find her own faith. “For me the struggle was to try and develop a relationship with God that’s uniquely yours.” Her work with the Multicultural Next Gen Working Group aims to reach young people at a grass roots level: “This network started in recognition that a lot of youth go through this [second gen experience] and it can affect the choices they make in their journey of life. The group is about creating programs and networks and trying to facilitate ways we can encourage young people to see that life is more than being obligated to helping your family or feeling lonely and depressed.” So, what advice would Ofa give to a second gen young person, you may ask…  “There are some key people in each state who are good people to sit down and have a chat to about the things you’re struggling with. Finding those people is as easy as calling each synod office,” she says. “Some people think encouraging second gen youth to come together, like at a dance or something, is enough but we have to be better at follow-up. The next gen’ community are trying to be role models.”
Unpack the Issues...Discussion points - What might help a second generation migrant or person from another culture open up and discuss their issues?
- What are some of the advantages and disadvantages to being a second generation young person?
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