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75 # R I S I N G Y O U T H C O M M U N I T Y I M P A C T V O L . 2 G rowing up with mixed Mexican and Mongolian descent, Haliuna Zenteno Dania often struggled with her identity and sense of belonging. With the rise of anti-Asian hatred during the COVID-19 pandemic and the controversial Bill 21 in Quebec, her sense of identity as a racialized and Asian woman became even more pronounced. These experiences pushed Haliuna to speak out about her Mongolian culture and heritage. "I realized that speaking about my experiences as an Asian-Canadian was needed to humanize myself to others during our current volatile environment," Haliuna explains. That's why, with her #RisingYouth grant, Haliuna decided to host a cooking class on traditional Mongolian dumplings, called buuz. "Together, we made them entirely from scratch, by making the dough, flattening it, making the dumplings disks, mixing the ingredients for the filling, handling the steamer pot and, the most exciting part, folding them," she happily reflected. "Once everyone got used to each process, we divided the roles amongst each other, as to replicate a Mongolian family tradition. In our down time, I got to explain Mongolian culture and in turn, answer any questions the group had about Mongolia." While the current political climate made this event all the more urgent, the original inspiration actually came to Haliuna back in 2014 when she read an article by activist and writer Uuganaa Ramsay who wrote about the negative connotations of the word "Mongol" as synonymous with Down Syndrome. "The blog really resonated with me since this reflected my negative experiences in various parts of Quebec," says Haliuna. "It baffled me that adults and children alike were using that word with disdain when my mom would say it with pride… I wanted to bring this issue to light in my community and I thought the best way to do that is through our universal love of food." And Haliuna did exactly that! Her cooking class created a sense of camaraderie amongst all participants who took part in such a joyful (and delicious!) tradition. But most importantly, Haliuna used this intimate activity as a way to have an honest dialogue about her Mongolian experiences in Quebec. As she puts it, "I am glad I finally got to explain to a group the struggles, misunderstandings, and joys that come along with being a person of Mongolian heritage." Smashing Stereotypes of Mongolian Culture While Cooking Haliuna Zenteno Dania I realized that speaking about my experiences as an Asian-Canadian was needed to humanize myself to others... A #RisingYouth blog post where you can learn more about Haliuna's project! A special thank you to Alumni Champions for sharing the #RisingYouth grant opportunity with Haliuna to make this project possible.

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