Celebrating Culture, Connection, and Community – Simran Garcha and Manpreet Dhesi

Simran and Manpreet’s project was a youth-led cultural celebration, which brought together over 500 community members to celebrate Punjabi heritage through traditional activities, performances, and inter-generational storytelling. It aimed to combat generational disconnect and social isolation, especially among women and elders, while creating opportunities for youth leadership and expression.

Simran and Manpreet shared how their project fostered cultural pride, inter-generational connection, and community resilience:

“Our project centered around cultural celebration and community-building through a festival called Apna Mela, meaning ‘Our Festival.’ The goal was to create a welcoming space for Punjabi families in Metro Vancouver to reconnect with their heritage, share traditions across generations, and strengthen community ties through collaborative programming.”

GenConnect aims to make a positive impact in seniors’ lives through youth engagement and collaborative learning with other seniors. GenConnect help seniors explore new skills, hobbies, and find meaningful activities to introduce to their schedules. In return, youth learn cultural, traditional, or practical forms of knowledge from seniors.

Manpreet reflected on the value of working with GenConnect as a community partner, emphasizing the strength of their existing relationship and mutual support throughout the project:

“We had a really good time working with them, just because we had a strong connection going in. They were incredibly supportive; always open to jumping in, helping us brainstorm, and offering additional resources when needed. One of the most helpful things was that GenConnect came with its own networks. So not only were we tapping into our own connections, but we were able to dive into theirs as well. That really expanded our reach and helped us find the right people for the right roles. They already understood the kind of work we do, which made it easier to tailor the collaboration to both our needs and theirs.”

Simran expressed learning how to extend community connections beyond their project to support other community-based initiatives:

“We were able to find a great team of volunteers that helped us through summer camps, and now they’re gonna help us in our upcoming Diwali and Cultural Showcase. The lesson of being open to take on new community members and look at different perspectives. Everyone brings their own different set of skills and being able to apply them together, it really broadened our team.”

Through this work, the team challenged assumptions about cultural erasure and learned that celebration itself can be a form of resistance. Simran shared how her identity shaped the project’s purpose:

“We’re being a version of ourselves that we wish we had growing up, ensuring that cultural erasure doesn’t happen to our communities; this is also a form of resistance when we celebrate.”

The festival became a site of healing and empowerment, especially for youth navigating diasporic identity. Both organizers developed key transferable skills: delegation, event logistics, and adaptive leadership, while learning to balance personal well-being with collective responsibility. Manpreet described her growth in leadership and project management:

“Delegation is very important, being open to the fact that there are other team members who can support with things. You’re managing almost every part of everything, but you can’t go about something if you don’t know how to do it. Being able to know the full circle of everything was definitely very showcased, knowing how to take something on from A to Z.”

For students considering applying for a CCEL Grant, Simran and Manpreet offer some valuable advice:

Manpreet encouraged future applicants to reflect on their existing networks and how those relationships can evolve into meaningful partnerships, as well as to embrace hands-on leadership and take on roles that may be outside their comfort zone:

“I think a big part is looking into what are the things you’re involved in, what are the connections you have, and how those people can also become a community partner, and how they could support you. Leadership isn’t just directing: it’s stepping in and doing, instead of watching. It’s show, not tell. You can’t just expect it all to fall into place, you actually have to also put in the grunt work, whatever it takes.”

Simran encouraged future applicants to seek guidance early and explore past projects for inspiration:

“Don’t be afraid to reach out, even if you’re just curious or you don’t have a plan. Don’t be afraid to reach out with any questions that you have before you apply. Be sure to check out previous projects just to get ideas. There’s no one-size-fits-all box that a successful grant application has to fit into. Ask previous applicants how their process was and what they did; there’s a whole community that it builds, and if you want to apply, do it.”