Karoline Ravanelli, Director of Communications, CPRS Vancouver
June brings warmer days and the beginning of patio season, but it's also Italian Heritage Month in Canada, a time to celebrate the contributions, stories, and traditions of one of the country's largest cultural communities.
More than 1.5 million Canadians claim full or partial Italian ancestry, including over 130,000 people in British Columbia. Italian influence is woven into the fabric of our daily lives, often in ways we don't immediately notice. From the espresso bars and family-owned restaurants that dot Vancouver's neighbourhoods to the construction, design, manufacturing, automotive, fashion, tourism, and food sectors that continue to shape our economy, Italy's impact extends far beyond pizza and pasta.
As someone who grew up in a Brazilian-Italian family, I have always appreciated these connections. Some of my favourite childhood memories involve gathering around a table with family, sharing panettone during the holidays, watching soccer on Sundays while eating pasta (and yelling at the referee through the TV, of course), listening to stories, debating opinions, and enjoying the warmth that seemed to accompany every gathering.
What fascinates me most, however, is not the food, the fashion, or even the wine. It's how the community communicates.
And perhaps that's the biggest lesson communities like this can offer communicators.
Communities build their own narratives
A few years ago, I attended my first Ombretta event in Vancouver organized by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada West, of which I am now a proud member.
As a Brazilian-Italian, I expected good food and lively conversation (including our recognizable hand gestures). What I didn't expect was a lesson in communications.
Within minutes, people were introducing themselves, sharing stories, laughing hard, making connections, and asking questions that went far beyond job titles. Conversations felt genuine. Relationships seemed more important than networking. People wanted to know who you were before they wanted to know what you did.
That experience reminded me that communities often communicate differently than organizations do.
While communicators spend a great deal of time thinking about channels, audiences, and messaging, communities build trust through culture, shared experiences, and relationships. In many of the Italian-Canadian spaces I've encountered, authenticity, hospitality, and human connection often seem to carry more weight than polished elevator pitches or carefully crafted networking strategies.
The Italian-Canadian community is no exception.
Long before LinkedIn groups, Facebook pages, and digital newsletters, communities built their own trusted communication networks. Today, many of those networks continue to thrive. Programs such as Il Sole Italiano on CJSF 90.1 FM, Italian-language programming on Fairchild Radio, and publications such as Il Marco Polo (running since 1974!) continue to preserve language, culture, and connection across generations.
These channels do more than share information. They help maintain a sense of identity, create opportunities for community storytelling, and provide trusted spaces where people can connect with one another.
For communicators, there is an important lesson here. If you want to reach a community, start by understanding where that community already gathers, who it already trusts, and what values shape the conversations taking place there.
Translation is not the same as connection
One of the biggest mistakes communicators make is assuming that translating a message is enough. Effective communication requires understanding what people value, how they build relationships, which stories resonate, and which channels they trust.
In my experience, many spaces within the Italian-Canadian community place a strong emphasis on authenticity, hospitality, relationships, and conversation. People appreciate sincerity and human connection, and they are often quick to recognize when someone is genuinely interested in building a relationship rather than simply delivering a sales pitch (and trust me, they will be very straight forward about it).
These preferences influence how messages are received. A campaign built around status, prestige, or corporate language may not resonate as strongly as one built around family, craftsmanship, tradition, community, or shared experiences. The lesson applies far beyond the Italian community. In multicultural cities like Vancouver, successful communicators understand that audiences are shaped not only by demographics, but also by culture, values, traditions, and lived experiences.
Communities are not demographics
Italian Heritage Month also offers an opportunity to challenge stereotypes. Food, fashion, and wine are certainly part of the story, but Italy is also a global leader in design, architecture, engineering, manufacturing, luxury goods, automotive innovation, and tourism.
Communicators can sometimes fall into the same trap as the general public by reducing communities to a handful of familiar symbols and missing the richness that exists beneath the surface.
The Italian-Canadian community isn't simply a demographic category. It's an ecosystem that includes media outlets, cultural organizations, chambers of commerce, restaurants, sports clubs, entrepreneurs, family businesses, and traditions passed down through generations. Effective communication begins when we stop asking, "How do we reach this audience?" and start asking, "How does this community communicate with itself?"
Looking for cultural affinities
One of the most common mistakes in multicultural communications is assuming that reaching a community requires creating an entirely new campaign. Sometimes, the opportunity is already there.
Many of the experiences that make British Columbia unique also align naturally with values that resonate within many Italian communities: gathering around a table with family and friends, appreciating quality ingredients, enjoying local wine, spending time outdoors, embracing craftsmanship, and making space for conversation and connection.
The opportunity for communicators is not to recreate Italian culture, but to recognize where cultural values and local experiences already intersect.
As FIFA 2026 approaches, how many brands are thinking beyond sponsorship logos and match-day activations? Could there be opportunities to tell stories about the role soccer plays in bringing together generations of Italian-Canadian families and communities, from neighbourhood viewing parties to family traditions that have been passed down for decades?
BC's wineries already collaborate with cultural organizations and festivals. But what other stories remain untold? Could wineries explore the parallels between the Okanagan's wine culture and traditions that many Italian families have carried with them for generations?
Imagine a Vancouver-based luxury sunglasses brand creating a summer campaign inspired by the way many Italians embrace summer, from waterfront aperitivos and evening strolls to a strong appreciation for fashion, craftsmanship, and personal style.
What if tourism organizations explored the similarities between BC's vineyard landscapes, orchards, harbourfront patios, and the lifestyle experiences many visitors seek when they travel to Italy?
And what could happen if BC-based ceramic makers and home décor brands looked to Italian traditions of craftsmanship, design, and gathering around the table as inspiration for their storytelling?
None of these ideas rely on stereotypes. They rely on understanding. The goal isn't to make BC look like Italy, but to recognize where cultural values, interests, and experiences already intersect.
That's where authentic storytelling begins.
The real lesson
Ultimately, the lesson isn't about Italians. It's about curiosity.
Every community has its own stories, trusted channels, traditions, cultural references, and ways of building relationships. The Italian-Canadian community simply offers a compelling example of what can happen when those connections are preserved across generations.
In a city as multicultural as Vancouver, communicators have an opportunity to look beyond the obvious. Great communication isn't simply about crafting the right message. It's about taking the time to understand who you're speaking to.
So, happy Italian Heritage Month and auguri a tutti!