About the Project
This project uses a youth participatory action research (YPAR) process that engages Syrian youth as co-researchers to examine integration experiences. The proposed study sought to examine the integration experiences of Syrian refugee youth (ages 15-22) to better understand protective factors, as well as challenges and vulnerabilities, shaping well-being, identity, and belonging using photo narrative, interviews, and focus group methods. A socio-ecological framework was used to explore integration experiences and well-being within contexts of family and peer relationships, schooling, and community belonging. Further, an intersectional lens is used to better understand diverse experiences of integration with respect to gender, age, class, and pre-migration. The study design was a collaborative, community-based research process. The Muslim Resource Centre for Social Support and Integration MRCSSI worked with Western University to recruit Syrian refugee youth from the London area.
Key overarching research questions guided by the perspective of youth are:
• What protective factors and contexts of vulnerability shape the social integration experiences of Syrian refugee youth?
• And, how can supportive environments (community, school and home) be enhanced to strengthen protective factors and support refugee youth in experiencing increased resilience?
The goal of this work is to continue to refine services in Canada to support optimal integration experiences.
Research Team
Abe Oudshoorn
Fawziah Rabiah-Mohammed
Yasmin Hussain
Funding
Child and Youth Refugee Research Coalition
Findings
Five themes were identified through which we can better understand the integration experiences of Syrian refugee youth:
1) Integration as a chronological journey
“I needed to make my own money, this is my personality, I like to be independent, I like to move around, to go outside my home, to work, to be able to afford my needs without problem, without asking anyone for money. Also, working at a younger age will help me in the future. Gaining work experience, building my social network, getting to know more people, making connections, and experiencing new things every time will build me for the future. I do not think one should start working after graduation, no. working at a younger age will prepare you for the future. When you work more, you learn about life and about people.” (Fared, 16 years old)
2) Bridging or interweaving cultures
“This picture depicts how I feel. When I took this picture, I didn’t know that it is a church, it is the one downtown. But then when I knew that this is a church, I loved it more because I like to be surrounded by different cultures.” (Adel, 19 years old)
3) Reckoning with exclusions
“You talk with Canadians when it is necessary only.”
4) Questioning the premise
“I would like to be part of this community [Canada] and learn about their culture. I love to have information about everything here, so I can share it with others, but sometimes I feel they do not welcome us as Syrian … I wanna study medicine, graduate, and immigrate to UAE [United Arab Emirate]. Here is not my place, I am not accepted as who I am. They [classmates in school] bully us because I wear Hijab.”
5) Resilience: Personal strength and external support
“I wanna wear a skirt often with Hijab on to show how Muslim I am.” (Nuha, 15 years old)
Knowledge Translation
To access the full report click here
Acknowledgement
We would like to thank the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) for funding this study, which is a sub-study of the primary project titled (Child and Youth Refugee Research Coalition) CYRRC.
We also thank the Muslim Resource Centre for Social Support and Integration MRCSSI as a co-applicant and partner on this project for enhancing capacities for community-based and YPAR research.
