Search Results (22)

In this paper, we argue that what is sometimes at fault for the poor attendance and lack of engagement in schools observed from historically marginalized families is a missed opportunity to increase understanding or cultural relevance on the part of schools. In this paper, we use the construct of “counter stories” which has the potential to change the script on the instrumentalist demands of quantity versus quality in parent engagement. By providing examples of what we consider “quality” engagement techniques via the staff’s interpretation of their roles within one demographically rich early learning center, the strategies used to engage parents are documented. Counter-stories of practice show family-centrism as interpreted by school leaders. By describing one community context and its practices of building relationships with newcomer families, relationally driven parent engagement techniques are revealed. The authors highlight how inquiry-based methods surpass the generic approaches described in policy. When parent engagement “arises” from within parents’ motivations and informs authentic knowing (by teachers and school leaders), community systems are elevated. Professionals’ decisions about children and community groups that are informed by families’ knowledge are consequently meaningful and authentic. Full article

Community navigators (CNs) play critical roles in fostering consultancy between school professionals and newcomer families in the United States. The overarching goal of this project was to enhance CNs’ capability to facilitate collaboration and create an impact in the communities they serve. To meet this goal, we created the Leading in Newcomer Communities and Schools program to establish a community of practice through the evidence-based, virtual knowledge-sharing ECHO platform. In total, 18 CNs participated in a 10-session ECHO series designed to enhance CNs’ capability by (1) improving knowledge of education policies and laws; (2) enhancing awareness of education resources; (3) increasing self-efficacy; and (4) building skills to promote school and community collaboration. Electronic pre- and post-surveys were collected to assess CN’s learning outcomes, and data were analyzed using descriptive and frequency analyses as well as Wilcoxon Signed-Rank non-parametric tests. Qualitative feedback was collected from post-session feedback and a post-program focus group and analyzed using a deductive content analysis approach. Overall, participants reported greater capability and confidence for consultancy between families and school professionals and high satisfaction with the program. Similar approaches can help transform family, school, and community partnerships into culturally responsive home–school–community policies and practices. Full article

In 2022, the federal government initiated two grant programs geared to enhance education specifically for Afghan and Ukrainian populations: the Afghan Refugee School Impact and Support to Schools supplements, both part of the Refugee School Impact (RSI) program. In Missouri, the context of our research, RSI funding has been coordinated by a non-profit organization, the Missouri Office for Refugee Administration (MO-ORA). In partnership with MO-ORA, we designed a qualitative study and used content analysis to examine 39 RSI grant applications to MO-ORA from 35 different districts. We explored two key research questions: (1) what did K-12 schools in Missouri identify as priorities to support refugee students in their RSI grant applications? and (2) how did districts plan to allocate resources to meet refugee students’ and families’ perceived needs? Analyses identified that districts’ biggest priorities were to support: (1) family engagement activities, (2) English Learners’ education, and (3) student English language proficiency. Meanwhile, districts’ top three areas of funding allocation went to the pre-named categories of Student Services for Els, Professional Development for Staff, and Facilitating Partnerships. Full article

This qualitative study explores the perceptions and experiences of six newcomer parents from different countries (Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Chile, Russia, and Ukraine) regarding their collaboration with Norwegian schools. Semi-structured in-depth interviews, ranging from 55 to 80 min, were conducted in participants’ native languages and English. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data. Four major themes emerged, as follows: (1) “Journeying Through Integration within the Norwegian Educational Landscape”; (2) “Collaboration: Dialogic or Monologic?”; (3) “Language and Communication Barriers”; and (4) “Navigating New Horizons”. The findings highlight that despite the challenges, participants expressed appreciation for the support they received from schools and teachers. The findings also indicate the need for schools to improve communication and cultural understanding to foster meaningful collaboration with newcomer parents. Schools must also provide more opportunities for parent involvement in decision-making processes. This study adds to the limited literature on newcomer parents’ perspectives on school collaboration and provides insights for policymakers, educators, and school administrators to enhance the educational experiences of newcomer students and their families in Norway. Full article

Background/Objectives: As the newcomer population in Canada continues to grow, we aimed to collaborate with newcomer families arriving in an urban center in Alberta, Canada to identify strategies to overcome identified barriers newcomers face in obtaining routine childhood vaccines (RCVs). Methods: We recruited newcomers living in Calgary, Alberta to participate in a workshop utilizing the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) to develop solutions addressing barriers to obtaining RCVs. Ranking exercises helped identify the top-proposed interventions based on perceived impact and feasibility for implementation. Based on the identified need for translated vaccine resources, infographics on school-based vaccines were developed. The infographics were pilot-tested in a first-language focus group before the final product was translated into 10 different languages. Results: Consensus from 15 NGT workshop participants identified five key solutions to facilitate obtaining routine childhood immunizations: (1) Increasing access to reliable vaccine information; (2) Ensuring vaccine information and healthcare services are available in different languages; (3) Increasing vaccine appointment availability and optimizing the booking system for ease of navigation; (4) Increasing the role of family doctors in vaccine counseling and administration; (5) Streamlining vaccine record tracking. We developed infographics on the vaccines children in Alberta can receive through school-based vaccine programs and these were pilot-tested with 16 participants in a first-language (Arabic) focus group. Conclusions: The collaborative and iterative process of solution development with newcomers provided a platform for knowledge translation through the development of educational resources on school-based vaccines, addressing the information barrier that newcomers identified when accessing RCVs. Full article

Gender-based violence (GBV) is an age-long issue plaguing societies all over the globe. Over the years, GBV perpetrated against women has been justified and legitimized by patriarchal and hegemonic masculine structures. This study explored the role of hegemonic masculinities and transnational cultural conflicts in creating a suitable environment for GBV against women newcomers from the continent of Africa. The study gathered perspectives of African immigrants and of the service providers working in immigrant-serving organizations. The paper adopts a qualitative approach and hinges on the transnationalism framework. This framework argues that immigrants maintain connections while transitioning to their destination countries. In such processes, immigrants carry with them their beliefs about cultural norms and hegemonic masculinity, of their country of origin. A total of 13 women immigrants and 20 service providers were purposively recruited to participate in the semi-structured interview. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data were analyzed thematically and organized using Nvivo version 12. Findings show that African immigrant women in Canada disproportionately bear the burden of GBV due to hegemonic masculinities. The construction of masculinity in immigrant populations is heavily reliant on the communities of origin. As such, the prevailing systems during and post migration such as—unstable residency status, fear of deportation, fear of social and family sanctions and stigmatization, economic dependence on their spouses, and fear of retaliation from their spouses creates an environment that supports toxic masculinity. The study recommends comprehensive and culturally sensitive programmes and services to support African immigrants affected by hegemonic masculinity and GBV. Full article

Background. In many studies over the past decade, scientists have made a connection between the composition of gut microbiota and human health. A number of publications have shown that gut bacteria are involved in many metabolic and physiological processes of the organism. The composition of the gut microbiome is unique for each person and is formed under the influence of various factors associated with both the individual characteristics of the body and the characteristics of the environment. Different regional characteristics make it necessary for the body to adapt to certain conditions, including temperature fluctuations. Living in areas with low temperatures, such as the Arctic zone, dictates the need for increased energy consumption, which affects the composition of the gut microbiome. Methods. In our study, an extensive questionnaire was conducted among the participants, where many questions were included about the dietary preferences of the study participants, which allowed them us to further divide them into groups according to their diets. Stool samples were collected from participants from 3 groups: Arctic native, Arctic newcomer and the control group. The next step was the isolation of bacterial DNA and sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. The analysis of the results of the diversity of the intestinal microbiota was carried out both with and without taking into account the dietary preferences of the participants. Results. As a result of comparing the intestinal microbiota obtained from residents of the Arctic zone with the gut microbiota of residents of other regions with a milder climate, significant differences are found. These differences may be related to limited food resources and a reduction in the variety of food products characteristic of this Arctic region. t was also found that representatives of the bacterial families Christensenellaceae and Muribaculaceae dominated the control group, both with traditional nutrition and with a dairy-free diet in comparison with the Arctic groups. The control group was dominated by representatives of the Prevotellaceae, Enterobacteriaceae and Comamonadaceae families compared to the Arctic group (with a traditional diet). The results also show that the number of representatives of the families Desulfovibrionaceae (with traditional diet) and Enterobacteriaceae (with milk-free diet) is growing in the Arctic group. Conclusions. In the course of this work, bacterial families characteristic of people living in the Arc-tic zone of the Far Eastern region of the Russian Federation were identified. Poor diet, difficult climatic conditions, and problems with logistics and medical care can have a strong impact on the health of this population. The main type of diet for the inhabitants of the Arctic is the traditional type of diet. They consume a large number of low-cost products, obtainget animal protein from poultry and canned food, and also eat a small number of fresh vegetables and fruits. Such a diet is due to the social status of the study participants and the climatic and geographical features of the region (difficulties in agriculture). With such a diet, we observe a decrease in representatives of the Christensenellaceae, Muribaculaceae, Eubacteriaceae, and Prevotellaceae families and an increase in representatives of the Enterobacteriaceae and Desulfovibrionaceae families among Arctic residents. This imbalance in the futuremay cause, this population may to develop various diseases in the future, including chronic diseases such as obesity, intestinal dysbiosis, inflammatory bowel diseases, and type 2 diabetes. Full article

This study explored the Youth Leadership/Peer Tutoring program at Refugee and Immigrant Transitions (RIT), a community-based non-profit organization in Northern California. It includes 12 semi-structured interviews with refugee and immigrant youth leaders. Bringing together works on Community Cultural Wealth (with the addition of Migration Capital) and Critical Refugee Studies collectively as a conceptual framework, this study highlights three themes: (a) commitment to community, family, and giving back; (b) encouraging communication and cultivating a pan-newcomer community; and (c) leadership as commitment to community and positive, collective futurities. Data support a strengths-based framework when working with refugee and immigrant youth as they transition and adjust to their new school environments and communities. All 12 participants were refugee and immigrant newcomer youth who participated as youth leaders/peer tutors in RIT’s Youth Leaders/Peer Tutoring program. Countries of origin included Burma (Karen), Bhutan, Nepal, China, and El Salvador. As scholars and practitioners in the field, we are seeing an increased need and demand for more scholarship in this area through a strengths-based lens, as evidenced by calls from educators and school/district administrators requesting support and resources. We submit this article at a time of growing numbers of immigrant and refugee youth in schools in the United States, including non-diverse school environments that are unprepared (and sometimes unwilling) to receive newcomer youth. Our hope is for this study to reveal possibilities for extending welcome and mutual support through a strengths-based lens within diverse newcomer peer learning environments. Full article

While translanguaging occurs in the homes of deaf people and their hearing family members who do not sign or possess limited signing skills, in this article we argue that translanguaging alone does not explain the complex, domestic-sphere language experiences of three young, newcomer artists in Saskatchewan, Canada. We frame our inquiry around the “dinner table experience” phenomenon, wherein deaf family members receive partial or little access to conversational exchanges. At the dinner table, which is both a literal setting and a metaphor for exclusion experienced by deaf people in audiocentric cultures, many deaf family members report feeling loved yet disconnected. However, translanguaging serves to expand linguistic repertoires among hearing and deaf interlocutors amidst the dinner table experience. We draw from three interviews with deaf youth who describe the dinner table experience through both dialogue and art making, including descriptions of ways in which communication is facilitated or not facilitated, thereby highlighting available and unavailable translanguaging practices in the domestic sphere. The interview data suggest that the dinner table experience is a significant setting for translanguaging, and that promoting accessible and equitable translanguaging practices in the home remains a significant challenge, especially when combined with newcomer lived experience that does not always match current descriptions of translanguaging. We posit that translanguaging is a necessary practice among hearing and deaf persons at the table that can and should be expanded to consider the intersectional experiences of communicators in this literal and metaphorical setting. Full article

Refugee resettlement significantly contributes to Australia’s migration programs, with recent policy directives prioritising rural resettlement. As a result, the cultural diversity of populations of several Australian rural towns has substantially expanded. Newcomers may encounter challenges becoming part of closed social networks and accessing the resources they need for a healthy life in resettlement. However, there are also benefits that stem from positive integration for newcomers and for receiving populations. As part of a larger study, which aimed to explore facilitators and barriers to successful resettlement in a rural setting, the objective of this paper was to show how social ties were important for participants’ health, both facilitating access to resources, including health services, and connecting people to health-promoting living conditions. In-depth individual interviews with 44 participants from refugee communities originally from Africa and South-East Asia, settled in a rural South Australian town, were conducted. Participants were invited to the study through snowball sampling via known connections between the researchers and key people within the communities. Interview transcripts were analysed using framework thematic analysis. The findings demonstrate how participants drew on connections within their cultural communities, reflecting collectivist cultural values. These social ties were key to enabling access to resources for health. These included emotional resources, such as a sense of belonging, as well as physical and practical resources, including food, housing, and/or accessing services. Several participants were also working towards a career in the health industry. Populations from refugee communities in rural towns are growing, not only with the continuation of new arrivals to these towns, but also as the settled populations expand their families and communities. Effective health service provision in these locations needs to serve these growing communities, and there is scope for services to tap into community networks to assist with this. Full article

Migration to Germany has been a fact of life for the average German since the 1960s. Immigrants started arriving from countries like Turkey, Spain, Greece, or Italy as a post-war labor force was invited to Germany to address workforce shortages. Many of these immigrants ultimately brought their families to live in Germany. One group of these newcomers was Aramean families of Syriac Orthodox faith, forced to flee the Tur Abdin region in southeast Turkey via Syria, Lebanon, and Northern Iraq. This paper will discuss the background and impetus for moving to the West for this immigrant group in detail. It will review the impacts on the life of devout Syriac Orthodox families while living in Germany, a secular country. It will also take an initial look at whether evangelical communities in Germany can come alongside this group, still suffering from a different kind of persecution: the “otherness” of living in Germany. Full article

African immigrants are increasingly migrating to high-income countries, including Canada, in search of a better life. These immigrants often face several challenges, such as keeping healthy ties with their extended families back home and in a new socio-cultural context. We present findings from a participatory action research (PAR) study of Sub-Saharan African immigrants and refugees (SSAIRs) living in Alberta, Canada. Using the theoretical framework of postcolonial feminism and transnationalism, in this study we investigated how cultural roots and transnational ties affect newcomer transition and integration to provide information on the female perspectives of SSAIRs. The results of the study indicate that maintaining relational ties with one’s extended family in the homeland has been highlighted as both a source of support—providing moral, social, religious, and cultural support during the integration processes—and strain, with participants noting its impact on their integration processes, such as delaying the ability to restructure life and to successfully plan their life financially. Our findings outline various implications of the existing gaps and recommendations for policymakers and community stakeholders for future improvement. Overall, our study findings affirm the importance of extended family relations for African immigrants living in Canada. Full article

Newcomers’ ability to access healthcare can be impacted by cultural, religious, linguistic, and health status differences. A variety of options are available to support the development of healthcare systems to equitably accommodate newcomers, including the use of basic English and other languages in public health information, engagement with immigrant communities to advise on program development, offering culturally competent health services, interpretation services, and through creating space to collaborate with traditional practitioners. This study employed in-depth interviews with newcomer families from the Healthy Immigrant Children Study that had been living in Regina or Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, for less than 5 years, as well as with healthcare providers and immigrant service providers to understand how to improve healthcare services. Analysis of participant quotes related to accessible healthcare services revealed five main themes: (1) responsive, accessible services, (2) increasing cultural competence, (3) targeted newcomer health services, (4) increasing awareness of health services, and (5) newcomer engagement in planning and partnerships. An accessible healthcare system should include primary healthcare sites developed in partnership with newcomer service organizations that offer comprehensive care in a conveniently accessible and culturally responsive manner, with embedded interpretation services. The Saskatchewan healthcare system needs to reflect on its capacity to meet newcomer healthcare needs and strategically respond to the healthcare needs of an increasingly diverse population. Full article

In the last ten years, the settlement and integration of refugee families and asylum seekers have represented some of the main challenges faced by European territories. People in need of international protection can face challenges in being settled and integrated into rural areas where it is often difficult to find co-ethnic support networks. This case study provides relevant data on how the settlement of young asylum seekers is carried out in the main town of a rural area in Catalunya. It explores the impact of a mentoring programme which consists of providing informal support to newcomers in language acquisition (Catalan), as well as inclusion in the job market and social capital. We interviewed almost all participants of that programme in this rural area, gathering in-depth interviews with mentees (with eight young asylum seekers) and two discussion groups with their mentors (living in the main town of the region). Our findings showed that whereas the main objectives of the programme are providing linguistic support, social capital and inclusion to the job market, mentoring is more focused on providing emotional support and cultivating a sense of belonging. Various outcomes will be discussed which consider the types of support that were present in mentoring relationships and how bonding and bridging social capital were fostered, namely the elements that can promote a more inclusive and welcoming rural community. Full article

Refugee youth face challenges in navigating different cultures in destination countries and require better support. However, we know little about the adaptation experiences of African refugee youth in Canada. Accordingly, this paper presents the adaptation experiences of African refugee youth and makes recommendations for ways to support youth. Twenty-eight youth took part in semi-structured interviews. Using a thematic analysis approach, qualitative data revealed four themes of: (1) ‘disruption in the family,’ where youth talked about being separated from their parent(s) and the effect on their adaptation; (2) ‘our cultures are different,’ where youth shared differences between African and mainstream Canadian culture; (3) ‘searching for identity: a cultural struggle,’ where youth narrated their struggles in finding identity; and (4) ‘learning the new culture,’ where youth narrated how they navigate African and Canadian culture. Overall, the youth presented with challenges in adapting to cultures in Canada and highlighted how these struggles were influenced by their migration journey. To promote better settlement and adaptation, youth could benefit from supports and activities that promote cultural awareness with attention to their migration experiences. Service providers could benefit from newcomer-friendly and culturally sensitive training on salient ways of how experiences of multiple cultures affect integration outcomes. Full article