Media
Report
Presentation
Team
Zayn Aabakil
Amina Conte
Andrea Feduzi
Stephanie Miller
Laura Summerhays
Organization
International Rescue Committee (IRC)
About
Each year, tens of thousands of refugee children and youth originating from war-torn countries worldwide enter the United States. In Fiscal Year 2006, 47% of all refugees admitted to the U.S. were below the age of 21 – roughly 19,500 children. 1 Refugee children and youth arrive in the U.S. after enduring varying levels of conflict, trauma, and disruption to their education and lives. Meanwhile, parents and other caregivers generally struggle with English language ability, acculturation and financial concerns, and are oftentimes overwhelmed and unable to offer appropriate guidance to their children. Further, educators are not equipped to address the extensive needs of refugee students who perform below grade level, pose disciplinary problems, or exhibit high-risk behaviors.
This project will explore the intersections between refugee youth resettlement and traditional educational and other systems. Among other objectives, this project aims to strengthen the bridge between practical and theoretical work, as well as leverage wide-ranging partnerships, in order to promote positive development, participation, and leadership among refugee youth resettled in the U.S.
Students will develop creative and innovative programming models in the areas of mentoring, youth leadership, and academic enrichment – taking into account refugee history, age, gender, culture and resettlement location – including a toolbox containing curricula, arts initiatives, recreational activities, and events planning to serve as the basis for pilot projects across the IRC resettlement network. Core elements of various models of practice should include: needs assessment, community asset mapping, participatory strategies for design and implementation, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, and guidelines/resources tailored for youth, practitioners, families, educators, etc. Students may have an opportunity to field-test discrete pilot activities in collaboration with IRC New York’s Refugee Youth Project.
