Fostering Resilience Through Community-Based Education: A Case Study at a Refugee Community Center

• In Event: Learning in Place: Situated Learning in Diverse Contexts

Abstract

Following resettlement, refugee families begin the process of rebuilding their lives by reestablishing networks and connections that have been lost through forced migration. These may include links to education, community, language, and culture. This qualitative case study highlights the work of one community center that serves refugee students by providing opportunities to access educational support and build social networks that support individual and community resiliency. Through perspectives of youth and staff members, this paper highlights how the community center identifies and meets the diverse educational and social needs of refugee students, focusing in particular on an afterschool program for high school students. This paper also shows how research with community education organizations can inform the broader refugee education practice.

Author

• Delila Omerbasic, University of Utah