Stigma, Bullying, Racism: School Integration of Syrian Refugee Children in Canada

• In Event: 51.021 - Internationalization, Immigration, and Refugee Student Integration: Canadian Experiences and Perspectives

Abstract

Since 2011, the armed conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic has displaced an estimated 12 million Syrians, forcing them to seek refuge in various countries around the world. Over half of those uprooted are children. Education is considered key to the integration as well as social and emotional well-being of refugee children. This paper examines the emotional, linguistic, academic, and social challenges experienced by newly arrived Syrian refugee children as they struggle to integrate to the Canadian school system. We have conducted 5 focus groups with 12 Syrian refugee parents and 18 Syrian refugee children between the age of 10-14. The discussions in this paper will be informed by Syrian refugee children’s point of view. Inclusion of Syrian refugee children’s voices will provide educators with a nuanced understanding of children’s lived experiences in schools, inform policy decisions, and also challenge the dominant Western narratives of refugee children as ‘helpless’ and ‘victims’. Furthermore, this paper will enable educators, service providers, and policy-makers to gain a better understanding of the larger contexts of Syrian refugee students’ schooling (e.g., their backgrounds, pre and post migration experiences, barriers to educational success) as well as new directions for facilitating refugee children’s successful school integration through coordinated programs.

Authors

• Yan Guo, University of Calgary

• Srabani Maitra, University of Glasgow