Contested Belonging: Schooling Experiences of Ontario Youth With Precarious Immigration Status

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Six
  In Roundtable Session: Youth Experiences, Tensions, and Contradictions in Precarious Times (Table 17)

Abstract

This paper presents findings from a research partnership between University of Toronto researchers and the Childhood Arrivals Support & Advocacy Program, a legal clinic program that represents and supports youth with precarious immigration status (YPLS) in Ontario, Canada. This mixed-method research was designed and conducted by clinic staff, youth from the program, and university researchers. Guided by critical race and social reproduction theories, we explored YPLS’s educational experiences. Specifically, we looked at the social and academic schooling experiences of YPLS as they relate to disengagement/engagement, academic success, and wellbeing, as well as how YPLS conceptualize post-secondary and/or career aspirations. Findings highlight patterns of academic and social disengagement, as well as the ways in which status can curbs student career aspirations.

Author

• Arlo Kempf, University of Toronto - OISE
  Presenting Author