Riding on the A Train, Freedom Bound: Venezuelan Newcomer Youth, Placemaking, and Schooling in New York City

• In Event: Research In Progress Roundtables Session 4
  In Invited Roundtable: Research on Immigrant Students: Curriculum, Identity, and Pedagogy (Table 2)

Abstract

Since late 2022, New York City has received over 200,000 asylum-seeker newcomers. Following an influx of over 40,000 migrant children into city public schools, this study explores the schooling experiences of newcomer, undocumented youth in NYC. Utilizing an interdisciplinary placemaking framework, this study focuses on the dynamic interplay between K-12 public schools, the U.S. immigration system and the migrant shelter system. Through ethnographic observation and in-depth qualitative interviewing of 15 Venezuelan youth, this study sheds light on how undocumented youth claim dignity and foster their well-being amid oppressive geographies in New York City. This project seeks to push disciplinary and methodological boundaries by deploying accompaniment as an ethical imperative and research methodology.

Author

• Laura M. Assanmal, New York University