Discussing risk factors of interrupted education access to Rohingya refugee children and exploring methods to buffer risk factors of displacement

• In Event: Poster session I
  In Poster Session: Poster session 1

Proposal

The Rohingya crisis is one of the most abject cases of human beings subjected to depravity and violence in contemporary times. While the issue has garnered global attention and fostered a sizable dialogue, the challenge of resettlement and rehabilitation is an immense one. Rohingya children in refugee camps are currently subjected to the risk of interrupted education alongside the additional risk factors of extreme violence, poverty, displacement and coping with trauma.

This poster proposal will investigate and visualize the effects of interrupted education for Rohingya refugee children alongside the other pernicious risk factors of displacement. The poster will display available and current information about the Rohingya situation and a synthesis of longitudinal as well as immediate impact on the children’s wellbeing and learning. The cumulative risk of the various risk factors ranging from poverty and neglect to malnourishment and cognitive, emotional and social issues for these refugee children will be displayed.

What are some practices that can be introduced to help the refugee children build resilience and capacitate them in the face of extreme risk? The poster will also explore effective educational practices that can be implemented to buffer the negative risk factors of displacement. One model that will be explored is play-based learning. Play-based learning is a proven curriculum model to improve socio emotional learning and has worked effectively with children at risk in the past. By providing an atmosphere in which a teacher guides a play based learning atmosphere we are aiming to buffer the negative effects of exposure to crisis and uncertainty. Through peer support and teacher guidance, refugee children will receive the opportunity to improve their social emotional learning.
The poster will also compare with other extant programs, specifically the already effective play-based learning tools adapted for Syrian refugee children. Sesame Street and International Rescue Commission’s play based intervention in Syria may be an effective model to replicate for the Rohingya refugees. The poster will visualize and display the plausibility of it, defining and comparing the parameters the two refugee crisis function in, in relation to this intervention model.

The poster will also display ideas on if rehabilitated how can these refugee children reenter the classroom or even the workforce. The purpose of this poster is to not only bring attention to the Rohingya refugee crisis, but to also discuss scalable measures to implement as interventions for helping refugee children build resilience in times of crisis.


Yusuf, A. (2018, September 19). Rohingya crisis: A year since it shocked the world, what's changed? Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/rohingya-crisis-a-year-since-it-shocked-the-world-whats-changed-101209

Weisberg, D. S., Hirsh-Pasek, K., & Golinkoff, R. M. (2013). Guided Play: Where Curricular Goals Meet a Playful Pedagogy. Mind, Brain, and Education, 7(2), 104-112. doi:10.1111/mbe.12015

Masten, A. S. (2015). Ordinary magic: Resilience in development. New York: The Guilford Press.

Maunz, S. (2017, August 08). The Genius Way 'Sesame Street' Is Tackling the Refugee Crisis. Retrieved from https://www.glamour.com/story/sesame-street-refugee-crisis

Author

• Anahita Kumar, University of Pennsylvania