Children Affected By War: A Bioecological Investigation into their Psychosocial and Educational Needs

1. Children Affected By War: A Bioecological Investigation into their Psychosocial and Educational Needs Jan Stewart, Ph.D. CCA, CASEA, 2008

3. In the past 10 years… • 2 million children have been killed • More than 6 million have been disabled • 1 million have been orphaned • 12 million left homeless • It is estimated that presently there are about 20 million children who have been uprooted from their homes (Machel, 2001)

4. More than 10 million children have been psychologically scarred by the trauma of abduction, detention, sexual assault and the brutal murder of their family members. (Canadian International Development Agency, 2005)

5. Casualties of War • In recent decades, civilians made up about 5-10% of the casualties of war. • Today’s warfare targets children and their communities. • Children and civilians now make up over 90% of the casualties of war.

6. The Demographic Shift: Canada needs Immigrants • There are millions of displaced people in the world who are desperate to live in a democratic county where they are safe and free from persecution. • In March, 2007 Statistics Canada reported that by the year 2030, Immigration could become the only source for population growth as the peak of the baby boomers reach the end of their lifespan. • Put simply, Canada needs immigrants because the fertility rate is below replacement rate.

7. Manitoba Context • In 2005, over 8,000 immigrants settled in Manitoba – the highest recorded level in the last 15 years (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2005). • These figures represent a new cluster of children entering Canadian schools with very unique and challenging needs. • As social workers and social service departments have recognized, we need a long-term strategy to meet the needs of this group of people and a “piecemeal” approach will no longer suffice (Okitikpi & Aymer, 2003).

8. September 2005 War-Affected Children Conference in Winnipeg Key recommendation: • The need to educate teachers and school leaders on the issues of war-affected children and youth and to develop practical strategies for helping these students. (Axworthy, 2005)

9. Lack of Appropriate and Specialized Programming for adolescent and young learners from war affected countries This lack of programming often leads to ‘falling out’ of our school system and limits the long term educational and life opportunities of these learners. The stress and frustration that such learners experience because of inappropriate programming tends to accentuate the challenges they face in integrating into a new society and educational system, thereby contributing to the development of a sense of hopelessness. (MacKay and Tavares, 2005)

10. Statement of Purpose To examine the psychosocial needs and the educational challenges that children affected by war encounter while attending a Manitoba high school.

11. Significance of the study • Contribute to a greater understanding of the educational issues unique to youth who are from war affected countries. • Investigate the current practices of educating these students in Canadian schools. • Develop an understanding of the various ecological systems interacting and influencing the personal, social, and academic development of these students.

12. Overview of Conceptual Framework Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model The person is influenced by the environment and the person also influences the environment. The environment is not a single entity it is a compilation of several multi-level environments and interconnections between them.

17. Tree Nodes Table 4.doc

18. Findings Research Question 1: What are the pre-migration, trans-migration, and post-migration experiences of war-affected children who immigrate to Manitoba?

19. Pre-migration • Intense periods of civil war • Limited, disrupted, or no schooling • Loss (8 out of 13 had one or both parent murdered, 3 were not sure if parents were alive) • 12 of 13 indicated that family members were separated • All 13 students had witnessed high intensity violence (sexual assault, amputation, killing of family member, friend, or schoolmate). • One student witnessed the shooting of her mother. • Another student witnessed the rebels chopping arms off children as a means to intimidate the observers, debilitate the victims, and to put a burden on the community.

20. Students continued to be affected by their pre-migration experiences. • Students have memories or they continue to be connected to people from home. • War is only a phone call away. • School personnel only had “hints or glimpses” into what students’ experiences had been.

21. Trans-migration • Trans-migration might have been relatively short or in excess of years (living in camps, travelling to neighbouring countries.) • The majority of students encountered years of displacement from camp to camp. • The four boys from Sudan lived, unaccompanied by parents, in various refugee camps for over 10 years. • Camps were “violent,” “unsafe,” “difficult.”

22. Post-migration: two phases • Initial excitement • Challenges and adjustments

24. What are the challenges or problems that confront war-affected children who attend high school in Manitoba? Findings Research Question 2:

25. Four main clusters of Challenges: 1. Educational 2. Psychosocial 3. Economic 4. Environmental

26. Racism and Discrimination • School Culture (The Great Divide) • Aboriginal students and Immigrant students • Exclusion of White students • Limited opportunity to interact cross-culturally with exception of sports (Team UN) • Perceived inequality and unfair treatment • Gender Discrimination

27. Educational Challenges • Adjusting to school • Age issues • Various levels of assistance from teachers • Bullying • Family expectations (to be the one) • Little or no assistance from parents • Academic literacy • Difference between ability level and aspirations • The school is alone • Teachers’ attitudes

28. Psychosocial Challenges • Breakdown of family structure • No Support After Coming To Canada • Breakdown of social structure • Distrust • Safety and protection issues • Insecurity • Loneliness • Mental Health Issues • Loss

29. Economic Issues A major challenge is paying back the government loan to pay for their airfare to Canada. This is also related to the need to find suitable housing: low levels of economic stability leads to poor choices of housing for families.

30. Economic Challenges • Poverty • Housing is all within the downtown area where there are pre-existing issues related to marginalized groups of people already competing for resources • Being a teen in a material society and not having money to “be like the other kids.” • Easy money lure to criminal activity and gang involvement

31. Environmental Experiences • Altercations with police • Racism and discrimination (from teachers, administrators, students) • Gang involvement (the lure of easy money and a sense of belonging) • Conflict with Aboriginal youth in community and in school • Criminal Activity (drugs, trafficking) • Sexism (gender issues) • Financial Difficulties • Poor Housing • Navigating the Bureaucracy

32. Need for Protection • It's just that if I'm not safe here….The police are supposed to protect me. I had a problem and these people had a gun. Why don't the police protect me? You are supposed to protect me. And if they don't know how to help they should talk to their boss. They told me to go to victim services, but I don't know where to find victim services, and I have to go there on my own….Now I have to leave here and I should be living in Manitoba and now I had to move to Calgary… I don’t want to die in Canada.

33. Disappointment You know, why I came here because people were saying, like North America in the documentary is like heaven. And it is what I was thinking when I came to North America. I thought it would be different. It will not be like a refugee camp, but no it is not. There is nothing here. Maybe there's clothes, the food that I eat the place that I sleep, but I'm still a refugee. I don't see anything change. The only thing that changes is the school, because I go to school everyday, but life is the same. It is just the same I have to say. I will always be a refugee. I can't say that there are any changes. But we could work on that so that things can change.

34. Findings Research Question 3: What systems, structures, or programs assist with the process of adjustment for war-affected children who now attend school in Manitoba?

35. Extending Bronfenbrenner’s Model The emergence of a nanosystem The nanosystem is a close interpersonal relationship or network that is integral to connecting the individual to the microsystem. The nanosystem is constructed by a significant person from the student’s inner most microsystem. My hypothesis was that students who were a part of a nanosystem had an easier time adjusting to school in Canada.

37. Findings Research Question 4: To what extent do the various ecological systems interact with and influence the refugee student’s personal, social, and academic development?” In addition, the following subsidiary research questions will also be discussed (1) “How is the student affected by the various ecological systems?” (2) “How are the various ecological systems affected by the student?”

38. The Cost of Commitment • Tired • Tapped-out • Crying easily • Drained • Scared • Difficulty sleeping • Burning out

39. Right now, I feel like were really on our own. The only thing that makes me feel better about that is that I know that the kids feel like they are also on their own. So they appreciate any help that they get from us. But it's not fair to them or to us. (teacher)

40. Responsibility To Protect • “The ‘responsibility to protect’ is a key component of Canada's human security agenda. The human security approach to foreign policy puts people - their rights, their safety and their lives – first” (Human Security, 2006, ¶1). Protection, Prevention and Rebuilding

41. Canada’s responsibility to protect must expand in scope to include its role to react, prevent and rebuild within its own national borders.

42. Our responsibility to protect refugee children includes the specific recommendations to help rebuild and reconstruct their lives post-migration. There must be a genuine and sincere commitment from the Canadian government, the Manitoba government, the local school divisions and the school community that ensures children who have been affected by war will be protected and supported after they immigrate to Canada.

43. Recommendations for School Leaders • Collaborate with Families and Community Members (welcome information, translation services, eliminating barriers for parents to become involved, mentoring and tutoring programs, community liaison workers, increase opportunities for sport, develop a school-based collaboration plan to support staff and decrease feelings of isolation.) • Know the needs of the community and collect data on student achievement and mental health needs.

44. Recommendations for School Leaders • Promote justice and equality (advocate for children, set an example for the staff and the community, promote fairness and respect.) • Develop and implement pedagogical practices that strengthen the school culture. • Understand and utilize the legal system to protect the rights of all students.

45. Recommendations for School Leaders • Understand global issues that affect teaching and learning. • Be knowledgeable about issues concerning refugee children and use this knowledge to influence policy makers at the federal, provincial and school division levels. • Facilitate learning for staff on the best practices for teaching English language learners. • Implement and support school and community programs that counteract racism and discrimination.

46. Recommendations for Federal and Provincial Government Departments • The financial commitment from the Federal Government must extend until the student completes secondary school. • The repayment of the government loan to pay for airfare to come to Canada must be waived for all refugees. • Citizenship and Immigration Canada should develop and implement an education program for all citizens to promote the benefits of receiving newcomers. • Anti-racism and sensitivity training across all government departments (child welfare, justice, education) as well as the general public and business sectors. • The existing conflict between Aboriginal students and immigrant students requires immediate attention. • Provide funding to support a locally-based centre for refugee studies.

47. Recommendations for Local School Divisions • Develop a team of experts who are knowledgeable on the issues related to refugee children. • Provide non-westernized models of psychosocial support. • Each school should have a designated staff member who is the case manager or support person for refugee children (agency link). • Offer courses outside of the typical school day or week to accommodate students and parents who work. • The Federal Government should allocate funding to the Province so that alternative education programs are more accessible to newcomers. • Provide psychosocial support to students, particularly for issues related to loss, the separation of family members, violence exposure, gang awareness, and trauma.

48. Recommendations for Community Agencies • A centralized reception centre for refugees must be able to provide long-term support to newcomers (e.g., legal assistance, psychosocial counselling, family mediation, personal health and nutrition counselling, advocacy assistance, parenting classes, English language support for parents and children, preschool programs, technology education, career development courses, and information on the rights and responsibilities of citizens in Canada. • Provide pre-migration and trans-migration education and counselling to help mediate feelings of disappointment. • The coordination of support services are urgently needed to facilitate the positive transition of newcomers to Canada.

49. This research was made possible through financial support of The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), The Canadian Consortium on Human Security (CCHS) and The Human Security Program of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT), The Faculty of Education and The Faculty of Graduate studies at The University of Manitoba. I gratefully acknowledge the generous support from these organizations and institutions. Janice L. Stewart 2008