Transnational Families

Yo Cuento: Latin American immigrant children tell their stories

How (well) do immigrant children adjust to new shores? Researcher Monica Valencia, Ryerson University, asked a group of children to answer the question through drawings.
She found that there were 4 themes in the children’s drawings:

Sadness (leaving behind family, friends, neighbourhood)
Anxiety (unfamiliar, sometimes hostile environment)
Frustration (so much new to learn! Language, customs)
Gratitude for friendship (peer support critical to happy integration).

Read more about this research in a 2014 article written by The Toronto Star’s immigration reporter, Nicholas Keung,

See more immigration related stories by Keung here.

Documentary in development: The Deportation of innocence

The Deportation of Innocence tells the story of four children and their immigrant families in the United States as they come to terms with deportation and the long lasting effects this has had on their lives and answers the question, what happens to children after their parents are deported.

The documentary includes testimonies from lawyers, social workers, academics and who have firsthand knowledge and insight into the hardship of family separation and the challenges of reunification.
The documentary is complete, but producers have turned to crowd-funding to get this documentary out.

September 11, 2015 by admin Family reunification International Parenting Rights of the Child Transnational Families Unaccompanied children Undocumented children US

Child refugees

World Vision:

FAQs: Syria’s war, children, and the refugee crisis

Save the Children:

Children of Syria: ~~Migrant~~, ~~refugee~~, child crisis

UNHCR:

The Future of Syria: Refugee children in crisis

Unicef:

#ChildrenofSyria, Unicef

Warchild:

Warchild

September 4, 2015 by admin Child Health Family reunification International Maternal and Newborn Health Mental Health Refugees Rights of the Child Transnational Families Unaccompanied children Undocumented children

Kids in Doug Saunders' Arrival City ~ The CityBuilder 2015 BookClub

Are you participating in the online CityBuilder BookClub about Doug Saunders‘ Arrival City? Interested in migrant child and family issues? Here’s the pages where children/children’s issues are mentioned, in the First Vintage Books paperback edition, April 2012 (ISBN: 978-0-307-38856-8):
child care ~ 16, 52, 110, 227, 238, 284, 405
child labor ~ 142, 153, 154
second generation ~ 33-34, 35, 51, 55, 68-69, 82, 127, 168, 172, 173, 184, 268-69, 272, 273, 277-78, 279, 284, 285, 290-92, 293, 196-97, 301, 320
The book club starts Jan 13th. Happy reading!

January 4, 2015 by admin Family reunification International Parenting Settlement Transnational Families

C4P: Immigrant families over the life course

From the Family Science Review website, a call for papers for an upcoming special issue on immigrant families over the life course.
“Family Science Review is inviting manuscripts for a special issue on Immigrant Families over the Life Course. The goal of this issue is to examine immigrant families’ dynamics across generations and over time, in the context of global migration and transnationalism.
“For this issue, we seek research-based manuscripts that explore strengths and challenges of immigrant families as related to acculturation, family adaptation, changes in intergenerational relationships, maintenance/loss of ethnic culture and heritage language, development of ethnic identity, and other issues relevant to immigrant families. We welcome manuscripts that explore the multidimensional experience of immigration among diverse immigrant families (e.g., different countries of origin, migration experiences, socioeconomic characteristics, length of residency in the host country, resources and vulnerabilities), from the perspective of family science. Manuscripts related to the teaching of immigration and families are also welcome.
“Manuscripts should be written in APA style and exemplify the highest quality of writing. Manuscripts should be no more than 30 pages. Authors are advised to check the Family Science Review website for information on manuscripts submission. There is a $20 submission fee for each manuscript which must be received prior to entering the paper and sending it out for review. Please check the FSR website for details”.
Guest Editors: Olena Nesteruk, Montclair State University at nesteruko@mail.montclair.edu and Beckie Adams, Ball State University at badams@bsu.edu.
Submission Deadline: February 27, 2015
Manuscripts should be written in Word and be sent electronically to nesteruko@mail.montclair.edu no later than February 27, 2015.

January 3, 2015 by admin Maternal and Newborn Health Parenting Settlement Transnational Families

Toronto panel discussion on immigrant children and families

CERIS, the Ontario Metropolis Centre is hosting a panel discussion on immigrant children and families on Friday, January 31st from 12noon to 1:30pm in Toronto.
From the CERIS site:

“This panel discussion highlights two unique research projects and one local initiative on immigrant children and families. Monica Valencia will present the findings of her participatory research with a group of Latin American immigrant children in Toronto. Focusing on the growing phenomenon of education migration, Eunjung Lee and Marjorie Johnstone will take up the case of South Korean transnational families mobilizing for their children’s education in Canada. Aamna Ashraf will discuss some of the ways Peel Newcomer Strategy Group is working with the settlement sector, local government, and community stakeholders in order for newcomer families to succeed once they arrive in Peel”.
Presenters:
Eunjung Lee, Ph.D., and Marjorie Johnstone, Ph.D. Candidate, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto
Aamna Ashraf, M.Ed., Peel Newcomer Strategy Group
Discussant:
Rupaleem Bhuyan, Ph.D., Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto

January 10, 2014 by admin Early Learning and Child Care School System Settlement Transnational Families

Call for papers ~ Growing up global: Childhoods in a transnational context

Announcing a joint session of the Association for Research in Cultures of Young People (ARCY) and the Association of Canadian College and University Teachers of English (ACCUTE) to be held at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC June 1-8, 2013.
From the call for papers:
“As people and institutions connect across the borders of nation-states, children are invariably part of the processes of transnationalism. Yet their presence has largely been ignored by much of the scholarship on transnationalism. While they may lack the abilities to fully articulate and engage with the social, political, and economic forces behind transnational movement and circulation, young people are just as affected by – and central to – these global currents. Thinking about childhood in a transnational context requires a greater awareness of how contemporary global culture is creating a unique experience of childhood itself, both of childhood, and for children themselves.
“The purpose of this panel is to put children and childhood at the center of discussions concerning transnationalism. We seek papers that investigate the ways in which ‘the child’ both impacts and is impacted by circulation across global borders. We encourage research that questions how children experience transnationality and how we understand the child and childhood in the context of nation states whose borders are not what they once were.
“Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

-researching children and childhoods in transnational contexts
-the experiences of children in the transnational context
-the relationships between global capital and the transnational child
-securitization and the transnational child
-children in transnational families
-cosmopolitanism and the transnational child
-transnational migration and the child”.

Deadline is November 1, 2012.
For more information, visit the ACCUTE C4P page.

October 26, 2012 by admin Call for papers Conferences Transnational Families

Papers, the book

immigrantchildren.ca reviewed the documentary Papers: Stories of Undocumented Youth two years ago. It is a provocative and moving piece depicting the triumphs and challenges faced by undocumented youth in the US. Now, Papers, the book has been released. From the announcement:
“Papers the Book is here!! Order your copy today!
“This beautiful book includes 30 stories by undocumented youth and is illustrated with color drawings by undocumented artist Julio Salgado.
“These moving and inspiring stories were written by young people who range in age from 10 to 32. They were born in countries throughout the world and raised in the United States. The writers sent these stories to Graham Street Productions during the production of the documentary film Papers: Stories of Undocumented Youth.
“For bulk and educational orders of this book, please contact us at info@grahamstreetproductions.com or 503-282-8683.
“For press inquiries or for a review copy, please contact us at
info@grahamstreetproductions.com or 503-282-8683″.

There is no one undocumented experience. Some of our parents crossed the border without authorization, some of us came here legally and overstayed visas, some of us were escaping persecution while some came seeking more prosperity. We are from all over the world. But somewhere in all our stories, there is a common thread: there is an act of love.
– Prerna Lal, Undocumented and Unafraid
Undocumented youth have been the leaders of a cultural transformation that has swept the country, making huge gains for the immigrant rights movement. Unapologetic and unafraid, they are writing their own history and establishing new rules in the game.
– Favianna Rodriguez, artist and co-editor of Reproduce & Revolt

In the dawn of the 21st century, undocumented youth are a living testament to what is enduring about the American spirit.
– Jose Antonio Vargas, award-winning journalist and founder of Define American

October 21, 2012 by admin Transnational Families Unaccompanied children Undocumented children US Youth

Call for papers: International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care

The International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care is (from their website) “a multidisciplinary journal focusing on international migration. The journal’s focus includes coverage of labour migration, asylum seekers, refugees and undocumented migrants, with an emphasis on health and social care and mental health issues.
“The following themes are of particular interest to the journal:
– Health care of migrants and refugees
– Impact of displacement on health and social care needs
– Treatment of refugee children
– Impact of family separation
– Human trafficking
– Integration of migrants and refugees”.
Submissions should be sent to the Editor, Professor Charles Watters at charles.watters@rutgers.edu
Author Guidelines.

August 14, 2012 by admin Call for papers Child Health Maternal and Newborn Health Refugees Settlement Transnational Families

Immigrant parent-child separation, York University study call for participants

York University’s Infant and Child Mental Health Lab, in collaboration with Aisling Discoveries Child and Family Centre are conducting a study to better understand the needs and issues related to parent-child separation.
The study is inviting GTA African, Caribbean, Chinese and South Asian mothers and children to participate in a home visiting program. Parents and children must have experienced a separation of at least one year and are now reunited.
For more information, contact Natasha Whitfield at nwhit@yorku.ca, or at 416-736-2100, ext. 33406.

Immigrant family separation study recruitment flyer

April 3, 2012 by admin Family reunification Mental Health Ontario Parenting Research Transnational Families