The 12th annual Metropolis conference will be held March 18-20, 2010 in Montreal. The theme this year is Immigration and Diversity: Crossroads of Culture, Engine of Economic Development. immigrantchildren.ca is pleased to see so many workshops and roundtables addressing issues related to newcomer families and young children, including:
Transnational Families: Where race, culture and adoption intersect, by Susan Crawford, lead for the Halton Multicultural Council project “Transracial Parenting Initiative”. From the abstract: “This workshop presents research on transracial and transnational families created through adoption across Canada. Presentations examine cultural enrichment through adoption, gaps in delivering pre- and post-adoption services and the needsof transracial familites; and adult adoptees’ complex experiences and understandings of ethno-racial identity”.
Conflict and Violence in Immigrant Families, by Madine VanderPlaat, St. Mary’s University. From the abstract: “This workshop will examine issues related to gender, conflict and violence within immigrant families. Participants will discuss the factors that contribute to stressors as well as the challenges and opportunities for culturally competent social responses”.
Health and Access to it for Migrants after Birth, by Anita Gagnon, Denise Bradshaw, Marlo Turner-Ritchie. From the abstract: “Tri-city (Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal) data on the health and service needs of refugee, asylum-seeking, non-refugee immigrant and Canadian-born women and their infants during pregnancy, at birth and during the first four months after birth will be presented in conjunction with potential policy responses to these date”.
School, Community and Collaborative Practice: Fostering the Integration of Immigrant and Refguee Youth in the Canadian School Context, by Sophie Yohani, N. Ernest Khalema. From the abstract: “Creating welcoming communities in educational settings is vital for newcomer students who may have a history that hinders adaptation. This workshop brings together academic researchers, non-profit practitioners, a government program officer, and a graduate student who share expertise in community-based collaborative practice to address the adaptation of refugee and immigrant students in the Canadian school context”.
Taking Care into Consideration: Local and Transnational Implications for Families, Children and Youth, by Alexandra Dobrowolsky and Evangelia Tastsoglou. From the abstract: “Familial networks, local and transnational, are critical to immigrants’ decision-making processes. The accommodation of care concerns (care of children, elderly parents, etc). also becomes a key consideration for migrants, especially for women. This workshop explores the repercussions of familial networks, and the complex negotiation of care concerns vis-a-vis attraction and retention”.
For more details on the above, see the conference program page.
Category: Conferences
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Metropolis conference: Immigration and diversity. Crossroads of culture, engine of economic development
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Cultural perspectives in strengthenting and protecting children
One World, One Family, Many Cultures: Strengthening Children and Families Affected by Personal, Intra-Familial, and Global Conflict, sponsored by the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN), will take place September 26-29, 2010 in Hawaii. The conference will bring together service providers and advocates to discuss family-strengthening for those impacted by various avenues of conflict. Among the five subthemes of the conference are “Cultural Perspectives in Strengthening Families and Protecting Children” and “Impact of Armed Conflict on Families and Children”. For more info, visit the ISPCAN website. (Source: BRYCS).
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Call for papers: Libraries in a multicultural society
The IFLA Section Library Services to Multicultural Populations will hold an IFLA Satellite meeting in Copenhagen, August 17-18, 2010. From the call for papers: “We are living in a changing world where populations are moving and local societies are becoming increasingly diverse – socially, economically, ethnically, linguistically and culturally. In the meantime, the physical library as a concept is under increasing pressure in the twenty-first century”.
The Danish Library Centre for Integration and Copenhagen Public Libraries are organising this post conference/satellite meeting held in conjunction with the annual IFLA conference held in Gothenburg (Sweden). Paper are being invited to discuss some of the following possible topics:Best innovative practice: Library projects that have excelled in creating new and innovative services to multicultural or bicultural populations either using new technology, new partnerships etc.
Critical perspectives on how libraries, as institutions in the twenty first century, meet the ideals: free access to knowledge, accessibility for all and inclusiveness.
Dynamic facilitation of books, music and films in minority or traditional languages and general library services to multilingual communities.
1. Inclusive communication strategies and awareness of the communicative aspects of physical space and presentation.
2. Recruitment strategies – how do we recruit library staff (on all levels) in the future, so that employees reflect the local community?Submission are due March 1, 2010. For more information, contact Susy Tastesen, Copenhagen Public Libraries: +45 33 66 67 66 or abstract@iflacopenhagen.com.
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On new shores conference update
NB: UPDATE Jan 19th: The call for proposals has been extended to March 10th.
Following on the call for papers for the 4th annual On New Shores conference, co-organizer Dr. Susan Chuang has today announced additions to the conference. First, the conference will be dedicated to Dr. Tom Luster of Michigan State University, who passed away last year. Dr. Luster was an advocate for immigrant children and families and had attended two of the 4 On New Shores conferences.
Dr. Chuang has also arranged for all conference delegates to attend a traditional ten-course Chinese dinner as part of the conference, including transportation. A great opportunity to meet and network!
Reminder: Deadline for the call for papers is February 15th. For more info, contact Dr. Chuang at schuang@uoguelph.ca and see the related post: Call for papers: On New Shores. -
On new shores conference call, Sept 30-Oct 1, 2010
NB: UPDATE Jan 19th: The call for proposals has been extended to March 10th.
The theme for the 4th annual On New Shores, Understanding Immigrant Children is resilience of immigrants and features keynote speaker Dr. Michael Ungar.
From the call: “The goal of the conference is to bring together various stakeholders (academia, community, and government sectors) to collectively examine and discuss issues of stress as well as resilience of immigrant and refugee children, youth and families.
Researchers from various disciplines (e.g., psychology, sociology, social work, education) are welcomed.
Dr. Michaal Ungar, Dalhousie University, social worker and family therapist, is a leading scholar on resiliency and will offer a half researchers. Other scholars from various disciplines will be presenting, including: Marc Bornstein, Bob Bradley, Judith Bernhard, Ruth Chao, Xinyin Chen, David Este, Jo Ann Farver, Cynthia Garcia Coll, Uwe Gielen, Hiro Yoshikawa”.Options for the conference:
Paper Presentation: The presenter will discuss his/her work/program which is empirically-based. The talk will be about 15 – 20 minutes, depending on the number of presenters in each session.
Discussion Hour: Several presenters (preferably well-established) discussing their areas of expertise for 3-5 minutes. The purpose is to engage in in-depth discussions on a theme.
Roundtable/Workshop: This involves a more informal forum to explore and discuss the issues at hand. This would be led by 2-4 individuals/organizations and the number of participants would be limited to about 30-50 people.
Poster Presentation: The presenter will display their work on a free-standing poster board for the delegates to read. Informal discussions will then merge from this process. This forum is primarily for new scholars (graduate students) and others who may prefer this type of engagement.
Deadline for proposals is Feb 15, 2010. NB: Deadline is now March 10th. For more information, contact: Susan S. Chuang, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Guelph, 519.824.4120 x 58389 or schuang@uoguelph.ca.NB: See Dr. Michael Ungar’s blog Nurturing Resilience.
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Conference call for papers: Children and war
Children and War: Past and Present is the title of an international, multidisciplinary conference to be held Sept 30-Oct 2/10 at the University of Salzburg, Austria.
An edited excerpt from the call: “In recent years the volume of research on ‘Children and War’, by academics, governmental and non-governmental organisations and institutions as well as the media, has continually increased. At the same time there has been a growing public interest in how children experience military conflicts and how their lives have been affected by war and its aftermath.
“Proposals which focus on any topic and theme on ‘Children and War’ are welcome, ranging from the experience of war, resettlement, trafficking, trauma and amnesia, the trans-generational impact of persecution, individual and collective memory, educational issues, films and documentaries, artistic and literary approaches, to remembrance and memorials, and questions of theory and methodology”.
Themes anticipated include children as witnesses and victims and child soldiers.
Abstracts of 200-250 words and bios of 50-100 words should be sent to conference co-cordinator Prof Johannes-Dieter Steinert, Modern European History and Migration Studies, University of Wolverhampton: j.d.steinert@wlv.ac.uk, as well as any requests for more information. -
York University (Toronto) annual summer course on refugee and forced migration studies
This year’s Summer Course on Refugee and Forced Migration Issues by the Centre for Refugee Studies, York University will be held May 8-16/10 at the Keele Campus. Fee is $975 Cdn, if you register before Feb 26/10 (fee goes up to $1100 after that date).
For more information, visit the conference course website , email summer@yorku.ca and refer back to previous postings at immigrantchildren.ca. -
Seeking proposed panel members: Changing intra- and inter-generational relationshps in migration for CARFMS 2010
From the H-CHILDHOOD@H-NET.MSU.EDU listserv: Proposed panel on changing intra- and inter-generational relationships in migration contexts for CAFRMS 2010:
“I am interested in proposing a panel on intra- and inter-generational relationships in migration contexts for the third annual conference of the Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies (CARFMS), hosted by McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on May 6-8, 2010. The conference theme is Forced Migration: Challenges and Change.
“Within this context, I am soliciting expressions of interest from colleagues working on age, generation and family relations to participate in a proposed panel on dynamic intra- and inter-generational relationships within contexts of migration. I believe that this could be an opportunity for researchers and practitioners working with migrants (interpreted broadly to include asylum seekers, refugees, internally displaced people,at different phases of the life cycle from infancy to old age to come together around the common theme of dynamic generational relationships. The panel would seek to address the overarching conference theme of challenges and change. Papers addressing conceptual, theoretical, empirical and/or methodological issues are welcome.
“Please submit a 250 word abstract and short (one paragraph) bibliography by January 5th, 2010 to: cclark-kazak@glendon.yorku.ca. The panel proposal will then be submitted to the conference organizers, who will take the final decision on whether or not the panel will be accepted”.Christina Clark-Kazak, DPhil
Assistant Professor, International Studies, Glendon College, York University
2275 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M4N 3M6
Tel: 416.736.2100 ext 88106Related immigrantchildren.ca post: Call for papers: Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies
For more information on the CARFMS conference, contact Heather Johnson – johnsohl@mcmcaster.ca, or visit the conference website. -
20th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Nov 20th is National Child Day in Canada and International Children’s Day across the world. It marks the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Convention is the most widely ratified human rights instrument in the world. The Convention lays out the rights all children everywhere have in the rights of provision, the rights of protection, and the rights of participation. In 1990, Canada co-hosted the World Summit for Children, which launched the Convention.
Two related conferences, coming up, are worth exploring:
The University of Ottawa is hosting a symposium of the Interdisciplinary Research Labratory on the Rights of the Child, Nov 18-20, 2009. The symposium will examine children’s right to participation. The symposium will consider how to integrate the views of children into research. From the conference website: “Research results that more effectively reflect the views of children will assist child-service and child-protection organizations in improving the intervention policies and practices targeting their young clients”.
The University of Victoria, along with the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP), the British Columbia Association of Family Resource Programs and the British Columbia Association of Infant Development Consultants will host a conference Feb 4-6, 2010 entitled “The Rights of The Child” to be held at the Fairmount Express.
Selected related links:- Canadian Coalition for the Rights of the Child
- UNICEF
- Child Rights Information Network
- International Institute for Child Rights and Development
Related immigrantchildren.ca post: Best Interests of the immigrant, refugee, culturally diverse child.
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Call for papers: Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies (CARFMS)
The Institute on Globalization and the Human Condition, McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario will host the 3rd annual conference of the Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies (CARFMS) from May 6-8, 2010.
From the call, as posted on the forced migration discussion listserv*:
“In recent years, the idea of change has charged political debate in countries around the world and has, in some cases, catalyzed the election of new governments and the creation of innovative programs and policies. This period has also been one of significant change for the field of forced migration. New policies and increasingly securitized perceptions of forced migration have created new practices such as interdiction, detention and expedited deportation that have changed the protection landscape in both the global North and South. At the same time as scholars have questioned the labelling and bureaucratic categorization of forced migrants, the United Nations has piloted new approaches to improve the protection and assistance available to members of traditionally marginalized categories, particularly internally displaced persons. Massive displacement in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and Cyclone Nargis raised the profile of environmental refugees as an issue predicted to grow in importance as the impacts of climate change become increasingly evident. In Canada, the government has recently announced that it is preparing a package of changes to the refugee determination system, including the fast-tracking of claims from countries that are generally considered safe. As a precursor to more sweeping anticipated changes, the government has already imposed visa requirements on Mexico and the Czech Republic in an attempt to stem the flow of refugee claimants from those countries.
“The 2010 CARFMS Conference will bring together researchers, policymakers, displaced persons and advocates from diverse disciplinary and regional backgrounds to discuss the changes and challenges faced in the field of forced migration. We invite participants from a wide range of perspectives to explore the practical, experiential, policy-oriented, legal and theoretical questions raised by different processes of change affecting forced migrants at the local, national, regional and international levels.
“Proposals are being sought from the following broad sub-themes:- Asylum, protection and durable solutions: Needs, current practices and prospects for reform
- Theorizing the changing field of forced migration
- Experiencing displacement: Changes and challenges”.
250-word abstracts for proposed conference papers and panels are due by January 29, 2010 and must be submitted via the conference website. For more information, contact Heather Johnson – johnsohl@mcmcaster.ca.
* The Forced Migration Discussion List is moderated by the Refugee Studies Centre (RSC), University of Oxford. It does not necessarily reflect the views of the RSC or the university.