I asked Council Member, Immigration Partnership Waterloo Region Dr. Elif Günçe:
What’s the effect of racism, discrimination, and stereotyping on newcomer children (birth to age eight)?
They either become introvert or they learn to hate very early. But racism and stereotyping can exist in both parties. This fact is mostly overlooked. Children can learn to hate within their own family if the parents transfer their learned anger and hatred to them. And as the families try to keep their cultural identity, children are exposed to a new culture outside the family and if the family or the community at large is not supportive, they may end up in a limbo where they feel that they belong neither here nor there.
There’s much discussion on integration of immigrants. What kinds of services or supports do newcomer children need to successfully integrate in Canada?
Children need to be with their peers in the host community as much as possible and as soon as possible. I do not support their segregation within their own communities because of barriers made up in adults’ minds such as the language barrier. There is no language barrier for children! They may not know the language yet but they will learn it quickly if we do not impose ‘our’ barriers to them.
If you could influence the federal minister of citizenship, refugees, and immigration to do one thing for newcomer children, what would it be?
Create safe spaces for children where they can explore their new environment, like summer camps. But do not separate newcomer children from other children. All children of Canada (Aboriginal children, children who were born in Canada, children who recently immigrated) need to be together. They will be each other’s best support systems.
What is one of your favourite children’s books that you would recommend for newcomer children? Why?
I will not recommend a book but I will recommend this: Take the children to libraries, let them explore the world of books and the world’s books. Most newcomer children may have not seen a library in their life, neither have their parents. And libraries may become the best shelter for newcomer children.
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Dr. Elif Gunce is a Council Member with the Immigration Partnership, Waterloo Region , an Adjunct Assistant Professor at UWO Centre for Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction, Adjunct Professor at the University of Western Ontario Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and Instructor at McMaster University FHS Global Health MSc Program.
Elif blogs at Look How Small the World Is. Follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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immigrantchildren.ca is asking Canadian experts and advocates in immigration, settlement, refugees, and newcomers about their views on newcomer children (birth to age eight). For more interviews, see here.
Category: Identity
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Four questions for … Waterloo Region Immigration Partnership Council Member Dr. Elif Günçe
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Four questions for … author and storyteller Rukhsana Khan
I asked Ruhksana Khan:
What’s the effect of racism, discrimination, and stereotyping on newcomer children?
They suffer. Feeling like they’re less. I’m not sure if there’s much the host country can do to change this. It comes down to people valuing personal character above possessions and that kind of goes against human nature. We tend to get impressed by fancy things.
There’s much discussion on integration of immigrants. What kinds of services or supports do newcomer children need to successfully integrate in Canada?
I think it would be good to get students to partner up with the newcomer students so that they might feel less lonely and isolated. The local students could learn about where the newcomers are coming from, and read Coming to Canada to gain empathy of how difficult it would be to uproot oneself.
They can also take a look at my book Big Red Lollipop which deals tangentially with assimilation as it’s a story of a family that’s new to North America and the idea of only the invited child going to birthday parties.
If you could influence the federal minister of citizenship, refugees, and immigration to do one thing for newcomer children, what would it be?
Find ways in which newcomers can contribute to the host country as soon as possible. I think it needs to be a two-way street. Newcomers have to feel as though they’re not beholden, that they’re making a contribution towards bettering Canada so the ‘charity’ isn’t going only one way.
What is one of your favourite children’s books that you would recommend for newcomer children? Why?
My book Coming to Canada is used by the Settlement Workers in the Schools program to help newcomers adjust to life in Canada. I would recommend it. I think it contains realistic expectations and I focused on the resources that make Canada such an amazing country like the library and education systems.~
Rukhsana Khan is an award-winning author and storyteller. She was born in Lahore, Pakistan and immigrated to Canada at the age of three.
She grew up in a small town in southern Ontario and was ruthlessly bullied. When a grade eight teacher told her she was a writer, she thought the idea was crazy. Writers were white people. They were from England and America.
To be ‘sensible’ she graduated from college at the top of her class as a biological-chemical technician. When she couldn’t get a decent job she decided to be ‘unsensible’ and become a writer. It took eight years to get her first book published. Now she has twelve books published (one of which was chosen by the New York Public Library as one of the 100 greatest children’s books in the last 100 years).
Rukhsana Khan’s website & YouTube channel
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immigrantchildren.ca is asking Canadian experts and advocates in immigration, settlement, refugees, and newcomers about their views on newcomer children (birth to age eight). For more interviews, see here. -
Sessions on immigrant/refugee children at the International Metropolis conference
This year’s theme for the International Metropolis conference is Migration and Global Justice.
immigrantchildren.ca has reviewed the program (to date) and have found what looks to be a fascinating workshop about children’s sense of belonging and play.
From the conference website, this description of the workshop (links added):
Integration and social belonging through play
“As migration presents a long-term, multi-faceted process of finding belonging, it presents a unique opportunity to address innovative methods for supporting immigrant and refugee children as they integrate into their new communities. By creating an environment of play – focusing on recreation and arts-based methodologies – it is possible to successfully support social, emotional, linguistic, physical, and cultural integration. Settlement has traditionally focused on the immediacy of physical basic needs, with interventions that did not necessarily place enough emphasis on the emotional needs of the whole resettlement journey. Over the last 20 years, research and practice, have proven the value of not only considering, but incorporating, arts based interventions and pro-social recreational opportunities that contribute to whole family wellness and children’s wellbeing. According to the International Play Association‘s Declaration on the Importance of Play: ‘playing is vital to the understanding, development, and maintenance of valued relationships with others. Playful interactions ‘help in understanding relationships and attachment, language, roles, and social structures.’
“It is these principles that also guide the idea that children should be considered with their own agency, capable of developing social capital in their own right, not only in relation to adults: ‘ the social capital of children in often ‘invisible’. Further, it is often seen as an ‘asset’ for future benefit, not something ‘in their lives in the present’ (Colbert, 2013). A pro social, experiential, approach to programming could employ a culturally competent and trauma informed approach to learning and development that draws on the participants innate resilience in a time of significant adjustment and resettlement.
“It has been our experience that play promotes normalcy, healing, and healthy behavioral development – as well as supports the complex process on integration into a new community following a period of crisis, trauma, or forced migration. This workshop will speak to the approaches used towards establishing a range of partnerships in order to engage children and youth in the local community, culture, and language through various forms of play, while remaining sensitive to culture and background”.
Organizer:
Fariborz Birjandian, Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS)
Presenters:
Amanda Koyama, Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS)
Shaun Jayachandran, Crossover Basketball and Scholar’s Academy
(To be confirmed). -
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. -
Comic books for children to learn about refugees
Comics for Youth Refugees Incorporated Collective (CYRIC), believes that children can learn from, and refugee children can benefit from a comic book that tells common Syrian folk tales. The comic is called Haawiyat and is written band illustrated by y a number of international folks. (English version here).
Recently CYRIC gave away copies in Gaziantep, Turkey and are seeking crowdfunding to produce a second, and bigger, edition. crowdfunding platform Razoo
Source: @TeamRefugees & @robsalk
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July 1st
July 1 marks Canada Day. A good day to relaunch immigrantchildren.ca
And, in a nod to both, a book give away.
The Best of All Worlds is a children’s storybook with original stories written by seven newcomers to Canada in their home language. The languages are:- Arabic
- Farsi
- Japanese
- Italian
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Spanish
It is beautifully illustrated, also by newcomers to Canada.
All stories are translated into English and French. Very Canadian!
The Best of All Worlds is published by At One Press, an independent publishing house that captures the Canadian experience by delivering stories from multiple linguistic and cultural perspectives.
First three comments on this post gets a copy of the book! The catch? Translate ‘Happy Canada Day’ into one of the seven languages above. -
ANCIE Bulletin: Gender roles
The latest e-Bulletin from AMSSA‘s (Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Services Agencies of BC) ANCIE (AMSSA’s Newcomer Child Information Exchange) explores gender roles.
The bulletin discusses sex vs. gender, introduces the concept of gender analysis, and how gender and migration intersect for children and youth and results in inequalities – and offers research on gender inequities in the school system, including these findings from recent research:Gender construction in schools can create very distinct notions of what it means to be a man and a woman, with polarized attributes for femininity and masculinity;
Across most countries, boys continue to dominate classroom time and space, a practice that seems to create subdued girls and creates perceived differences between men and women;
In many countries academic performance of boys and girls is converging, but when it comes to fields of study and work there is still clustering by gender;
The curriculum, especially sex education, continues to center on biological features and refuses to acknowledge social dimensions of adolescent sexuality;
The peer culture of a classroom contributes powerfully to classroom dynamics and the focus of either gender towards academics;
Most public education policies fail to recognize the socialization role of schools. (Stromquist, 2007).As in all e-Bulletins, there is a useful list of additional related resources.
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"I don't feel human" ~ The plight of young refugees and migrants in the UK
The Children’s Society is a UK-based charity that is “committed to helping vulnerable and disadvantaged young people, including safeguarding children in care and young runaways”. The Children’s Society campaigns and research seek to influence policy on and give voice to marginalized children, including young refugees. In February, they released a report on the state of young refugees and migrants in the UK. From the announcement:
In “I don’t feel human”, we examine available data on the extent and impact of destitution, and speak to young migrants and the people who work to support them. The report sets out the devastating impact being destitute has on children, young people and families.
“This is an issue for young people who come to seek protection in the UK alone but have been refused asylum and so are left in limbo.
“Having fled danger in their country of birth, these young people are exposed to danger and harm in this country because they are excluded from support and accommodation. They remain hidden from view and have to survive with minimal resources.
“This is also an issue for children in migrant families who may not have an asylum claim but who become destitute for various reasons including domestic violence and family breakdown. Yet due to immigration restrictions they are unable to access support and their parents are not allowed to work in order to pull them out of poverty”. -
14th National Metropolis conference, Feb 29-March 3, sessions on immigrant children, youth & families
The 14th National Metropolis conference theme is Future Immigration Policies: Challenges and Opportunities for Canada. It will be held February 29 – March 3, 2012 at the Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto.
immigrantchildren.ca is delighted to see so many workshops and a dedicated poster session that focus on immigrant and refugee children, youth, and families:Thurs March 1, 2012 Workshops
Family violence towards young newcomer women
This workshop will explore family violence towards young newcomer women (ages 15-30). Presentations will examine factors that contribute to abuse and violence, barriers and facilitators to seeking help, the experiences of shelter staff in offering appropriate services, and existing government policies and programs related to this type of family violence.
Organizer
Lucia Madariaga-Vignudo, Qualtrica Associates
Tuula Heinonen, University of Manitoba
Participants
Priya Sharma, University of Manitoba
Barriers and Facilitators to Accessing Help: The Experience of Young Newcomer Women Affected by Family Violence in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Lucia Madariaga-Vignudo, Qualtrica Associates
Barriers and Facilitators to Accessing Help: The Experience of Young Newcomer Women Affected by Family Violence in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Janine Fraser, Edmonton Women’s Shelter Ltd.
Providing Shelter to Young Newcomer Women Fleeing Family Violence: A Service Provider’s Perspective
Hoori Hamboyan, Justice Canada
Family violence policy and its impact on ethno-cultural minority communities
Anna Korteweg, University of Toronto
Religion, Culture, and the Politicization of Honour-Related Violence: A Critical Analysis of Media and Policy Debates in Germany, the Netherlands, and Canada
Chair
Tuula Heinonen, University of Manitoba
At the margins but longing to belong: Immigrant and refugee youth in Canadian schools Immigrant teenagers experience a steep learning curve as they attempt to learn either English or French, complete high school and integrate into Canadian society. In this workshop we will explore the social and linguistic integration experiences of newcomers at school in Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec as well as policy implications.
Organizer
Antoinette Gagné, University of Toronto
Participants
Ranya Khan, University of Toronto
Meeting the needs of war-affected refugees in Manitoba high schools
Sunny Lau, Bishop’s University
Developing immigrant learners’ academic expertise through the promotion of identities of competence
Stephanie Soto Gordon, Toronto District Board of Education
Growing new roots: Coming together – New immigrant and Canadian teenagers
Antoinette Gagne, University of Toronto
Growing new roots: Coming together – New immigrant and Canadian teenagers
Yamin Qian, University of Toronto
More than English proficiency: Chinese adolescents’ peer networks and English use in Toronto
Marilyn Steinbach, Université de Sherbrooke
Social integration of immigrant adolescents in secondary schools in regional Quebec
Chair
Antoinette Gagné, University of Toronto
Discussant
Clea Schmidt, University of Manitoba
Female genital cutting in the Canadian context: Global bodies and immigration The 1990s was a time of much attention to the issue of Female Genital Cutting (FGC) in Canada with the development of legal policies, original research and innovative programming in the community. In this workshop, presenters from different sectors and disciplines will address a renewed interest in all of these areas.
Organizer
Paula Migliardi, Sexuality Education Resource Centre
Participants
Shereen Denetto, Sexuality Education Resource Centre
Women, Men and Youth’s Perspectives of Female Genital Cutting and Change In Winnipeg
Gillian Einstein, University of Toronto
Pain in Somali – Canadian Women: Neurological Consequences of Female Genital Circumcision
Perron Liette, Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologist Canada
Female Genital Cutting / Mutilation: SOGC Working for Change
Notisha Massaquoi, Women’s Health in Women’s Hands Community Health Centre
Policy Development in Canada: Past, Present and Future
Bilkis Visandjée, University of Montréal
Clinical Imperatives, Research Perspectives: Giving Quality of Care in the Context of Traditional Practices
Chair
Paula Migliardi, Sexuality Education Resource Centre
Immigration and mothering This session will examine the multiple and shifting roles, relationships, constructions and representations of mothers and mothering in the processes of immigration. Various dimensions will be explored from issues of identity (and intersecting identities in terms of race and class), to work in the home, family and community, as well as the negotiation of family arrangements, relationships with the second generation, and roles with respect to transnational and cross-cultural mothering. In so doing, this workshop will consider how mothers contribute to immigration, settlement and integration, as well as the impact such processes have on mothering.
Organizer
Alexandra Dobrowolsky, Atlantic Metropolis Centre
Evangelia Tastsoglou, Saint Mary’s University and Atlantic Metropolis Centre
Guida C. Man, York University and CERIS-The Ontario Metropolis Centre
Participants
Guida C. Man, York University and CERIS-The Ontario Metropolis Centre
Negotiating Work and Family: Exploring Transnational Migration Practices of Immigrant Women Professionals in Canada
Mehrunnisa Ali, Ryerson University
When Mothering Never Ends: The Experiences of Mothering Teenagers and Young Adults in the South Asian Diaspora
Farishta Murzban Dinshaw, COSTI Family Violence Initiative
Mothers of Sons: Gender Roles and Cultural Continuity in Immigrant Communities
Anna Kirova, University of Alberta and Prairie Metropolis Centre
Involving Newcomer Parents and Children in Negotiating Cultural Identities Through Art-Making
Chair
Alexandra Dobrowolsky, Atlantic Metropolis Centre
Discussant
Evangelia Tastsoglou, Saint Mary’s University and Atlantic Metropolis Centre
Improving the lives of immigrant and refugee youth: Collaborative community, research, and policy initiatives The complex needs of our growing population of youth from immigrant and refugee families will be addressed by academic, professional, and community participants. Promising collaborative approaches in youth activism, local partnerships, diversity training, and health improvement among immigrant youth will be highlighted, with an eye toward policy and programming.
Organizer
Darren Lund, Prairie Metropolis Centre
Participants
Darren Lund, Prairie Metropolis Centre
Learning from Youth Leaders in Social Justice Activism
James Baker, Memorial University
The Making of a “Welcoming Community”: Youth Perspectives on Inclusion, Integration, and Participation
Marisa Cardeal-Casagrande, McMaster University
Fostering Leadership and Engagement with the “Youth Futures Program”
Hassan Vatanparast, University of Saskatchewan
Improving the Health and Nutrition of Immigrant and Refugee Children
Mischa Davison, Saskatoon Open Door Society
“Creating Youth Culture”: Teen Diversity Leadership Training Program
Chair
Darren Lund, Prairie Metropolis Centre
Discussant
Fariborz Birjandian, Calgary Catholic Immigration SocietyFriday, March 2, 2012 Workshops
Second generation youth: Educational and employment trajectories among Filipino youth in Canada The Philippines is now Canada’s top source of immigrants and this population has a distinctive set of arrival and settlement experiences. The echoes of these experiences are evident in the educational and employment outcomes of second generation Filipino-Canadian youth. This session explores these outcomes across four cities in Canada.
Organizer
Philip Kelly, York University
Participants
Philip Kelly, York University
Geographies of the Second Generation: Filipino-Canadian Class Reproduction in Urban
Canada
Maureen Mendoza, University of British Columbia
Educated Minorities: The Experiences of Filipino Canadian University Students
Darlyne Bautista, Winnipeg School Division
Exploring Culture in Our Schools: Policy Discussion and Community Practice
Veronica Javier, Community Social Worker
Julia Mais, York University
Behind the Resume: Influences on the Educational and Employment Trajectories of 1.5 and Second Generation Filipino-Canadians
Daisydee Bautista, Aksyon Ng Ating Kabataan (ANAK) Inc.
Exploring Culture in Our Schools: Policy Discussion and Community Practice
Chair
Mila Garcia, Community Alliance for Social Justice
Discussant
Conely De Leon, York University
The Concepts of age and generation in the migration context: Implications for policy-research This workshop focuses on the concepts of age and generation in migration contexts and examines the inter-play of age, generation, as well as gender, race and immigrant and family status in the social and economic outcomes of immigrants in Canada. Conceptual and methodological issues will be explored. Research findings related to how age and generational status are key indicators of both the context of migrations and the settlement and integration processes will be shared. Policy and program implications for governments and service providers will also be identified.
Organizer
Christina Clark-Kazak, York University
Laure Lafrance, Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Participants
Alexandra Ricard-Guay, McGill University
Unpacking human trafficking definitions through the lens of age-sensitivity
Ranu Basu, York University
Building Community in Suburban Inner-City Schools: Scarborough as Site for Emancipatory Practice
Yogendra Shakya, Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services
Challenges and Opportunities in Family Role Changes for Refugee Youth from the Afghani, Karen and Sudanese Communities
May Farrales, Unversity of British Columbia
Holding spaces: geographies of Filipino-Canadian students’ educational experiences
Chair
Christina Clark-Kazak, York University
Post-secondary education participation: Access and supports among immigrant youth in Canada This workshop reports, compares, and contrasts findings with respect to post-secondary education participation of immigrant youth with particular attention to access and supports (e.g. structural factors, social supports, special needs, engagement) from two sources — 17 year olds in the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and 19 year olds in British Columbia’s Metro Vancouver School Districts (MVSD).
Organizer
Paul Anisef, York University
Vicky Maldonado, McMaster University
Participants
Robert Brown, Toronto District School Board
Gillian Parekh, York University
Paul Anisef, York University
Post-secondary Participation of First, Second, and Third Generation Students: The Role of Social and Academic Supports in Secondary School
Vicky Maldonado and Scott Davies, McMaster University
Horizontal Stratification and the Maclean’s Rankings: University Participation of Native-born and Immigrant Youth in the Toronto District School Board
Kristyn Frank, Independent Researcher
Does Parental and Teacher Engagement Influence the Field of Study Choices of Immigrant and Canadian-born University Students?
Maria Adamuti-Trache, University of Texas at Arlington
Robert Sweet, Lakehead University
High School to PSE Pathways of Metro Vancouver Students: Ethnic Group Differences
Chair
Paul Anisef, York University
Discussant
Roula Anastasakos, Toronto District School Board
Limited access to healthcare for uninsured families and children: Ontario and Quebec This workshop focuses on health status and access to care of immigrant, refugee, and migrant children, youth and pregnant women who do not have provincial health care coverage. It will present new research findings, health provider perspectives and health service delivery challenges, and discuss implications for policy and practice.
Organizer
Joanna Anneke Rummens, The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto
Cécile Rousseau, McGill University and CSSS de la Montagne (Parc Extension)
Sharon Chakkalackal, The Hospital for Sick Children
Participants
Joanna Anneke Rummens, The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto
Sharon Chakkalackal, The Hospital for Sick Children
Access to Health Care for Uninsured Immigrant, Refugee and Migrant Child and Youth in Ontario
Audrey Laurin-Lamothe, McGill University
Francesca Meloni, McGill University
Alexandra Ricard-Guay, McGill University
Health Status of Uninsured Children & Pregnant Women in Quebec
Manavi Handa, Assocation of Ontario Midwives
Karline Wilson-Mitchell, Sages-Femmes Rouge Valley Midwives Scarborough/Durham Region
On the Ground: Access to Healthcare Issues for Uninsured Women and their Canadian Babies
Joesiann Nelson, Black Creek Community Health Centre,
Simone Atungo, Mount Sinai Hospital
Before and After: Seeking Pathways to Care for Uninsured Moms and Children at Community Health Centres and Hospitals
Chair
Deb Kocay, Public Health Agency of Canada
Discussant
Wendy Katherine, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care
Community-based health promotion programs for children and their families: How the Public Health Agency of Canada is improving the health of recent immigrants This workshop will highlight the Public Health Agency of Canada’s community-based programs and their work in the health promotion of recent immigrants and their families. There will be an overview of the programs from a national perspective, along with specific regional issues and the experiences of projects delivering health promotion programming in the community.
Organizer
Dana Gaertner, Public Health Agency of Canada/Agence de santé publique du Canada
Participants
Jennette Toews, Public Health Agency of Canada – National Office /Agence de santé publique du Canada – Bureau central
CAPC and recent immigrants: A national health promotion program for children and their families
Blanca Serrano, Public Health Agency of Canada – Ontario Region /Agence de santé publique du Canada – Région de l’Ontario
Promoting the health and well-being of children and families in Ontario: Working with new immigrants
Julie Burdon, The Hincks-Dellcrest Centre
Innovative solutions that meet the needs of a diverse population at our prenatal and parenting programs
Marie-Michèle Delisle-Bédard, Maison pour femmes immigrantes
L’intervention auprès des femmes et de leurs enfants victimes ou exposés à la violence: succès et défis
Immigrant and refugee visible minority youth in Canada The presence of immigrant and refugee visible minority youth in Canada has enhanced the growth of Canada’s population and labour force. As this is an advantage for the country, it is also important to determine who these youth are, their circumstances, needs, and how they can contribute to Canada’s multicultural society.
Organizer
J. Alejandro Hernandez-Ramirez, Simon Fraser University
Participants
J. Alejandro Hernandez-Ramirez, Simon Fraser University
Miu Chung Yan, University of British Columbia
Tejwant Chana, University of Alberta
Dorla Harris, MOSAIC
Farah Prashadcolah, Youth Settlement Worker
Lianne Lee, Immigrant Sector Council of Calgary
Heather Robertson, Newcomers Employment and Education Development Services (N.E.E.D.S.) Inc.
Cristina Guerrero, University of Toronto
Chair
J. Alejandro Hernandez-Ramirez, Simon Fraser University
Engaging immigrant children in Ontario and Quebec schools through the creation of multimodal identity texts How can teachers, researchers and community members collaboratively draw on the cultural and linguistic resources that immigrant children bring to their learning? This workshop examines how students’ expressions of their diverse identities and experiences through multimodal and multilingual creations deepen their engagement and facilitate their integration at school.
Organizer
Gail Prasad, University of Toronto
Marie Paule Lory, Université de Montréal
Participants
Marie Paule Lory, Université de Montréal
Quand le plurilinguisme prend corps dans des ateliers d’expression théâtrale et d’éveil aux langues
Gail Prasad, University of Toronto
What Moves Me? Exploring Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Children’s representations of their mobilities through self-portraits and photography
Saskia Stille, University of Toronto
Engaging in cultural production at school: Using digital media to create identity texts with emergent bilingual children
Susan Hind, Toronto District School Board
Found in Translation: Showcasing home-school-community cultural and linguistic diversity through visual media creation
Amelia Jimenez, Inner City Angels
Found in Translation: Showcasing home-school-community cultural and linguistic diversity through visual media creationSaturday March 3, 2012 Workshops
Muslim students in Canadian schools: Meeting students’ academic, social and faith-based needs How can Canadian schools meet the needs of their Muslim students? This session will highlight the findings from a study that included teachers’ voices, experiences and practices related to the schooling of their Muslim students, and discuss how schools and teachers attempt to support religious practices in a secular space.
Organizer
Ranya Khan, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Participants
Sararoz Niyozov, University of Toronto
Ranya Khan, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Arif Anwar, University of Toronto
Nadeem Memon, Razi Group
Uzma Jamil, McGill Transcultural Research and Intervention Team
Chair
Sararoz Niyozov, University of Toronto
International migration and maternity Maternity may amplify socioeconomic marginalization and the vulnerability of immigrant women. Reproduction is a critical event on the life trajectory and represents an imperative sphere of attention. This roundtable enables decisive exchange between researchers, and government and non-government representatives, regarding socioeconomic, political, and cultural processes perpetuating maternal health care inequities.
Organizer
Gina Higginbottom, University of Alberta
Participants
Deb Kocay, Public Health Agency of Canada
Myfanwy Morgan, King’s College London
Gina Higginbottom, University of Alberta
Annalita Shireen Bell, University of Alberta
Lanre Tunji-Ajay, Sickle Cell Awareness Group of Ontario
Helen Vallianatos, University of Alberta
Chair
Gina Higginbottom, University of Alberta
Discussant
Deb Kocay, Public Health Agency of Canada
Immigrant mothers, health outcomes and promising practices to reduce health inequities Health inequities can affect immigrant and refugee mothers, and, as maternal health is a spread-used indicator to assess the state of well-being in most countries, there is a need to explore how immigrant mothers’ health can be affected once in Canada. Speakers at this workshop will showcase recent research on maternal health differences between immigrant and Canadian-born mothers. They will examine several health indicators and determinants of health as well as the maternal experiences, perceptions, knowledge, and practices of both populations. The workshop will also include the preliminary findings from the Migrant Friendly Maternity Care project as well as a community perspective on a number of resources and initiatives being implemented to address the reproductive needs of newcomer women and their families.
Organizer
Solange van Kemenade, Public Health Agency of Canada
Anita Gagnon, McGill University
Participants
Marcelo Urquia, Saint Michael’s Hospital
How immigrant women are doing in terms of maternal and infant health in Canada?
Dawn Kingston, University of Manitoba
Comparison of Maternity Experiences of Canadian-Born and Recent and Non-Recent Immigrant Women: Findings From the Canadian Maternity Experiences Survey
Maureen Heaman, University of Manitoba
Comparison of Maternity Experiences of Canadian-Born and Recent and Non-Recent Immigrant Women: Findings From the Canadian Maternity Experiences Survey
Saleha Bismilla, Toronto Public Health
Giving Birth in a New Land
Anita Gagnon, McGill University
Can Migrant Friendly Maternity Care (MFMC) improve perinatal health outcomes?
Chair
Solange van Kemenade, Public Health Agency of Canada
Refugee youth negotiating change This roundtable examines some of the diverse and interconnected challenges and opportunities refugee youth encounter as they negotiate various life transitions in the context of settlement in Canada. Discussion topics include education, settlement/youth services, creativity, mental health, social and cultural integration, gang involvement, sexuality, and employment.
Organizer
Alejandro Hernandez, Simon Fraser University
Jenny Francis, University of British Columbia
Participants
Jenny Francis, University of British Columbia
Paula Migliardi, Sexuality Education Resource Centre
Susan Frohlick, University of Manitoba
Marian Rossiter, University of Alberta
Nora Becker, Saskatchewan Intercultural Association
Wendy Auger, Immigrant Services Calgary
Jane Wambui Gichuru, University of Western Ontario
Zheng Zhang, University of Western Ontario
Sarah Fletcher, University of Victoria
Nona Grandea, Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Chair
Jenny Francis, University of British ColumbiaPoster Sessions
Des services communautaires qui bonifient la relation école-famille : le cas d’un organisme montréalais
Annick Lavoie, Université de Montréal
Fasal Kanouté, Université de Montréal
Justine Gosselin Gagné, Université de Montréal
Enhancing our ability to respond to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) newcomer youth within the settlement sector
Zack Marshall, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Tess Vo, Griffin Centre Mental Health Services
The Role of transnational families in immigrant settlement
Amrita Hari, York University
Grandparental caregiving in Chinese-Canadian immigrant families
Cynthia Sing-Yu Shih, York University
Yvonne Bohr, York University
Afghan newcomer youth in Toronto: Exploring leisure and information practices during settlement
Lisa Quirke, University of Toronto
Étudiants internationaux et persévérance aux études postsecondaires
Sarah Mainich, Université de Montréal
The African Canadian youth leadership project: Encouraging a critical reading of the Canadian urban landscape
Troy Glover, University of Waterloo
Debjani Henderson, University of Waterloo
Visit the Metropolis conference website for more information. To register, visit here.
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Global Studies of Childhood, Vol 1, No. 4, 2011
Global Studies of Childhood Volume 1 Number 4, Special Issue: Childhood in Literature, Media and Popular Culture with guest editors Ummni Khan and Sue Saltmarsh includes the following:
The Case of Children’s Literature: Colonial or anti-colonial? Lucy Hopkins.
The Visual Poetics of Play: childhood in three Canadian graphic novels by Ummni Khan.
Prostituted Girls and the Grown-up Gaze Sue Saltmarsh & Anna North.
Christopher Drew. The Spirit of Australia: learning about Australian childhoods in Qantas commercials Kristina Gottschall.
Writing Identity: gendered values and user content creation in SNS interaction among Estonian and Swedish tweens Alexander Tymczuk.
Social Orphans and Care at a Distance: popular representations of childhood in Ukrainian transnational families COLLOQUIUM Stephanie Pearson.From the Global Studies of Childhood (GSC) site: “GSC is a peer-reviewed, internationally focused, online research journal. The journal provides an opportunity for researchers, university and college students and professionals who are interested in issues associated with childhood in education, family, and community contexts from a global perspective to present, share and discuss their work. GSC aims to present opportunities for scholars and emerging researchers to interrogate the ways in which globalization and new global perspectives impact on children’s life experiences.
“Global Studies of Childhood is a space for research and discussion about issues that pertain to children in a world context, and in contemporary times the impact of global imperatives on the lives of children has been significant. Experiences of childhood that take place within the situated spaces of geographic locales and culturally specific frames of reference are subject to global forces that complicate, disrupt and reconfigure the meanings associated with childhood/s on the local and global stage”.
