Stephanie Yamniuk's presentation discusses empowering newcomer students to realize their rights and responsibilities in a school environment. It covers Yamniuk's background working with refugee students, key terms, challenges immigrant and refugee children face, educational interventions using Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory and strengths-based approaches, citizenship rights and responsibilities, the role of education, and resilience theory. The presentation emphasizes creating a culture of resilience in schools by supporting students' individual strengths, family influences, and external supports within the school community.

1. Stephanie Yamniuk,
Instructor and PhD
candidate, WHO HEARS
Faculty of Education
University of Manitoba MY VOICE?
stephanie@shar.ca
May 25, 2012
Empowering
newcomer students
to realize their rights
and responsibilities
in a school
1 environment

2. MY BACKGROUND IN REFUGEE
STUDENTS AND EDUCATION
 UNICEF Canada
 Canadian Red Cross
 Teacher and educator on global issues
 Social Justice framework of teaching
 Have taught in diverse communities in US,
Micronesia, and Canada

3. Activity:
The Story of My Name
How does talking about your
name help to build intercultural
respect and understanding?

4. KEY TERMS
 Refugee
 Immigrant
 Differentiated citizenship
 Rights
 Responsibilities
 Resilience
 Acculturation
 Culture of resilience
4

5. DISCUSSION OUTLINE
• Challenges that Immigrant and Refugee
children face
• Educational Interventions: Ecological Theory,
Strengths approach, Empowerment
• Citizenship: rights and responsibilities:
Belonging
• Role of education
• Resiliency Theory
 Cultural resilience
 Individual mindset, family influence,
external supports (the school community)
• Children and War
• Conclusion
5

6. The challenges that refugee and
immigrant children and their
families face in Canada
6

7. RAYMOND WILLIAM’S IDEA ABOUT THE
UNCONSCIOUS COMPONENTS OF
COMMUNITY AND CULTURE:
 A culture, while it is being lived, is always in
part unknown, in part unrealized. The
making of a community is always an
exploration, for consciousness cannot
precede creation, and there is no formula
for unknown experience. . . (as cited in
Eagleton, 2000, p. 118).
7

8. A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF
NEWCOMERS
Immigrants Refugees
• A person who has • A refugee is a
left their own nation person who has left
to live in another for fear of being
country. persecuted for
• They have left by reasons of race,
choice, and not by nationality, religion,
necessity (disaster or membership into
or war) a specific social
group (Fong, 2004).
8

9. At school At home
Students are Students are
encouraged to be: encouraged to be:
 Modest
 Independent
 Respectful
 Spontaneous  Concerned with the
 Outspoken family as a whole
 Aggressive  Speaking the
language spoken at
home (Fong, 2004)
CHALLENGES FOR CHILDREN GROWING UP
IN TWO CULTURES

10. EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTIONS
FOR REFUGEE CHILDREN
10

11. EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTIONS FOR
REFUGEE CHILDREN:
THEORETICAL APPROACHES AND KEY
ISSUES TO SUPPORT REFUGEE STUDENTS
IN SCHOOL
 Bronfenbrenner’secological theory –
development occurs in contexts, and
can only be understood in contexts
(Hamilton and Moore, 2004; Fong,
2004).

12. BRONFENBRENNER’S ECOLOGICAL
THEORY
http://early-childhood-
resources.com

13. BRONFENBRENNER’S ECOLOGICAL
THEORY
 Individual – the child – age, gender, health
 Microsystem – pattern of activities, social roles,
and interpersonal relations experienced by a
developing person
 Mesosystem – the linkages and processes taking
place between two or more settings (home and
school, school and workplace)
 Exosystem – the linkages and processes taking
place between two or more settings, one of
which does not contain the developing person
(child and parent’s workplace, family social
networks, neighbourhood)
 Macrosystem – attitudes and ideologies of the
culture, such as belief systems, customs,
hazards, opportunity structures

14. EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTIONS FOR
REFUGEE CHILDREN:
THEORETICAL APPROACHES AND KEY
ISSUES TO SUPPORT REFUGEE STUDENTS IN
SCHOOL
The Strengths approach (Fong, 2004, p. 25).
1. developing positive attitudes towards
students
2. focusing on family strengths
3. encouraging students to engage in effective
behaviours
4. challenging students to appreciate their own
ethnic and cultural backgrounds
5. encouraging students to find their own
resources

15. EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTIONS FOR
REFUGEE CHILDREN:
THEORETICAL APPROACHES AND KEY ISSUES
TO SUPPORT REFUGEE STUDENTS IN SCHOOL
The Empowerment approach(Fong,
2004, p. 29).
 Empowerment is a process of
increasing personal, interpersonal,
or political power so that
individuals can take action to
improve their life situations.

16. Howe, R.B., and
CITIZENSHIP RIGHTS AND Covell, K. (2007).
Empowering
Children:
RESPONSIBILITIES FOR Children’s Rights
Education As a
Pathway to
NEWCOMER CHILDREN Citizenship.
Toronto:
University of
Toronto Press.
16

17. CHILDREN’S ROLE IN CITIZENSHIP
EDUCATION; WHY WE MUST GIVE THEM
MEMBERSHIP INTO SOCIETY AS EVOLVING
CITIZENS
Four building blocks of a modern view of citizenship,
according to Howe (2005).
 Rights
 Responsibilities
 Participation
 Differentiated citizenship
17

18. POWER OF CHILD’S PARTICIPATION
 Participation seems to be accompanied by a
sense of social responsibility when one is
involved in society.
18

19. SEVERAL ARGUMENTS AGAINST
CHILDREN THE RIGHTS OF
CITIZENSHIP
 These include limited economic
independence
 a low level of cognitive ability
19

20. DIFFERENTIATED CITIZENSHIP
 Citizenship is about inclusion and belonging. .
.” (Howe, 2005, p. 45)
20

21. CITIZENSHIP RIGHTS AND HUMAN
RIGHTS FOR IMMIGRANT AND
REFUGEE CHILDREN
21

22. UN CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF
THE CHILD (1989)
 Legally established a child’s rights and
responsibilities to participate in society
according to his or her maturity and ability
22

23. CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION
23

24.  What does the literature say
about a child’s self-esteem and
their ability to participate as a
citizen?
24

25.  When a child sees themselves as
moral and concerned with others,
they will act that way.
25

26. • What is unique about Howe and Covell’s
(2007) contribution to the discussion about
children’s identity, is the impact of using
participatory pedagogy in teaching
citizenship education. The “lasting impact
on the child’s democratic values and
participation. . . must be integrated into
personal identity” (p. 117).
26

27. • When both “curriculum content and
pedagogy effectively engage children, they
increasingly come to see themselves as
being competent to act” (as quoted in
Battistich et al, 1999, in Howe and Covell,
2007). They see themselves as a person
who can make an impact on society, their
classroom and their community.
27

28. ROLE OF EDUCATION IN
EMPOWERING NEWCOMER
STUDENTS
28

29. APPLE’S (2008) CHALLENGE TO
EDUCATORS:
 To situate education within a political society.
29

30. CURRENT DISCONNECTS
BETWEEN CURRICULUM,
EDUCATIONAL POLICY REFORM,
AND STUDENTS WHO ARE
LIVING IN POVERTY
30

31. REPOSITIONING
31

32. RESILIENCE THEORY
32

33. RESILIENCE THEORY: WHAT IS RESILIENCE?
HOW DO WE FOSTER A “CULTURE OF
RESILIENCE” IN OUR SCHOOL? HOW DOES
CULTURE FACTOR INTO OUR STRATEGIES?
 The study of resilience began in the areas
of psychology, poverty and traumatic
stress (Condly, 2006; Brooks & Goldstein,
2003), and continues to be explored in
business (Coutu, 2002); in the field of
education (Hamilton & Moore, 2004);
social work (Fong, 2004; Ungar, 2008);
and nursing (Black & Kobo, 2008).
33

34. THREE FACTORS
THAT CAN BE
FOUND IN ALL
DEFINITIONS OF
RESEARCH ON
RESILIENCE
 Individual traits
 Family supports
 External supports
34

35. THREE FACTORS THAT CAN BE
FOUND IN ALL DEFINITIONS OF
RESEARCH ON RESILIENCE:
1. Individual characteristics
2. Family and the support they give to the
child
3. External support from people and
institutions that are outside of the
individual or family that can assist the
child and the family
35

36. COMPETENCE IN CHILDREN HAS THREE
DIMENSIONS
 School or academic
 Social
 Conduct or behaviour
36

37. BRACKENREED (2010) ALSO IDENTIFIES
THE INDIVIDUAL’S PROTECTIVE FACTORS
OF SOCIAL COMPETENCE, PROBLEM-
SOLVING SKILLS, AND INDEPENDENCE.
 In
youth, she describes, “the more
resilient kids have an uncanny
ability to get adults to help them
out. . . and often have talents such
as athletic abilities that attract
other to them” (p. 48).
37

38. SEVERAL FACTORS THAT INCREASED A
CHILD’S CAPACITY FOR RESILIENCE
AND IMPACTED THEIR COPING SKILLS
(BOOTHBY ET AL, 2006)
 school as a vital social and academic
arena;
 self-efficacy and guarded optimism;
 recreational activities;
 role models;
 and friendships (cited from pp. 119-
124). 38

39. SEVERAL DEFINITIONS OF RESILIENCE
 One definition of resilience is the continuous
ability to defy challenges of poverty, lack of
opportunity, lack of a high IQ or living in a low
socioeconomic status (SES), or living in
difficult circumstances (Condly, 2006).
39

40.  Resilience is also defined as “. . . a process that
directs our interactions as we strengthen our
children’s ability to meet life’s challenges and
pressures with confidence and perseverance”
(Brooks & Goldstein, 2003, p. 3).
40

41.  Fong (2004), in the context of talking about
Filipino people and their strengths and needs,
discusses “tremendous difficulties, including
centuries of colonization, natural disasters,
poverty, and underdevelopment. These have
developed in them a high degree of tolerance
and resiliency. They are creative in meeting
needs and solving problems and skillful in
generating resources and finding a use for
everything” (p. 69).
41

42. Ungar, M. (2008).
Resilience across
RESILIENCE IN Cultures. British
Journal of Social
Work, 38, 218-235.
THE CONTEXT
OF CULTURE
42

43. INTERNATIONAL RESILIENCE
PROJECT (IRP)
 This involved a participatory model of mixed
methods research, and interviews and
research with over 1500 youth in 14
communities on five continents (Ungar, 2008).
 The most difficult task was to find a
“negotiated” definition of resilience between
individuals and their communities.
43

44. UNGAR’S DEFINITION OF RESILIENCE
 “Resilience is therefore both a process of the
child’s navigation towards, and the capacity of
individuals to negotiate for, health resources
on their own terms” (Ungar, 2008, p. 225).
 “Resilience occurs in the presence of
adversity” (p. 220).
 “Resilience is influenced by a child’s
environment, and that the interaction between
individuals and their social ecologies will
determine the degree of positive outcomes
experienced” (ibid).
44

45. FOUR STRATEGIES THAT EDUCATORS
CAN USE TO SUPPORT THE
INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANT AND
REFUGEE STUDENTS
1) Value local knowledge about aspects of
resilience.
45

46. 2) Interventions need to be sensitive to the
context of specific aspects of resilience.
46

47. 3) Interventions needs to be multi-faceted. Ungar
(2008) explains this further, that it can include
collaboration between “. . . personal counselling,
family-based interventions, school programs,
community mobilization, etc” (p. 233).
47

48. 4) The fourth strategy is to create empowering
interventions, where the child can choose to
navigate through the many tensions of
resilience, which will result in the child finding
the best way that works for her.
48

49. INDIVIDUALS: RESILIENCE
MINDSET
 We can build resilience in our students by
simply encouraging their individual
talents, and reinforce the positive mindset
that we believe that they have the ability to
succeed in school.
49

50. FAMILY INFLUENCE ON RESILIENCE
 The second factor which research has
shown to impact resiliency in children is
family dynamics and the quality of
relationships that children have with family
members.
50

51. ROLE OF LOYALTY AND OBLIGATION
TO FAMILY
51

52. COMMON FACTORS THAT ARE
EVIDENT IN RESILIENT FAMILIES
(BLACK & LOBO, 2008, P. 38):
 positive outlook;  financial
 spirituality; management;
 family member  family time;
accord;  shared recreation;
 flexibility;  routines and rituals;
 family  a support network
communication;
52

53. EXTERNAL SUPPORT – IN THE
CONTEXT OF A SCHOOL COMMUNITY
 The third factor which impacts the resiliency of
a child can be the external supports that effect
him or her. This is where the school community
can show its strengths and supports with the
goal to integrate families into the school culture
and community. Research has shown that it is
best when the family as a whole is being
supported (Condly, 2006).
53

54.  Schools can be protective and safe places for
children and adolescents to develop and build
resiliency skills. “The positive experiences that
children can get from school may involve
academic success, sporting or musical
achievement, assuming responsibility in the
school or developing positive relationships with
teachers and peers” (Brackenreed, 2010, p.
116).
54

55. 1. Schools should offer opportunities for
students to establish significant relationships
with compassionate adults.
55

56. 2. Schools should build on social competencies
and academic skills to provide experiences of
competency and success.
56

57. 3. They should offer students the opportunity for
meaningful engagement and responsibility with
the school and community.
57

58. 4. Schools should identify and support services
for children and youth.
58

59. 5. School should ensure that they do not
contribute with faulty practices to the risks
already encountered by their students.
59

60. TALKING TO O’Malley, C. J., Blankemeyer, M.,
Walker, K.K., and Dellmann-Jenkins,
M. (2007). Children’s Reported
CHILDREN Communication With Their Parents
About War, Journal of Family Issues,
ABOUT WAR 28 (12), 1639-1662.
60

61. TALKING TO CHILDREN
ABOUT WAR AND TERRORISM
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTIwoROvyFI
61

62. USING A STRENGTHS APPROACH TO
TALKING WITH CHILDREN ABOUT WAR
The Strengths approach (Fong, 2004, p. 25).
1. developing positive attitudes towards
students and children
2. focusing on family strengths
3. encouraging students to engage in effective
behaviours
4. challenging students to appreciate their
own ethnic and cultural backgrounds
5. encouraging students to find their own
resources
62

63. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE EFFECTS OF
WAR ON CHILDREN?
 According to O’Malley et al (2007), “in
general children are negatively affected by
politically violent situations and often
experience psychological disruption. . .
behavioral problems. . . and depression”
(as cited in O’Malley et al, 2007, p. 1640).
 Girls seem to have higher anxiety about
war and boys showed an increase in
behavioural problems from pre-war to
during-war. 63

64. CHILDREN’S CONCEPTIONS OF
POLITICAL VIOLENCE (O’MALLEY ET AL,
2007)
 Girls were more likely to define war in
terms of quarrels between friends
 Boys more often mentioned weapons and
soldiers when discussing war.
 PEACE:
 Children understood war at age 8, but
could not explain peace until age 10
 The CMHR can do something to improve
children's knowledge about peace and
conflict resolution.
64

65.  “Family education programs should
incorporate elements that support parents
in alleviating negative child reactions” (p.
1659)
 Watching visual media about war can
provide parents and children “teachable
moments” to talk about war
 “Families can learn how to help their
children better understand values related
to conflict resolution, prosocial behaviors,
justice, decision making, and problem
solving. Such values discussions may . . .
help strengthen the family” (p. 1659).
65

66. CONCLUSION
66

67. BIBLIOGRAPHY  Hamilton, R. & Moore, D. (Eds.) (2004).
Educational Interventions for Refugee
Children: Theoretical perspectives and
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a more just society? Education, Citizenship RoutledgeFalmer.
and Social Justice, 3 (3), 239-261.
 Howe, B. (2005). Citizenship Education for
 Black, K., & Lobo, M. (2008). A Conceptual Child Citizens. Canadian and International
Review of Family Resilience Factors. Education, 34 (1), 42 – 49.
Journal of Family Nursing, 14(1), 33-55.
 Howe, R.B., and Covell, K. (2007).
 Brackenreed, D. (2010). Resilience and Risk. Empowering Children: Children’s Rights
International Education Studies, 3 (3), pp. Education As a Pathway to Citizenship.
111 – 121. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
 Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The Ecology of  Keddie, A. (2011). Pursuing justice for
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and Design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard cultural (mis)recognition. International
University Press. Journal of Inclusive Education. Online
 Brooks, R. & Goldstein, S. (2003). Nurturing article. DOI: 10.1080/13603116.2011.560687.
Resilience in Our Children: Answers to the Retrieved 03 July, 2011.
Most Important Parenting Questions.  O’Malley, C. J., Blankemeyer, M., Walker,
Toronto: McGraw Hill. K.K., and Dellmann-Jenkins, M. (2007).
 Condly, S. (2006). Resilience in Children: A Children’s Reported Communication With
Review of Literature With Implications for Their Parents About War, Journal of Family
Education. Urban Education, 41 (3), 211-236. Issues, 28 (12), 1639-1662.
 Eagleton, T. (2000). The Idea of Culture.  Ungar, M. (2008). Resilience across Cultures.
Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. British Journal of Social Work, 38, 218-235.
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Children and Families. New York: The
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67