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Welcoming Initiatives and the Social Inclusion of Newcomer Youth: The Case of Windsor, Ontario
Abstract
This paper explores how newcomer youth experience social inclusion in their first years of settlement in a mid-sized Canadian city—Windsor, Ontario. The paper situates the experiences of newcomer youth within the larger community context of welcoming initiatives to identify the avenues through which they are included and excluded from their local places of residence. Analysis reveals that newcomer youth experience uneven neighborhood connections, employment opportunities, and treatment in public space. Still, their social participation outside of schools is marked by their regulation to immigrant-specific spaces. We argue for community initiatives that support newcomer youth in ways that are inclusive of their complex identities as young people, address their long-term integration needs, and that do not reproduce or intensify exclusionary silos in the community.
... For instance, seven articles chose natural environments [57,58,60,70,73,74,80] since they affect social activities, leisure, well-being, and place attachment. Moreover, ten papers [62,63,66,68,69,71,[75][76][77]81] studied public places in specific cities or neighbourhoods due to the availability of immigrants in these locations. Three articles [1,4,79] identified and studied public open spaces mainly used by immigrants. ...
... Since this research aims to distinguish methods that evaluate the effects of public open spaces on immigrants' place attachment, the research questions (Table 2) were analysed to understand how they referred to the effects of public open spaces. For instance, two questions [57,58] relate to the effects of leisure activities, while two [73,76] are about the effects of social activities in public open spaces. Another research question [4] referred to the effects of contemporary and historical parks on immigrants' place attachment. ...
... However, one finding that emerged is the discrepancy regarding the level of comprehensiveness to investigate place attachment. Some articles restricted their investigation to only one dimension for immigrants' place attachment (e.g., [76]), while others were multi-dimensional. This result is consistent with previous non-immigrant-focused studies on place attachment that some consider one-dimensional (e.g., [6,56,110]) while others consider multi-dimensional (e.g., [40,42,111]). ...
Moving to a new country is often combined with issues such as stress and a sense of loss that affect the overall well-being of immigrants. Furthermore, immigrants have not yet developed strong attachments to the country and, more specifically, to the places in which they will settle. Researchers have already discussed the role of the built environment for well-being and the sense of belonging and attachment it can provide, specifically through public open spaces, such as parks, squares, etc. These problems are worldwide, and the World Health Organization (WHO) also recommends creating public places that improve human health, well-being, and social inclusion. Moreover, at local levels, designers and urbanists must understand how to evaluate the relationship between immigrants’ place attachment and public places in order to improve the design of these places. Consequently, this study reviewed methods used to understand the effects of public open spaces on immigrants’ attachment. A systematic quantitative literature review was conducted, and a total of 26 articles were extracted relating to immigrants’ place attachment and public open spaces. Research locations, participants’ nationalities, the types of public open spaces, the methods applied, and place attachment evaluations were retrieved from the articles and analysed. The results show that evaluating immigrants’ place attachment presents many challenges, and there is no consensus on what approaches are best practices. However, qualitative methods were most applied in human–environment interactions, and immigrants’ place attachments were primarily assessed based on their social bonds in public open spaces. To conclude, a framework was designed to understand how immigrants’ place attachment was evaluated in the reviewed literature, and the dimensions of place attachment were defined.
... Selon de nombreuses études, les immigrantes et immigrants font état de diff icultés à bâtir des relations (Interquest Consulting, 2006;Kouyé et Soulière, 2022). Les relations intimes et de conf iance sont particulièrement diff iciles à établir (Melançon et coll., 2022), tout comme les relations avec des personnes extérieures aux communautés immigrantes (Selimos et George, 2018). Malgré tout, il convient de noter que les immigrantes et immigrants établis au Canada depuis longtemps sont généralement plus satisfaits de leur sentiment d'appartenance que celles et ceux arrivés au pays plus récemment (Kitchen et coll., 2015). ...
... Plutôt que de poser des questions générales sur la « situation financière », il pourrait être utile de distinguer les questions sur le budget, les économies, la gestion des dettes ou la gestion des finances en famille, surtout s'il s'agit de volets prévus par le programme d'intégration socioéconomique. (Melançon et coll., 2022;Selimos et George, 2018;Simich et coll., 2005), et qui tirent prof it des connaissances actuelles sur l'importance de la conf iance et des conseils personnalisés (Caidi et coll., 2008;Interquest Consulting, 2006;Melançon et coll., 2022). ...
... Des recherches antérieures ont révélé de nombreux problèmes psychosociaux chez les immigrantes et immigrants, notamment pour nouer des liens (non seulement avec les immigrantes et immigrants établis, mais aussi en dehors de la communauté immigrante) et bâtir des relations de confiance, de même que des moments de solitude et de dépression (Interquest Consulting, 2006;Kouyé et Soulière, 2022;Melançon et coll., 2022;Selimos et George, 2018). ...
Face à la pénurie de main-d’œuvre et aux taux de natalité en chute libre, les immigrantes et immigrants jouent un rôle essentiel dans l’économie du Canada, et leur intégration socioéconomique est bénéfique à l’échelle individuelle, régionale et nationale. Le Collège Boréal de l’Ontario (Canada) off re un programme unique d’intégration socioéconomique dans la poursuite de ces objectifs. Guidé par des recherches scientifiques sur les obstacles à l’intégration, le programme insiste sur trois accélérateurs sociaux — les compétences linguistiques, la formation, et l’expérience de travail au Canada — et met les immigrantes et immigrants en lien avec des « navigatrices et navigateurs en intégration socioéconomique » qui les aident à évaluer leurs besoins et à se donner des objectifs, les aiguillent vers les services appropriés et suivent leurs progrès. Nous présentons dans ce rapport une évaluation préliminaire du programme. Les partenaires communautaires ainsi que le personnel et les chercheuses et chercheurs du Collège ont collaboré pour mettre au point et analyser des sondages auxquels ont répondu 45 participantes et participants au programme.
... Trust is paramount for openness: it supports newcomers in seeking and using information from others and motivates them to participate in activities or events organized for them (Caidi et al., 2008;Melançon et al., 2022). In some cases, and perhaps most often for youth, workers who become trusted confidantes may even be referred to as being "like" family (Selimos & George, 2018). With regard to specific numerical evaluations of program navigators, 85% of participants in Kalman's (2017) study agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that they were happy with their Wraparound Team and 65% (26) of participants disagreed with the statement that they felt misunderstood by their Wraparound Team. ...
... In many studies, newcomer immigrants report challenges building relationships (Interquest Consulting, 2006;Kouyé & Soulière, 2022). Intimate and trusting relationships are especially challenging to form (Melançon et al., 2022) as are relationships with others outside of immigrant communities (Selimos & George, 2018). Still, it is worth noting that immigrants who have been in Canada longer tend to rate their sense of belonging higher than those who have arrived more recently (Kitchen et al., 2015). ...
... Here again, our participants' reports are encouraging, with over 90% stating they were comfortable opening up to their navigator and felt they could trust them. In brief, these f indings point to an absolute and relative level of success in program structure and deliverysuccess levels that notably mitigate reported challenges of a lack of long-term follow-up (Melançon et al., 2022;Selimos & George, 2018;Simich et al., 2005) and leverage current knowledge about the importance of trust and tailored guidance (Caidi et al., 2008;Interquest Consulting, 2006;Melançon et al., 2022). ...
Given today’s labour shortages and declining rates of birth, newcomers toCanada are an essential part of the Canadian economy, and their successful socioeconomic integration carries benefits at individual, regional, and national levels. Collège Boréal of Ontario (Canada) offers an extensive and unique socioeconomic integration program in service of these goals. Informed by scholarly research on barriers to integration, the College’s programming emphasizes three social accelerators — language skills, education, and Canadian work experience— and connects newcomers with “socio economic navigators” who support them through needs assessment, goal-setting, referrals, and progress monitoring.In this paper, we describe a preliminary evaluation of the program. Community partners, college personnel and researchers collaborated to develop and analyze surveys with 45 program participants.
... As newcomer communities in Canada continue to rise, a growing body of research investigating their subjective experiences has also developed in recent years (Crooks et al., 2021;Gallucci & Kassan, 2019;Kassan et al., 2019;Matejko et al., 2021;Selimos et al., 2018). We conducted a critical narrative literature review of the extant research on newcomer youth going through school integration and accessing S-BPSS. ...
... Successful school integration has a direct impact on the pursuit of post-secondary education for newcomer youth and transition planning services, as well as academic support is needed for newcomer youth (Gallucci & Kassan, 2019) Newcomer youth also reportedly faced barriers to attaining career and post-secondary goals by spending increased time on work, English language learning, and academic responsibilities, leading to less opportunity to engage in other activities leading to career exploration and goal setting, including socializing with peers and engaging in extra curriculars (Ángeles, 2021) Lived experience Current research has identified general barriers to accessing support services but fails to capture the rich lived experiences of newcomer youth navigating both school integration and intervention services, particularly in school-based settings (Stermac et al., 2013) Research has indicated that an important aspect of social integration for newcomer youth was building peer relationships with other newcomers, as well as Canadian-born or long-term resident youth. Understanding the ways in which lived experience impacts these friendships, such as bonding over shared experiences as newcomers, is important for supporting the social adjustment of newcomer youth (Selimos et al., 2018) ...
... Participants expressed frustration when trying to socialize and study alongside peers while not being able to speak English or Spanish, the languages of instruction in their school (Oikonomidoy, 2015). More specifically, newcomer youth from racialized backgrounds reported that they were often met with low expectations by teachers who may be stereotyping them, and this had a negative effect on their self-confidence and expectations for future opportunities (Selimos et al., 2018). Teachers and school communities more broadly were found in need of more training in intercultural competence and the unique needs of immigrant and refugee youth to meet their needs (Rossiter & Rossiter, 2009). ...
While the numbers of newcomer youth continue to grow in Canada, few studies have sought to critically capture experiences of school integration and access to school-based psychosocial support services during their transition. Guided by a critical social justice lens, this research seeks to investigate issues of inequity due to the marginalization of newcomer youth in schools. The intent of this critical narrative review is to summarize, interpret, critique, and synthesize what is currently known about the ways newcomer youth access and experience school-based psychosocial support services (S-BPSS) throughout the process of school integration. This paper presents the critical narrative literature review process, a discussion of the themes that emerged from the review, and a discussion of the literature within the context of school integration. The following themes that underscore the experiences of newcomer youth accessing school-based psychosocial support services were identified: (a) underutilization/discrimination, (b) culture shift, (c) transition planning, and (d) lived experience. Important directions for future research, including the importance of studies that prioritize the perspectives of newcomer youth themselves and the implications of their lived experience for S-BPSS are provided.
... But research on the employment experiences of newcomer youth is limited; most studies have focused on the second generation (children of immigrants), rather than those who arrived in Canada as children or youth (Wilkinson, 2008). In one of the few recent studies on newcomer youth, Selimos and George (2018) studied the newcomer experience as a whole of youth 15 to 24 years old in Windsor, Ontario. They report mixed employment experiences for this group. ...
... Discrimination may account for their higher rate of unemployment (OFL, 2014). Participants in the Windsor, Ontario, study by Selimos and George (2018) reported that they faced discrimination in the labour market due to their immigration status and non-Western name. Some articulated being locked out of the labour market altogether, while others reported working at low-skilled jobs, often in family restaurants or alongside other immigrants and temporary workers in greenhouses and other work that Canadians tend to avoid. ...
... Social networks are critical to finding employment (Selimos & George, 2018;Fresh Voices, 2018). If youths' social networks are limited due to prejudice and discrimination, their access to adequate work is limited (Taylor & Krahn, 2013). ...
Canada’s population of immigrant youth between the ages of 15 and 35 is approaching 3 million and growing rapidly. Youth are critical to Canada’s goal of recruiting immigrants to expand the economy, but there is insufficient information about their school and work experiences and inadequate support to ensure their successful integration into the workforce. This literature review investigates the connection between education and work for Canadian immigrant youth. It documents obstacles in the form of underfunded settlement services, lack of diversity in the school curriculum, inadequate English-language instruction at all levels of schooling, racially and ethnically biased streaming of students into the lowest educational track in high school, rejection of foreign school transcripts and work credentials, employers’ prejudice and discrimination, and workplace exploitation. The number and magnitude of these systemic impediments create significant obstacles for immigrant youth. A major cause of these issues is insufficient funding for immigrant services under neoliberal economic policies. The outcomes for immigrant youth include failure to finish secondary and postsecondary education, a long-term cycle of employment in low-skill, low-wage jobs, and socioeconomic hardship such as poverty and homelessness. The authors call for greater attention to this critical population and make nine recommendations that would contribute to solutions in each major issue area impacting the education of Canadian immigrant youth and their entry into the workforce.
... The present study explored newcomer youths' experiences and as well as their advice and perceptions of what would be helpful for recently arrived youth in Canada. Participants across groups discussed challenges previously identified in the Canadian literature such as lack of belonging due to racism and bullying, insufficient orientation to new systems (particularly school practices and norms), language barriers, and high levels of stress (Edge et al., 2014;Guo et al., 2019;Hadfield et al., 2017;Selimos & George, 2018). Participants' advice for recently arrived newcomer youth to promote adjustment and well-being amidst difficult circumstances adds to the relatively limited literature on resettlement experiences of young newcomers in Ontario in a way that prioritizes the views and experiences of young people. ...
Research infrequently includes the perspectives of vulnerable and marginalized youth. As the population of newcomer youth in Canada continues to grow, it is imperative that attention is devoted not only to challenges they experience, but also to resilience factors they perceive to support their adjustment and well-being. To address this gap, this qualitative research explored newcomer youths' experiences and advice for other newcomer youth who have recently arrived in Canada. Thirty-seven newcomer youth from two medium-sized cities in Ontario participated in focus groups. Participants ranged from 14 to 22 in age and identified mostly as female refugees from the Middle East. Through thematic analysis, five overarching themes were found across groups: (1) moving to a new country is hard, (2) maintain a healthy mindset, (3) take an active role in the adjustment process, (4) stay true to who you are, (5) and you are not alone. Youth described hardships that make moving to a new country difficult including lack of belonging due to racism and bullying, insufficient orientation to new systems, language barriers, and high levels of stress. Findings demonstrated youths' resilience, coping skills, and strategies to lead meaningful lives. Youth discussed resilience strategies such as maintaining a connection with home culture and religion, reframing thinking to be positive, receiving emotional support, accessing community support at newcomer agencies, and building language proficiency. Findings provide implications for professionals working with newcomer youth and reflect the importance of addressing structural barriers and racism. The opportunity for newcomer youth to share experiences as experts in research may also help to promote resilience.
As globalization and migration have intensified, the need for integrating immigrants has become vital. Considering the similar but distinct policy and political contexts between Canada and the USA, it has become imperative to develop a thorough understanding of the impact of the localization of immigration policies on various immigrant groups and the places that have shaped their settlement and integration experiences. This scoping literature review presents a comparative perspective to enhance our understanding of the varied non-traditional gateway cities in both countries, as well as the place-based integration initiatives and local actors that play crucial roles in shaping immigrants’ lived experiences. The review includes 145 scholarly articles published in English from 2000 onwards that examine immigrant and refugee populations residing in smaller urban, suburban, or rural communities in both countries. It aims to provide a comparative analysis on the following: (1) local place-based initiatives in non-traditional gateway cities; (2) multi-level governance of immigrant integration and the role of municipalities and local actors; and (3) the contributing factors to integration and retention based on immigrants’ lived experiences. The scoping review concludes with research gaps and future directions.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many crucial services for youth shifted to online delivery. Yet, little is known about the processes of providing online support to newcomer youth from the perspective of the service users. Say Ça! is a community-based organization in Montreal that supports newcomer youth through language tutoring and cultural activities. Photo journals by six newcomer 12–17-year-olds and group interviews with 11 program facilitators explored how the pandemic affected the youth’s experiences participating in Say Ça!. Findings highlight key elements of online learning program delivery essential to the youth’s engagement during the pandemic. Notably, adopting a relationship-centered approach that strengthened one-on-one tutor-youth relationships and a youth-centered approach that offered a space of self-expression, academic support, and leisure parting from the youth’s interests. Strategies developed by community-engaged organizations are essential to develop adequate services that respond to the changing needs of their populations in the context of a crisis.
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