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Strategizing to Strengthen Social Inclusion: The Agency of Black African Immigrant Youth in Alberta, Canada
... The positive impact of a social network on the integration of adults has been studied in several aspects, showing, for example, its influence on adults' mental health (Tortelli et al. 2017); on the propensity to volunteer (Wang et al. 2017); or on the socialization of older people (Clément et al. 2018). Canadian studies highlight that immigrants' social networks have a positive impact on their socio-professional integration during the resettlement process in their host country (Drolet and Moorthi 2018;Lamba and Krahn 2003); on their access to resources; on the quality of Marie-Laure Dioh, Kristel Tardif-Grenier, and Omar Ndoye | 83 employment (Lamba 2003); on learning their host country's language (Dudley 2007); on their civic integration (Tossutti et al. 2008); and on financial support and ethnic identity building (Zaami 2020). In the same vein, Zaami (2020) showed that ethnic community associations and religious groups offer a space where African people can interact with their peers without being judged, allowing them to develop a sense of security in the host country and strengthening their cultural identity. ...
... Canadian studies highlight that immigrants' social networks have a positive impact on their socio-professional integration during the resettlement process in their host country (Drolet and Moorthi 2018;Lamba and Krahn 2003); on their access to resources; on the quality of Marie-Laure Dioh, Kristel Tardif-Grenier, and Omar Ndoye | 83 employment (Lamba 2003); on learning their host country's language (Dudley 2007); on their civic integration (Tossutti et al. 2008); and on financial support and ethnic identity building (Zaami 2020). In the same vein, Zaami (2020) showed that ethnic community associations and religious groups offer a space where African people can interact with their peers without being judged, allowing them to develop a sense of security in the host country and strengthening their cultural identity. These communities also support them financially by fostering personal and professional networking, resulting in their finding and securing employment and housing and accessing health care and other similar resources. ...
... This method, even with open questions, tends to emphasize difficulties. In other words, this methodology barely provides insights about participants' subjective and reflective evaluations and the capacity for action (Dioh et al. 2021;Zaami 2020). The present study aims to fill a theoretical and methodological gap by identifying pathways to support interventions aimed at fostering the immigrants' integration and agency by adopting a positive and pragmatic vision of immigration and highlighting how they wisely mobilize their networks and act in their own socio-professional integration process (Martone et al. 2014;Zaami 2020). ...
The objective of the present article is to show how the social network plays different support roles in Quebec immigrants’ socio-professional integration. Based on Tardy’s (1985) theoretical framework and a qualitative methodology, namely life narratives, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 immigrants to map their social network and its impact on their integration process. The multifaceted model proposed by Tardy (1985) has the advantage of explaining the different functions performed by the social support provided by the entourage and thus makes it possible to better understand how to support the newcomer in question. The results of this research are as follows: First, the integration process happened through interaction with other people, as observed by some previous researchers. The second finding is that according to Tardy’s model (1985), immigrants can
benefit from many types of social support, including emotional, instrumental, and informational support. Our third finding was related to appraisal support, and it represents one of the essential contributions of our article because it has allowed us to highlight how pre-migratory networks (families and transnational links) and post-migratory networks (friends and associations) guided participants’ decisions. However, despite the multiple resources immigrants seem to benefit from, this article supports the need for a number of actors to play a role in supporting their integration. Meanwhile, governments and host communities still have a role to play in such a transition.
... Women may return to rural areas to care for ageing parents or fulfil other familial obligations. In some cases, cultural expectations or marital responsibilities also shape this migration trend (IOM, 2009;Zaami, 2020). ...
Neoclassical economic theories suggest that migration is driven by economic development and regional wage disparities, with individuals making rational cost–benefit decisions. This paper adds to the empirical discussion by highlighting the importance of factors such as gender, prior migration work experience, and skills in shaping migration motives and employment prospects. Analysing data from the seventh round of the Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS7), the findings show that men are more likely to migrate for economic reasons or to pursue education, while women often migrate for social reasons, such as marriage or family reunification. The regression estimates show that highly skilled migrants and those with prior migration work experience are less inclined to migrate for education or job-seeking purposes. While skills significantly increase the likelihood of employment among migrants, experience tends to have the opposite effect. The paper also discusses the policy implications of these findings.
... A study on African immigrants in New York found that family pressures and raising children are sources of stress, yet respondents relied on family social networks for motivation and support (Akinsulure-Smith, 2017). In Alberta, religious communities provided financial and administrative assistance to new African immigrants, fostering resilience (Zaami, 2020). This study explores the broad area of resiliency in relation to traits, attitudes, perspectives, experiences, and actions of resiliency as all three aspects are essential to HSAI's labor market and adaptation experiences. ...
The integration of highly skilled immigrants into the Canadian labor market is a complex endeavor, fraught with challenges that necessitate the adoption of various resilience strategies. This study delves into the impact of resilience on the well-being of highly skilled African immigrants (HSAI) navigating the Quebec labor market. This research draws on Ungar’s (2012) ecological perspective of resilience and Siegelman’s well-being theory to provide an explanation about the impact of HSAIs’ resilience on their well-being. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 16 HSAI participants (9 Anglophone and 7 Francophone HSAIs), the research unveils the nuanced dynamics of resilience and well-being during the labor market integration (LMI) process. While personal resilience is evident in educational pursuits and workplace adaptation, a crucial revelation emerges—the toll these adaptive strategies take on HSAIs’ wellbeing. The findings underscore the need for targeted policies aimed at supporting the well-being of highly skilled African immigrants during the labor market integration process. Enhancing awareness and accessibility of tailored mental health resources is crucial. Integrating these considerations into policy frameworks can create a more supportive process for highly skilled African immigrants in Quebec.
... The sex ratio of Ghanaians in Canada, unlike that of the Somalis, is almost at par-estimated at 99.7 males per 100 females in the 2016 Census of Canada. As with their Somali counterparts, many Ghanaians have experienced racism and social exclusion in housing, education, law enforcement and employment in their bid to settle in Canada(Mensah, 2010; Zaami, 2015Zaami, , 2020. ...
Even though research on return migration has flourished in the last decade, we still know very little about how immigrants contemplate the decision to return to the homeland. Using multinomial logistic regression, we examined the variables underpinning the return intentions of African immigrants in Canada—specifically, Ghanaians and Somalis in Toronto and Vancouver. Our key independent variables included immigrants’ socioeconomic characteristics, their time‐ and place‐utility factors, their attachments to the homeland, their integration into the Canadian society and their perceived levels of racism in Canada. We found that respondents who were born in Somalia were less likely to have return intentions, compared with those who were born in Ghana. Also, those who lived in Toronto were more likely to have return intentions relative to those who lived in Vancouver. Moreover, those who perceived the level of racism in Canada to be high were more likely to have return intentions.
Young Black peoples encounter racism and discriminatory practices and policies through formal education and in the larger society (Creese, 2013; Dei & James, 1998; Kelly, 1998). As the experiences of the research participants—young Black women between the ages of 18 and 30—highlight, a formal education system that is structured to benefit and perpetuate the settler colonial state apparatus marginalizes Black youth, including those who are deemed “successful” through their acceptance into higher education as formal education and the labour market are structured according to the logic of settler colonialism. As such, these systems operate by imposing Euro‐Western systems of knowledge, justice, and community on racialized peoples, and in particular, Black peoples. Yet, the research also shows that while injustice is the reality for young Black people, so too is resistance through a small yet powerful contingent who are refusing to remain complicit in perpetuating settler colonialism.
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