Refugee Youth Health Project
Overview
The Refugee Youth Health Project (RYHP) is a community-based research project initiated in 2008 by Access Alliance to build evidence about key determinants of health for youth who have come to Canada as refugees. The first phase of this project investigated the systemic challenges/barriers and supports that refugee youth experience in understanding, coping and managing their roles and responsibilities in Canada. The second phase involved a small research project using Digital Storytelling methodology (with 8 refugee youth) to generate preliminary findings about challenges that refugee youth face in the education sector. Phases one and two focused on Sudanese, Afghan and Karen refugee youth ages 16-24.
The proposed third phase of this project builds on the second phase to conduct a more in-depth investigation and policy review about educational gaps and challenges that refugee youth (between the ages 16 to 30) face before and after coming to Canada, and to explore the relationship between education and health (particularly mental health). We will begin this phase (July 2010- March 2011) by implementing a ‘participatory policy review’ process to identify policy gaps and policy recommendations for overcoming systemic barriers that refugee youth face in pursuing their educational/learning goals. To this do, the participatory policy review process will bring together peer researchers (refugee youth), policy makers, academic partners and community agency partners to examine evidence generated from Phase 2 of the Refugee Youth Health Project, a literature review, a policy scan, and key informant interviews with policy makers and service providers. The project will also identify research gaps about systemic educational challenges that refugee youth face, and collaboratively develop a research proposal and pilot test research instruments for a research project to be conducted in the following year (depending on funding).
Project Activities for Phases 1 and 2
Coming Together: Partnership Development, Team Building and Training
The first phase of the project involved establishing community partnerships and a community-based Research Team, developing youth-friendly research training curriculum and delivering training to refugee youth peer researchers.
What do we want to find out, and how: Collaborative Research Design
Next, the community based researchi team came together for two days of Collaborative Research Design sessions that led to the development of two core research questions for the project. The research questions and methodology were designed to reflect the relevance to Afghan, Karen, and Sudanese refugee youth in context of their communities.
- Research Question One: What are the roles and responsibilities Sudanese, Afghan and Karen refugee youth in Toronto take in their families and communities? What challenges do they face, what strategies do they use to meet their goals, and what supports do they want and need?
This research project used mixed methods including a survey, 12 language and gender-specific focus groups, and 12 in-depth interviews, conducted by 6 pairs of Refugee Youth Peer Research Assistants. - Research Question Two: What are the challenges faced by Sudanese, Afghan and Karen refugee youth in Toronto in the Canadian school system, what strategies do they use, and what kinds of support do they want and need?
Youth investigated this question themselves by creating ‘digital stories,’ and reflected on what they learned in follow-up interviews. Findings from this research will be disseminated through a series of workshops, roundtables, forums and digital stories produced by refugee youth.
What we want to ask, and how: Developing and Validating ‘Research Instruments’
The project team developed and fine-tuned consent forms, a survey, focus group questions, interview questions, recruitment posters and a resource sheet for research participants. We also validated the instruments after they were translated by many steps, including back-translating the different translated versions into English and comparing for major differences.
Inviting participants, asking our questions, and organizing what we find out: Recruitment, Data Collection and Data Analysis
Our team of 12 Refugee Youth Peer Researchers and Refugee Youth Peer Research Assistants recruited dozens of youth with refugee experience as research participants; after extensive training in Community Based Research, Anti-Oppression, Research Methods, Focus Groups, Self-Care and Boundaries. Refugee youth peer researchers and refugee youth research assistants carried out age, gender and language specific focus groups investigating the changes in roles and responsibilities faced by refugee youth within five years of migration in context of their families and communities, how they respond, and what help and supports they want and need.
On April 16, we hosted The Refugee Youth Health Project Launch: Community Based Research in Action. This event highlighted the collaborative, youth-led research processand engage the audience in reflections on community based research that empowers refugee youth to engage as leaders and researchers throughout the process.Where we are now, and where we are going:
Where we are now, and where we are going:
As of Spring 2010, we are in the data analysis stage for Phases 1 and 2, and starting phase 3 of the project.
Project Activities for Phase 3
In line community-based research principles, phase 3 has a capacity building objective and a research/policy objective:
The capacity building objective of this project involves training and mentoring new peer researchers (refugee youth) in participatory policy review and research.
The research/policy objective of the project involves bringing together an interdisciplinary team of peer researchers (refugee youth), policy makers, academic partners, and community agency partners to engage in a ‘participatory policy review’ process in order to:
i) Identify policy gaps and develop preliminary policy recommendations (within policies related to immigrants/refugees, education sector, health sector) to overcome systemic barriers that refugee youth face in meeting their educational/learning objectives;
ii) Identify research/evidence gaps about systemic educational barriers that refugee youth face and their impact on overall health and wellbeing; and
iii) Develop a research proposal and pilot test research instruments (a survey and interview/focus group guides)
Project Outputs/Outcomes
The project is expected to generate multiple outputs/outcomes including capacity building (refugee youth trained and engaged in leadership roles as project collaborators, opportunity for one graduate student), new evidence (systemic educational barriers faced by refugees and its impacts on their health; policy and service gaps; evidence gaps), development and pilot testing of a new research proposal , reports (literature review report, Project report, Policy Scan report), policy outputs (Policy Briefs, Policy Roundtable), and other knowledge exchange output (service provider roundtable, presentations to community groups, students, academic conferences).
Funders
The project is funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada through the Immigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program (ISAP) .
Additional funding was provided by the Laidlaw Foundation.
For more information please contact:
Megan Spasevski
mspasevski@accessalliance.ca
Tel: 416-324-8619 ext. 285
