The early settlement experiences of immigrant parents of young children arriving in Canada make it difficult for them to meet their young children's physiological, social and emotional needs, or to help them navigate the structures of their new environment. They lose their sense of self-efficacy in their parenting role in the face of rapid reduction in their social, emotional, cultural and financial resources. This loss of parenting self-efficacy is a consequence of systemic constraints on their ability to exercise agency in raising their children and, unless disrupted, it will perpetuate inequitable and unjust relations among racialized and white populations in Canada.
Using comparisons with international policies and practices, this paper highlights the ambiguities in the identification, case processing, care, and protection of separated children in Canada. It calls for systemic studies of government policies and institutional practices that impact separated children, so that Canadians can take more principled positions towards them. Our current lack of knowledge about separated children puts this highly vulnerable group at greater risk of exploitation and neglect.
Based on narrative data recently collected from youth’s in three Canadian cities, our paper focuses on second generation perceptions of youth’s identifications in a society increasingly influenced by the forces of globalization and how these perceptions may or may not be reflected in programs of study dealing with citizenship education. We utilize a framework consisting of a continuum of mobilities of mind, body, and boundaries to situate their sense of self. The façade of globalisation is examined in terms of its impact on identity formation and these youths’ impressions of diversity and multiculturalism. Finally, we consider the relevance of the findings for citizenship education in Ontario, Manitoba, and Alberta.
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