The Civil Society Dynamic of Including and Empowering Refugees in Canada’s Urban Centres

Schmidtke, Oliver

doi:10.17645/si.v6i1.1306

Cited by 19 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Perhaps the most salient finding from this research was the positive interactions with local institutions as a direct result of the Plazas programme. This notion aligns with Schmidtke's (2018) position that immigrants gain agency out of interactions with different community-based practices and institutions.…”

Section: Community Buildingsupporting

confidence: 60%

Literacy and oracy across the U.S.-Mexico border: A look at the Plazas Comunitarias programme

Tyson¹

2020

Changing English

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This article explores the relationship between literacy and oracy in the context of Plazas Comunitarias, a basic education programme in Spanish for immigrants in the United States. I reflect on my experiences as a former Plazas facilitator, analyse key literacy materials from the programme and offer observations on reading aloud in an adult literacy classroom context. Additionally, I suggest that beyond facilitating overall reading development, the Plazas programme fulfils a key literacy function by fostering community building and provides access routes to community-based civil society organisations and key social institutions for immigrant groups.

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Section: Community Buildingsupporting

confidence: 60%

Literacy and oracy across the U.S.-Mexico border: A look at the Plazas Comunitarias programme

Tyson¹

2020

Changing English

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“…Social connectedness is one measure of settlement according to the Australian Settlement Council [ 17 ]. Besides providing opportunities to new-comers, putting down social roots can impact satisfaction with a new living environment [ 41 ]. The results of mixed methods integration suggest that social factors, above and beyond factors of convenience or economy, are limiting the mental well-being of foreign residents in Japan.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seeking connection: a mixed methods study of mental well-being and community volunteerism among international migrants in Japan

et al. 2020

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Background: International migration is a stressful process for which non-Western nations are a growing destination. However, little attention has been paid to the psychological well-being of international residents or their local integration in such settings. Prosocial behavior, like volunteering in one's local community, has been demonstrated to improve mental health in native populations. Volunteerism may be a mental health promotion strategy applicable to non-native migrants as well. In order to assess such a hypothesis, this study investigated the mental well-being of international migrants living in Tokyo, Japan, who did or did not participate in formal volunteering. Methods: This convergent mixed-methods study assessed mental well-being with the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) and qualitative follow-up interviews. Migrants who contributed their time to structured volunteering roles (formal volunteers, n = 150) were recruited from local non-profit organizations. Migrants who did not formally volunteer (n = 150) were recruited from social media sites. In parallel, a nested participant sample from both groups (n = 20) were interviewed about their satisfaction with life in Tokyo. Results: After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, volunteering was not associated with higher mental well-being score (p = 0.215), but instead, not feeling isolated (p = 0.008), feeling connected to Japan (p = 0.001) and employment satisfaction (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with mental well-being. Follow-up interviews similarly demonstrated that migrants participated in various social activities to promote personal well-being and deeper social connections with Japanese, regardless of volunteering status. Conclusions: Volunteering status itself was not significantly associated with mental well-being score among international migrants in Japan after adjusting for potential confounding variables. Beyond volunteering, having deeper social connections with the Japanese community is a key to promoting migrant mental well-being.

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“…Given the expectations concerning interventions initiated by civil society organizations (Agergaard, 2011 ; Ambrosini & Van der Leun, 2015 ; Fredriksson et al, 2018 ; Schmidtke, 2018 ), the dearth of studies argues for more research into existing civil society interventions. As settings and migrant groups vary considerably, investigating specific settings and civil society organizations (e.g., the sports movement), or migrant groups (e.g., LGBTQ refugees) is perhaps to be recommended.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…International research confirms that civil society organizations can be essential for accessing social capital and therefore play a compensatory role for economically and socially disadvantaged groups (Field, 2005 ; Portes & Rumbaut, 2001 ; Zhou & Kim, 2006 ). In Canada, a policy focusing on multiculturalism and the enablement of civil society has emphasized the agency of ethno-cultural communities (Schmidtke, 2018 ). This has contributed to making diversity and cultural pluralism principal issues of public debate and civil society organizations have assumed an important role as political advocates for migrants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health-related integration interventions for migrants by civil society organizations: an integrative review

Pelters

Lindgren

Kostenius

et al. 2021

International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well

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Purpose : Migrants are a vulnerable group concerning health and integration. Civil society organizations are deemed important for the integration and health of migrants and have been encouraged to help. This study explored health and acculturation, as expressed in research into health-related integration interventions for migrant groups provided by civil society organizations. Methods : Databases, journal websites and reference lists were searched in an integrative review. Thirteen articles were found and analysed using concepts of health strategies/perspectives and of acculturation with regard to general and health culture. Results : Studies were divided between two primary spectrums: 1) assimilation-integration and 2) integration-separation spectrum. Spectrum 1 interventions tend to promote assimilation into the present host culture and into a Western view of health. They are mostly driven by representatives of the host culture. Spectrum 2 interventions are characterized by a greater openness concerning the home-culture understandings of health, alongside an appreciation of the home culture in general. They are mostly migrant-driven. Conclusions : The different acculturating approaches in migrant and native-driven civil society organizations call for an awareness of their guiding health and acculturation assumptions and their applied perspectives and strategies. This awareness is considered crucial in order to achieve desired health and acculturation outcomes.

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The Civil Society Dynamic of Including and Empowering Refugees in Canada’s Urban Centres

Cited by 19 publications

References 25 publications

Literacy and oracy across the U.S.-Mexico border: A look at the Plazas Comunitarias programme

Literacy and oracy across the U.S.-Mexico border: A look at the Plazas Comunitarias programme

Seeking connection: a mixed methods study of mental well-being and community volunteerism among international migrants in Japan

Health-related integration interventions for migrants by civil society organizations: an integrative review

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