Refugee Children Reaction Paper - L. Stewart

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Strayer University *

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405

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Psychology

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Dec 6, 2023

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Refugee Children Reaction Paper Lamonica Stewart PSYC 405 – Cross Cultural Psychology Dr. Robyn Mixon September 15, 2023

Immigration is currently a political “hot topic” and there are a wide variety of viewpoints considering the entry of immigrants into this country. Upon reading the articles, I was not surprised about the variety of refugee children in this country. My surprise came from the number of immigrant children that arrive in this country. The reading Crossroads: The Psychology of Immigration noted that 23.7% of school-aged children in the United States were the children of immigrants, the majority (77%) being second-generation-citizen children while the rest of the children (23%) were first-generation-citizen children. Additionally, the three areas where the majority of immigrants arrive from are Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia. In our area, I notice that we have a large number of Hispanic children, however we also have children who are from the islands and African countries as well. A number of resources must be available for immigrant students to be successful in schools and the educational system has established a few safeguards to address the challenges that they face. Learning to speak English as a second language, facing racism/discrimination, itinerant living conditions and poverty are significant challenges. The similarities between my experiences and immigrant children’s experiences are limited to racial discrimination and poverty, however, these are significant challenges that affect the quality of life. In general, the average student in public school today faces many of the challenges that immigrant children face, even the mastery of English and reading. School systems today are developing programs that address these challenges because they are significant barriers to learning. Segal et. al. (2005) noted that approximately one in five U.S. children is a member of an immigrant family that often lacks health coverage. Also, about one-third of the nation's low- income and uninsured children are of immigrant families and linguistic, cultural, legal, and socioeconomic circumstances are an issue for public services such as medical or social services.

Since immigrant children are faced with the expectations of their family and cultural backgrounds as well as the ability to assimilate into American life and culture, they often experience feelings of defiance and depression. Many children may have to do activities that are based on their heritage and that may be unusual or different from activities in average American households. This makes immigrant children feel ostracized because they may not “fit in” with their peers during a critical time in their lives where peer acceptance is meaningful to them. School officials are trained to refer students who may need access to social support programs. The difficulty is that there may be a language and cultural barrier for immigrants that will complicate their ability to access social services that will help them build better lives. In the reading The Middle of Everywhere , although the children in the class in Sycamore School all came from different cultural backgrounds, some aspects of their experiences were similar. Many of the children described situations where there was a lack of food and resources and a few of the children had ill-fitting clothes and challenges with self-care. Many of them were generally eager to learn about the nuances of American culture. The ELL teacher noted that despite the differences, all the children had the basic needs for love, caring and assistance in developing life skills. The ELL classroom environment in Sycamore School was a very caring and supportive one. The teachers and other school personnel were very cognizant and sensitive towards the needs of the children. They tried to provide the children with exposure to American customs while encouraging the children to share their individual familial/cultural experiences with one another. The school provided access to services such as translators and counselors that could connect families with many of the aforementioned social programs. Immigrant children have access to counseling, reading/language support, connection with community organizations that

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provide support with basic needs (e.g. clothes, hygiene products, household items). Introducing immigrant families to these services may be challenging, but they prove to be instrumental in allowing families to survive and the children to thrive.

References American Psychological Association. (2012). Crossroads: The psychology of immigration in the new century. Pipher, M. B. (2002). The middle of everywhere: The world's refugees come to our town . Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Segal, U. A., & Mayadas, N. S. (2005). Assessment of issues facing immigrant and refugee families. Child welfare , 563-583.

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