Refugee experiences of adapting to life in the United States as children

What is it about?

When refugees and migrants arrive in the United States they face many challenges in adapting to their new lives, this can be especially challenging for children and adolescents who are already facing the challenges of growing up. The participants interviewed in this article were adults looking back on their experiences of home, school, and community and offer insights into the people, places, and policies that both helped and hindered their growing up as newcomers to the US. What was especially interesting were the similar impacts that these experiences had on children from different backgrounds.

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Why is it important?

This research suggests that there are some key experiences shared by most young people who move to a new country, especially those who move as a result of conflict-induced migration. The information and insights will be useful to teachers, community agencies, social workers, and policy makers in thinking about how they interact with young people.