tag:theconversation.com,2011:/fr/topics/refugee-youth-11120/articlesRefugee youth – The Conversation2020-06-10T14:53:14Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1404742020-06-10T14:53:14Z2020-06-10T14:53:14ZPasha 68: Higher education in refugee camps<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/340872/original/file-20200610-34688-9fs99a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">shutterstock</span> </figcaption></figure><p>Education is crucial for many refugees: a way out in the future, a way to get a job. But how can people get a tertiary education in a refugee camp, where challenges – such as a lack of infrastructure – are everywhere? It’s possible, as long as the education programmes are tailored to the needs of the refugee students. </p>
<p>In today’s episode of Pasha we hear from Paul O'Keeffe, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Geneva. We also ask some refugees at Kakuma in Kenya about the challenges they face and how their higher education journey is progressing. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/university-education-in-refugee-camps-must-meet-refugee-needs-137796">University education in refugee camps must meet refugee needs</a>
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<p><strong>Photo:</strong>
“Young man practising plumbing in Don Bosco vocational training centre. Tertiary education for refugees” By Adriana Mahdalova <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/kakuma-refugee-camp-kenya-may-2018-1225556746">Shutterstock</a></p>
<p><strong>Music</strong>
“Happy African Village” by John Bartmann, found on <a href="http://freemusicarchive.org/music/John_Bartmann/Public_Domain_Soundtrack_Music_Album_One/happy-african-village">FreeMusicArchive.org</a> licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/">CC0 1</a>.</p>
<p>“Music Box & Sunshine” by Daniel Birch found on <a href="https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Daniel_Birch/Ambient_Vol3/Music_Box__Sunshine">Freesound</a> licensed under <a href="https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Daniel_Birch/Ambient_Vol3/Music_Box__Sunshine">Attribution-NonCommercial License.</a></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/140474/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
Online higher education can be a great lever for social change in refugee camps.Ozayr Patel, Digital EditorLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1218852019-08-27T20:04:18Z2019-08-27T20:04:18ZTrauma, racism and unrealistic expectations mean African refugees are less likely to get into Australian unis<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289556/original/file-20190827-8874-17x3yq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C227%2C4476%2C2392&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Getting into an Australian university is hard enough for many African refugees, completing their degree is even harder.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/Mangostar</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the past 30 years, Australia has settled thousands of African refugees. But many arrived here at a <a href="https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/about-us/our-portfolios/multicultural-affairs/community-information-summaries/country-list-of-summaries">young age and with low educational</a> attainment. That presents challenges in trying to encourage more to participate in higher education.</p>
<p>High educational attainment is an important factor for employment and social <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jrs/article/21/2/166/1621262" title="Understanding Integration: A Conceptual Framework">integration of refugee youth</a>.</p>
<p>Yet only about 10% of young people from the main countries of origin of African refugees go to university within five years of arrival. That trend has not changed much in the past 25 years.</p>
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<p>For those who do enter higher education, completion is a serious challenge. In the past 17 years, only one in five African refugee students completed their undergraduate course.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/better-pay-and-more-challenge-heres-how-to-get-our-top-students-to-become-teachers-122271">Better pay and more challenge: here's how to get our top students to become teachers</a>
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<p>Nationally, just under half (46%) of domestic students who commenced undergraduate university courses in 2009 completed their degrees in four years. When the cohort length increases to nine years, the <a href="https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiM2MwMWQ2ZDMtNGViNy00Mjc5LThkOTgtNzJhMmM5ZDQwYWUxIiwidCI6ImRkMGNmZDE1LTQ1NTgtNGIxMi04YmFkLWVhMjY5ODRmYzQxNyJ9">completion rate is three quaters (74%)</a> of students.</p>
<h2>The challenge for young refugees</h2>
<p>So given only a small portion of young African refugees go to university here, and very few of those successfully completed their degrees, what are the factors underpinning this predicament?</p>
<p>Many African refugees arrived in Australia with interrupted educational experiences. They may have endured the trauma of war, violence and family separation. These <a href="http://www.isetl.org/ijtlhe/pdf/IJTLHE935.pdf" title="Hard Yards and High Hopes: The Educational Challenges of African Refugee University Students in Australia">negative effects of forced displacement</a> can inhibit them from taking full advantage of educational opportunities.</p>
<p>In the early stage of their settlement, young African refugees faced <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13603116.2019.1588924" title="Educational aspirations and experiences of refugee-background African youth in Australia: a case study">informational barriers</a> in relation to available educational options and accessing financial support. In exploring pathways to university, they have a limited social network to rely on.</p>
<p>Most African refugees come from non-English speaking countries and limited English language proficiency is a stumbling block. Fragmented educational histories also mean they enter the Australian education system with limited academic skills.</p>
<p>Black African youth face <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13603116.2019.1588924" title="Educational aspirations and experiences of refugee-background African youth in Australia: a case study">explicit racism</a> in educational institutions and public spaces. Experiences of racism cause stress that can negatively affect academic engagement. Studies in <a href="https://spcl.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/Levy_etal2016.pdf">social psychology</a> show the stress of racial bias hinders learning.</p>
<p>As a result of the combined effects of the above issues, young refugees often get low school results, so many fail to meet entrance requirements of most universities. Institutions that attract low-ATAR students may not have sufficient resources to run effective enabling programs such as courses for academic skills development. </p>
<h2>High expectations</h2>
<p>Most African parents hold high expectations for their children’s academic achievement. </p>
<p>But career educators in selected secondary schools in Melbourne have told me there often exists a significant gap between what parents want and what students are able to achieve.</p>
<p>In other words, due to unrealistic parental expectations, African students miss viable higher education options. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/if-you-have-a-low-atar-you-could-earn-more-doing-a-vet-course-than-a-uni-degree-if-youre-a-man-121624">If you have a low ATAR, you could earn more doing a VET course than a uni degree – if you're a man</a>
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<p>For example, students who cannot meet entrance requirements of most universities, could find <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/risks-and-rewards-when-is-vocational-education-a-good-alternative-to-higher-education/">TAFE diplomas</a> more rewarding than university degrees. But career educators told me that often, due to parental pressure, students are less interested in non-university degrees.</p>
<h2>What can be done to improve things?</h2>
<p>Equity practitioners in schools and universities are aware that enabling programs that benefit refugee students are resource-intensive. For educational institutions to secure the necessary resources, the issue needs first to be recognised at a policy level by governments.</p>
<p>Early intervention is critical. Such intervention can be in the form of expanding tailored educational opportunities at the settlement stage. These may include intensive lessons on academic skills, information on alternative pathways to university, and supplementary academic support within schools. </p>
<p>We also need to avoid negative representations of African youth in the public conversation. Black African youth are often incorrectly labelled as inherently violent, dangerous and unsocial, as we’ve seen in recent “<a href="https://www.heraldsun.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/two-more-brutal-crimes-by-african-gangs/news-story/e7f4a655cd438ef522c177a0c3f14a2a">African gang</a>” media portrayals.</p>
<p>This sort of depiction distorts public perception of people of African origin. And it <a href="https://www.cmy.net.au/sites/default/files/publication-documents/Don%27t%20Drag%20Me%20Into%20This%20-%20Research%20Report%20Oct%202018%20FINAL.pdf">reinforces racial bias</a> in the community. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13603116.2019.1588924?needAccess=true">Research</a> shows that experiences of racial discrimination results in academic disengagement. </p>
<h2>Why we need more African refugees in higher education</h2>
<p>There are economic and social reasons for governments to promote higher education participation of refugee-background Africans.</p>
<p>Widening their participation in higher education can boost human capital and productivity for the nation. A recent <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/investing-in-youth-australia_9789264257498-en">report</a> from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development shows that in Australia the key driver of youth unemployment is low educational attainment.</p>
<p>In 2016, the unemployment rate of people from the main countries of origin of African refugees was as high as 22.4%. This is over three times higher than the national average (6.9%).</p>
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<p>The group also had low access to professional occupations (22%), compared with 49% for the general population.</p>
<p>A lack of knowledge and skills means not only poor employment prospects but also high youth disengagement. The youth incarceration rate is disproportionately high among African communities. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/universities-need-to-do-more-to-support-refugee-students-97185">Universities need to do more to support refugee students</a>
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<p>In 2017, young people of African background accounted for 19% of the total population in youth justice in <a href="https://www.justice.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/embridge_cache/emshare/original/public/2018/09/11/83a0d7b4d/YPB_AnnualReport_2017_18.pdf">Victoria</a>. Yet in 2016, Africans accounted for only 1.5% of the <a href="https://www.multicultural.vic.gov.au/images/2018/208-Victorian-African-Communities-Action-Plan-6--2-web-low-res.pdf">state’s population</a>.</p>
<p>As the <a href="https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/race-discrimination/projects/our-own-words-african-australians-review-human-rights-and">Australian Human Rights Commission</a> cautions, structural barriers may leave African communities on the margins of society. In a fair society such as Australia, lasting marginal existence of any group is detrimental. It undermines economic prosperity, democratic order, and social cohesion.</p>
<p>Improved higher education attainment does not just boost the employability and income of African refugee youth, it also equips them with the necessary skills and confidence to meaningfully engage in the political and cultural spheres of life.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/121885/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tebeje Molla receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p>Australia has settled thousands of African refugees over the years yet fewer than one in ten go on to study in higher education.Tebeje Molla, Research Fellow, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1215592019-08-20T20:06:13Z2019-08-20T20:06:13Z‘We all slept in the car, five of us’. Young refugees talk about being homeless in Australia<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288302/original/file-20190816-192258-1lpa8de.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=43%2C767%2C4992%2C3061&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There is help available for young refugees who find themselves homeless in Australia, if only they can find it.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Supakit Wisetanuphong/Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>One of the biggest challenges young people of refugee background face in their new country is finding safe, affordable and appropriate housing. Yet this is central to social inclusion and to a young person’s ability to settle successfully in Australia.</p>
<p>In the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740916304583" title="Neither here nor there: Refugee young people and homelessness in Australia">first longitudinal study</a> of the lives of young homeless refugees I looked at 25 such people in Melbourne. They shared with me their experiences of being homeless and their pathway out of it over a five-year period. For a majority of them, their homelessness ended through a connection made by a member of their own cultural community.</p>
<p>Young refugees are at high risk of homelessness – “at least six to 10 times higher” than for Australian-born young people, a <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/node/29402" title="Wealth of all nations: identification of strategies to assist refugee young people in transition to independence">2002 study</a> estimated. (This is the most recent available study on this.) </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/youth-homelessness-efforts-get-a-lowly-2-stars-from-national-report-card-113118">Youth homelessness efforts get a lowly 2 stars from national report card</a>
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<p>Insecure housing is, in turn, <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/14/9/1036/htm" title="Exploring the Relationship between Housing and Health for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in South Australia: A Qualitative Study">one of the most significant predictors of mental health problems</a> among refugees.</p>
<h2>The beginnings of homelessness</h2>
<p>Family breakdown is a <a href="https://www.cmy.net.au/sites/default/files/publication-documents/Finding%20home%20in%20victoria%202011.pdf">well-documented pathway</a> into homelessness for all young people.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/family-break-up-raises-homelessness-risk-and-critical-period-is-longer-for-boys-78176">Family break-up raises homelessness risk, and critical period is longer for boys</a>
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<p>But for young refugees there are specific circumstances that complicate family relationships and cause tension.</p>
<p>Participants talked about living in severely overcrowded housing, moving constantly and often being expected to help other family members negotiate a new language, culture and systems. This required them to step up into “adult” roles. </p>
<h3>Congolese male, age 17, homeless 18 months, said:</h3>
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<p>It was very very hard. You think before you come that the moving is over. But then in the first two years we moved six times.</p>
<p>At one point we all slept in the car, five of us. I just kept moving schools and I had no friends. I had no lunch at school because we had no kitchen. </p>
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<h3>South Sudanese male, 18, homeless two years, said:</h3>
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<p>Eventually we got a house, but after a while my dad started going crazy. And then he got fired from his job. There was no food in the house and once again, we were hungry.</p>
<p>I quit school. I got a job and started trying to take care of my brothers. And it didn’t work. We lost the house and started moving.</p>
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<h2>Little knowledge of available help</h2>
<p>Once young people left home, their options were limited. Most did not know about homelessness services. Many did not even identify as being homeless – they saw homeless people as old, male and rough sleepers.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-in-the-name-homeless-how-people-see-themselves-and-the-labels-we-apply-matter-69282">What’s in the name 'homeless'? How people see themselves and the labels we apply matter</a>
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<p>Very few tried to access youth refuges and shelters. Those who did said they were afraid and did not feel comfortable. </p>
<p>Private rental was unattainable for nearly all, due to cost, discrimination and a lack of rental history. Consequently, all young people found couch surfing was their only housing option.</p>
<h3>Afghani male, 17, homeless two years, said:</h3>
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<p>After I left, I slept in all kinds of places. My school expelled me for not attending and didn’t even look to see that I was sleeping all over Melbourne.</p>
<p>And after that, now, I just move around and around. No school. No Work. No family. No home.</p>
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<p>Young women reported a fear of sleeping rough. This led to several staying in inappropriate and exploitative environments because no suitable housing options were available to them. </p>
<p>They described unromantic and unwanted relationships, often with men older than them, that they entered into because of a lack of free choice and as a last resort.</p>
<h3>South Sudanese female, 18, homeless three years, said:</h3>
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<p>With him at least I had somewhere to sleep. I was alone here, because I hadn’t been in Australia long and I had no idea where I could go. Where was I to go? I had no home.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/just-a-piece-of-meat-how-homeless-women-have-little-choice-but-to-use-sex-for-survival-101113">'Just a piece of meat': how homeless women have little choice but to use sex for survival</a>
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<h2>Ways out of homelessness</h2>
<p>By the time the study ended in 2017, 23 of the 25 people had found a way out of homelessness. But one young person had taken their own life. Another was in jail. </p>
<p>For nearly two-thirds of the young people in this study, the transition out of homeless occurred through a connection made by a member of their own cultural community.</p>
<h3>Liberian female, 20, homeless 18 months, said:</h3>
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<p>I met a Liberian lady on the train. She said, ‘Call me if you need anything.’ The first thing I said was, ‘I don’t know you and I hope one day I can give you something back, but right now I need some money for food.’</p>
<p>She came that day with three bags of food. She helped me so much and without her I would still have nowhere to live.</p>
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<p>All young people who were helped in this way said one of the things they valued most was that they did not need to demonstrate and point out their resilience; it was just taken for granted.</p>
<p>Ethnic community members were far more likely to adopt a family-focused approach and try to reconnect the young people with their families. </p>
<p>This highlights the importance of these communities in supporting newly arrived people. With good knowledge of, and linkages to, other networks, they can help other community members get access to available supports and services and so play an effective role in supporting positive settlement.</p>
<p>Far from just providing housing, community support can increase young people’s agency, belonging, social connection and participation.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/121559/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jen Couch does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Young refugees are at high risk of being homeless in Australia. A five-year study has found re-establishing connections with their communities was the pathway out of homeless for most of them.Jen Couch, Senior Lecturer – Youth Work and International Development, Australian Catholic UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/971852018-05-29T19:51:25Z2018-05-29T19:51:25ZUniversities need to do more to support refugee students<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/220696/original/file-20180529-80637-oqmtbq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Inflexible structures of higher education and competing demands related to settlement often make transition difficult for refugees, despite their desire to work hard.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the past two decades Australian universities and schools have received growing numbers of students from refugee backgrounds. This is in line with increasing numbers of people accepted through <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1617/RefugeeResettlement#_Toc461022114">Australia’s humanitarian program</a>.</p>
<p>But there are concerns refugee students are denied access to equitable educational opportunities as a result of: </p>
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<li>the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jrs/article/30/4/580/3003295">challenges of settlement</a> </li>
<li>competing demands on their time due to <a href="http://www.refugeeyouthempowerment.org.au/downloads/CompleteReport_Healthway_Final_March2010.pdf">family responsibilities</a> (both in Australia and back home) </li>
<li><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13562510903315282">financial concerns</a> and getting trapped in <a href="http://mams.rmit.edu.au/tq2bgckavb421.pdf">low-skilled jobs</a>. </li>
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<p>In addition, transition is seen as something that only happens in the first year of university. This adds challenges for students like refugees who often have complex and ongoing needs. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/student-success-why-first-year-at-uni-is-a-make-or-break-experience-21465">Student success: why first year at uni is a make-or-break experience</a>
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<p><a href="http://www.refugeetransitions.com">Our recent research</a> looked at refugee students’ experiences of transitioning into and participating in higher education. It shows refugee students are hindered by institutional assumptions about their knowledge of higher education, inflexible systems, and limited supports offered to refugee students. Particularly with regard to recognising their developing English language and literacy. </p>
<h2>The research</h2>
<p>Our research was undertaken in partnership with Newcastle, Macquarie and Curtin Universities. We used a qualitative, longitudinal approach to explore refugee students’ transitions into university. We tracked groups of adult and young refugee students as they entered higher education from three different pathways: </p>
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<li><p>seven students from TAFE (in Newcastle) </p></li>
<li><p>35 students from high schools (in Sydney)</p></li>
<li><p>45 students from <a href="http://det.wa.edu.au/curriculumsupport/eald/detcms/navigation/program-information/eal-d-school-programs/">Intensive English Centres</a> (IEC) (in Perth). </p></li>
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<p>We followed our participants’ journeys into, through and (prematurely) out of higher education. We documented their aspirations for higher education, reasons for studying (and dropping out), perceptions, and practices. We also conducted a national audit of available pathways into higher education for refugee students.</p>
<h2>Institutional views of transition limit refugee students</h2>
<p>Our findings challenge the idea transition is a linear process that’s similar for everyone. Instead, our results highlight that transition is strongly influenced by: </p>
<ul>
<li>a student’s age </li>
<li>familial responsibilities </li>
<li>clarity of future vision (professional/career aspiration) </li>
<li>support networks </li>
<li>understanding of what higher education entails (in terms of the time and space it takes to undertake higher education studies). </li>
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<p>We also found inflexible structures of higher education and competing demands on their time and resources related to settlement often make transition difficult. This was even though participants expressed their desire to work hard.</p>
<h2>Language challenges and supports</h2>
<p>Our participants’ English proficiency often impacted negatively on their overall learning experience. Learning difficulties such as <a href="https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/common/ckeditor/filemanager/userfiles/About_Us/Projects/Big_Lottery_Research_Report_Final_Version.pdf">dyslexia</a> can go undiagnosed due to the assumption academic issues are a result of English language difficulties. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-students-from-non-english-speaking-backgrounds-learn-to-read-and-write-in-different-ways-59910">How students from non-English-speaking backgrounds learn to read and write in different ways</a>
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<p>Trauma is also unrecognised, as symptoms such as <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13603116.2016.1168874">silence</a> are assumed to be related to poor English ability. In particular, difficulties with spelling and grammar, along with discrimination towards poor pronunciation and difference in accent, especially for female students, were highlighted.</p>
<p>The availability, accessibility and use of face-to-face <a href="https://www.springer.com/us/book/9789811304194">support</a> are significant for developing good academic practices and language, and for creating social and cultural networks. But there is an evident mismatch between the type and quantity of support available and the types of support our participants needed. This is particularly true with regard to English language learning and developing social connections.</p>
<p>Our findings illustrate the importance of developing <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13562517.2017.1332028">trusting relationships</a> with mentors who can offer institutional support but are also seen as caring. Our participants told us they tended to go back to their former teachers and supporters for help, instead of seeking new relationships in their new contexts. For example, when starting undergraduate studies. </p>
<h2>Time is a significant challenge</h2>
<p>Time significantly impacted our participants in many forms: </p>
<ul>
<li>the imperative to “make up” for lost time (for adult participants) </li>
<li>the lack of time to develop appropriate language and academic practices </li>
<li>time-limited assessment procedures (which are harder for non-native English speakers)</li>
<li>the labour of time needed for linguistic translation in study </li>
<li>inflexible scheduling of academic programs and settlement obligations.<br></li>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-importance-of-teaching-more-than-english-to-refugee-students-31407">The importance of teaching more than English to refugee students</a>
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<h2>Recommendations</h2>
<ol>
<li><p>Schools, TAFEs and universities should work together to develop mentoring programs for high school/IEC/TAFE refugee students to make the transition into higher education easier</p></li>
<li><p>institutions should provide special orientation activities for refugee students. Possibly a “rolling orientation” to cater for students who have family commitments that may prevent attendance at stand-alone orientation activity</p></li>
<li><p>universities should employ an identified person, preferably with a refugee background, to offer consistent navigational and pastoral support to refugee students</p></li>
<li><p>suitably qualified and trained English language specialists should provide assistance with language development</p></li>
<li><p>provide targeted professional development for teaching staff to make clear the implicit assumptions and misrecognitions of refugee stereotyping. Also to illuminate the strengths, experiences and challenges refugee students bring with them into higher education. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Universities need to do more to support refugee students by addressing institutional assumptions about transition and language proficiency. They should also train and employ more front-line teachers and support staff. </p>
<p>Without developing a better understanding of the challenges refugee students face we run the risk of further disadvantaging them. </p>
<hr>
<p><em><strong>The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of Associate Professor Seamus Fagan and Evonne Irwin from the University of Newcastle, Shelley Gower from Curtin University and Dr Sonal Singh from Macquarie University who were instrumental in conducting the research and the production of this article.</strong></em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/97185/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sally Baker has received funding from the Office for Learning & Teaching (OLT) for a project titled (Re)claiming social capital: improving language and cultural pathways for refugee students into Australian higher education (ID15-4758). Sally has also received funding from the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) for a project titled ‘People Seeking Asylum: Access and support in higher education’. Sally is also the co-chair of the national Refugee Education Special Interest Group (<a href="https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/educationsig/">https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/educationsig/</a>)</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jaya A R Dantas received funding from the Office for Learning & Teaching (OLT) for a project titled (Re)claiming social capital: improving language and cultural pathways for refugee students into Australian higher education (ID15-4758). Jaya has also received funding from Healthways - the Health Promotion Foundation of Western Australia to undertake intervention projects with refugee and migrant women. She is the International Health SIG convenor of the Public Health Association of Australia. Jaya is on the Board of Centacare Employment and Training in WA and a National Council Member of the Australian Federation of Graduate Women.</span></em></p>Without developing a better understanding of the challenges refugee students face, we run the risk of further disadvantaging refugee students in Australia.Sally Baker, Lecturer, School of Social Sciences, UNSW SydneyJaya Dantas, Dean International and Professor of International Health, Curtin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/755402017-05-30T20:12:10Z2017-05-30T20:12:10ZHow we can help refugee kids to thrive in Australia<p>When we think about <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-how-australia-decides-who-is-a-genuine-refugee-72574">refugee</a> children’s health, we tend to assume <a href="https://theconversation.com/detained-children-risk-life-long-physical-and-mental-harm-37510">bad news</a>. But refugee children are <a href="https://capmh.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1753-2000-2-7">highly resilient</a>. This means they can thrive, mature and develop despite poor circumstances, and can adapt despite severe and long-term hardship.</p>
<p>Our newly published <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jpc.13551/full">research</a> is the first of its kind to track the long-term health of newly arrived refugee children in Australia.</p>
<p>We showed <a href="http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/6/8/e011387">which children</a> tend to do well in the community, and the factors that predict this. We also give evidence for what Australia can do to help all refugee children thrive in the longer term.</p>
<h2>Who are these refugee children and their families?</h2>
<p>Between May 2009 and April 2013, a total of 228 refugee children under 15 years, who were granted refugee status under Australia’s humanitarian program, arrived in our study area. We followed 61 of these children for three years. None of them had been detained for any length of time, as they had been granted refugee status overseas and flown to Australia. </p>
<p>The children were on average six years old, with equal numbers of boys and girls. They came from south-east Asia (46%), Africa (33%) and the eastern Mediterranean (21%) regions (as defined by the <a href="http://www.who.int/about/regions/en/">World Health Organisation</a>).</p>
<p>When they arrived, 30% of children were living in a family with one parent absent (almost always the father).</p>
<p>Many parents had high levels of education (20% had university or trade qualifications) and had been employed before coming to Australia; only 6% had no education and 20% reported unemployment in their home countries.</p>
<h2>What physical and mental health issues did we see?</h2>
<p>We checked the children’s physical health when they arrived and their development and social-emotional well-being over the next two and three years after settling in Australia.</p>
<p>Refugee children have <a href="https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2015/203/4/royal-australasian-college-physicians-position-statement-refugee-and-asylum">well known</a> physical, mental and <a href="http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2016/05/17/peds.2015-3994..info">developmental</a> <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1440-1754.2012.02429.x/full">health issues</a>, and our research supported this.</p>
<p>Iron and vitamin D deficiency were the most common conditions we saw. Only a few children had infectious conditions needing treatment. </p>
<p>After two and three years in Australia, most parents said their child had good access to primary health care and visited their GP every one to four months. About half the children had visited a dentist. </p>
<p>About a quarter of young children had developmental delay (mostly delayed speech and language) at the start, but all had caught up by their third year in Australia.</p>
<p>However, children’s social and emotional wellbeing was most strikingly affected by their refugee experiences. After two years of being in Australia, over 20% of children were experiencing emotional symptoms (such as sadness or fear) and/or peer problems (like difficulties making friends). </p>
<p>But by year three, these problems had decreased to below 10%, no different to the general Australian population, illustrating their resilience.</p>
<h2>Which children do well and not so well?</h2>
<p><a href="http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/201335">Many studies</a> have <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953615300691">highlighted factors</a> that make it <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953610005642">more likely</a> for refugee children to have poor health and well-being. These include economic and social conditions related to where people come from and where they settle.</p>
<p>We cannot change certain factors before children arrive, like pre-migration violence. But we can change factors once they’re here. In fact, research suggests <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1538544214000303">post-arrival factors</a> have a <a href="http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/201335">bigger impact</a> than pre-arrival factors on refugee well-being.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1538544214000303">Post-arrival</a> <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673611600512">factors</a> that <a href="http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/124/Supplement_3/S176.short">lead to</a> <a href="http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/201335">poor outcomes</a> include: time in immigration detention, exposure to violence post-migration, family separation, poor mental health of carers, negative school and peer experiences, perceived discrimination, parental unemployment, fall in socio-economic status and financial stress.</p>
<p>The most common stressful life events children and families experienced in our study were changes in the child’s school and home, parental unemployment, marital separation and financial stress.</p>
<p>For instance, single parent families became more common (38%) three years after settlement, largely due to marital breakdown; almost all families were receiving government financial benefits and living in rented accommodation two and three years after settling; half of the families had a weekly income under A$800, about 30% below the average weekly income in Australia; and unemployment was high (by year three, only 12% of parents were employed, mainly in semi-skilled and unskilled jobs).</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/165435/original/image-20170416-10077-i453ta.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/165435/original/image-20170416-10077-i453ta.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/165435/original/image-20170416-10077-i453ta.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/165435/original/image-20170416-10077-i453ta.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/165435/original/image-20170416-10077-i453ta.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/165435/original/image-20170416-10077-i453ta.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/165435/original/image-20170416-10077-i453ta.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Refugee children with stable accommodation tend to do better than those forced to move home multiple times.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/547975369?src=K4gNVK9uJJeh7an-sdxSlg-1-4&size=medium_jpg">from shutterstock,com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673611600512">Researchers</a> have <a href="http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract201335">also identified</a> <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953615300691">factors</a> linked with <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953610005642">better outcomes</a> and resilience, and that increase the chance of good health and well-being. </p>
<p>These include living close to the family’s own ethnic community and having external support from the general community.</p>
<p>In our study, most families (more than 80%) knew someone in Australia before immigrating and felt supported by either their own ethnic (more than 73%) or the general community (more than 63%). Most parents said Australians displayed tolerance towards people of other religions, cultures and nationalities (more than 78%), although several volunteered anecdotes of their perception of discrimination related to property rental.</p>
<h2>What can we do to make a lasting difference?</h2>
<p>By addressing the factors that predict poor health and enhancing those that predict a good outcome, we can make a significant difference to refugee children’s lives.</p>
<p>Our research and others’ shows what policymakers and governments can do to help refugee children thrive in Australia. We need to:</p>
<ul>
<li>integrate children and families into host communities</li>
<li>support families to stay intact</li>
<li>provide stable settlement with minimal relocations</li>
<li>support children’s education</li>
<li>support parents’ employment</li>
<li>ensure access to health, social and economic resources</li>
<li>reduce post-migration exposure to violence and threat, including detention, racism and bullying.</li>
</ul>
<p>If these recommendations are implemented, it is very likely refugee children can realise the resilience they bring with them to Australia.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/75540/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Karen Zwi received funding from the Foundation Markets Foundation for Children between July 2009 and June 2011 in order to carry out this research. She has also received funding from the federal Government for her advisory work on refugee and asylum seeker children on the Detention Health Advisory Group (DeHAG) and the Immigration Health Advisory Group (IHAG) during the period 2010 - 2013.</span></em></p>New research into the health of newly arrived refugee children in Australia gives us clues about how we can help all refugee kids.Karen Zwi, Paediatrician and Associate Professor, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/553782016-03-07T01:02:08Z2016-03-07T01:02:08ZRefugee-run school in Indonesia a model for governments to emulate<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/112843/original/image-20160225-15134-l1oixq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C739%2C492&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Students in a school run by refugees in Indonesia learn maths, English, art and science.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A school set up by asylum seekers and refugees in the West Java town Cisarua, Indonesia, is an initiative that Australian and Indonesian governments should model and support. </p>
<p>In August 2014, refugees from Afghanistan in transit in Indonesia established the <a href="http://cisarualearning.com/#intro">Cisarua Refugee Learning Centre</a> (CRLC) to provide education for their children. </p>
<p>Asylum seekers and refugees children in Indonesia, one of the key transit states for refugees waiting to be resettled in Australia and other countries, have no access to regular schooling during the long wait for resettlement. </p>
<p>The school in Cisarua has received no official funding from any government body. It relies on donations from civil society in Indonesia and Australia to continue its work. </p>
<h2>Life in transit</h2>
<p>Recent <a href="http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e488116.html">UNHCR figures</a> show Indonesia is hosting more than 13,000 refugees and asylum seekers. It is conservatively estimated that more than 2,000 are <a href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2013/06/23/barely-surviving/detention-abuse-and-neglect-migrant-children-indonesia">unaccompanied minors</a>. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.unhcr.org/50001bda9.pdf">average waiting period</a> from registration to the first interview with the UNHCR is between eight and 20 months on average. Only once a person is found to be a refugee will the search for a resettlement place begin. During this time, asylum seekers and refugees are also denied the right to work. </p>
<p>Indonesia is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention. Asylum seekers are tolerated by the government but never accepted. People found to be refugees have no prospect of permanent resettlement in Indonesia. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, children in Australia’s offshore detention centres for asylum seekers face <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/asylum-seeker-children-on-nauru-abused-sexually-harassed-at-school-former-teacher-20160107-gm1mdh.html">challenges at local schools</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/detained-children-risk-life-long-physical-and-mental-harm-37510">long-term risks of mental and physical harm</a>. </p>
<h2>Education for refugees</h2>
<p>The issue of education of refugees children has recently been put into the international spotlight by education activist Malala Yousafzai. The Nobel laureate <a href="http://time.com/4201720/malala-yousafzai-syrian-refugees/">sought US$1.4 billion to provide education for Syrian child refugees</a>. </p>
<p>In Australia, a loose coalition of teachers has also been protesting under the hashtag #EducationNotDetention and #TeachersForRefugees on the back of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/glimmers-of-hope-for-detained-asylum-seekers-in-the-high-courts-nauru-decision-54036">High Court ruling on the legality of offshore detention</a>. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"699533965175209984"}"></div></p>
<p>Even before these campaigns, asylum seekers and refugees in Indonesia had already been working to create an environment where their children could receive an education. </p>
<p>The Cisarua school provides education for 80 students. It has also restored a sense of purpose and dignity to refugees who are living a vulnerable and precarious life in transit. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/112869/original/image-20160225-15136-e84o6l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/112869/original/image-20160225-15136-e84o6l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/112869/original/image-20160225-15136-e84o6l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/112869/original/image-20160225-15136-e84o6l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/112869/original/image-20160225-15136-e84o6l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/112869/original/image-20160225-15136-e84o6l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/112869/original/image-20160225-15136-e84o6l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A child refugee at the Cisarua Refugee Learning Centre.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>CRLC has 14 permanent teaching staff comprised entirely of refugees and revolving volunteers from around the world. </p>
<p>The students follow a classic curriculum that includes maths, English, art and science. They also learn about healthy living, mutual respect and equality. </p>
<p>The school provides activities for adults too. In the evening, adults can take English classes. The school also started a local football league for men and women to keep people physically active. </p>
<p>Refugees participate in football matches with local Indonesians. The school regularly hosts international visitors. All guests participate in the classrooms and stay with the teaching staff. </p>
<p>Using social media, the school has formed global partnerships and disseminates first-hand experiences of what life is like for people seeking asylum. </p>
<h2>School’s impact on refugees</h2>
<p>The impact the centre has had on its students is undeniable. Nine-year-old Fatima Karimi says: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I do remember the day when I first heard about the school. My home was close to the school and my mother told me I will also go to school soon. On the first day I made two friends. Now I have many friends and some of them are my best friends. Since I came to the school I feel really good. After school hours sometimes I go to my friends’ houses and play with them. It was something I was missing since we fled from our country. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>The school has also brought solace to adult refugees who volunteer as teachers. One of the young teachers, who was asked to fill a vacancy left by a leading teacher who was resettled in Australia, says:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>When I am teaching the kids, I forget that we are living a difficult life as refugees. Being a refugee, I never thought that I will ever be able to be a teacher, to meet different people and gain invaluable experience.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Recently, <a href="http://www.pozible.com/project/198598">a Pozible crowd-funding campaign</a> that set out to raise A$25,000 raised enough to ensure the school’s continued operations for the next three years. </p>
<p>While governments continue to <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/fouryear-budget-of-20-million-spent-in-one-year-to-stop-the-boats-20141005-10qiz8.html">spend billions of dollars</a> to prevent asylum seeker coming by boat from transit countries, it seems that a much more wise investment would be on programs such as this. </p>
<p>The school makes life in transit more bearable for asylum seekers. Aside from the educational benefit for children and the sense of purpose in refugees, facilitating refugees to run schools for their children may reduce the push factors that drive them to risk their lives on a perilous journey by boat.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/55378/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A school set up by asylum seekers and refugees in the West Java town Cisarua, Indonesia, is a community-led initiative that Australian and Indonesian governments should model and support.Sal Clark, Researcher, Tutor in Sociology and Politics , Swinburne University of TechnologyCarly Copolov, PhD Student and Tutor, Swinburne University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/505822015-11-29T19:23:26Z2015-11-29T19:23:26ZHere’s another reason kids don’t belong in detention: trauma changes growing brains<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/103424/original/image-20151127-2562-gmaugf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Repeated trauma in childhood appears to change children's enduring hormonal function and their subsequent brain development.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-131486105/stock-photo-hand-in-jail.html?src=pp-photo-217748347-jzfeZ5I2riyl1h6Vq9a0bA-8&ws=1">sakhorn/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A bill that would release the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/nov/23/senate-passes-bill-calling-for-release-of-all-children-in-immigration-detention">112 children</a> in immigration detention in Australia will soon go before the House of Representatives. The bill passed the Senate last week, but it could be rejected by a government-majority House. </p>
<p>While it’s widely accepted that detention is bad for child asylum seekers, the long-term effects of that harm are rarely spelled out. Our <a href="http://www.psyneuen-journal.com/article/S0306-4530%2815%2900937-3/fulltext">recently published research</a> sheds some light on this.</p>
<p>So what should members of parliament consider when casting their votes? </p>
<h2>Growing brains are vulnerable</h2>
<p>The brain has evolved to respond effectively to stressful situations, many of which are normal challenges of everyday life. Indeed, some researchers <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4021037/">argue</a> that humans’ extended period of childhood and adolescence (compared to other species) has evolved to maximise our adaptability to the varied environments and social dynamics we traverse. What defines these periods, in this context, is a changing brain, a brain trying to adapt.</p>
<p>This adaptability, however, comes at a cost: growing brains are more vulnerable. Repeated trauma in childhood appears to change children’s enduring hormonal function and brain development, and increases the risk of developing a range of psychological disorders.</p>
<p>Cortisol is often referred to as the “stress” hormone. It plays a complex and wide-ranging role in the human stress and arousal response. Cortisol is also central to glucose availability, blood pressure and immune function. </p>
<p>Alterations in cortisol function are found in people with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but are also a risk factor for these disorders. A <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26072152">recent study</a> found soldiers with lower cortisol output before going to war in Afghanistan were more likely to develop PTSD symptoms after traumatic events experienced during their deployment.</p>
<p>Cortisol has traditionally been measured in saliva, blood or urine, reflecting output over minutes or days. These studies have found either unusually high or low levels of cortisol in children who have experienced maltreatment. This defective regulation suggests a system initially pushed into overdrive, and then overwhelmed, becomes fatigued. </p>
<p>But this changing physiological picture, and our constantly varying levels of cortisol, has led to many inconsistent findings.</p>
<h2>What did our research find?</h2>
<p>Our new research studied the cortisol levels of 70 nine-year-old children living in and around Melbourne. We recorded these levels from scalp hair to determine their total cortisol output over months. </p>
<p>We found that the number and types of traumatic events experienced earlier in childhood correlated with hair cortisol levels. These events included illness and deaths in the family, and being sick or hurt in an accident. More extreme events, such as fires, floods or being threatened or attacked, were relatively uncommon. </p>
<p>Traumatic experiences in childhood <a href="http://www.psyneuen-journal.com/article/S0306-4530%2815%2900019-0/abstract">alter the development</a> of brain structures during adolescence. These structures include those directly linked to cortisol production, such as the pituitary gland, as well as others linked with emotion processing and memory, such as the amygdala and hippocampus. Alterations in these structures have been identified in mental health disorders.</p>
<p>We have shown that adversity increases the risk of mental health disorders in <a href="http://cpx.sagepub.com/content/early/2013/10/28/2167702613505531.abstract">adolescence</a>. These disorders in turn further alter the <a href="http://www.jaacap.com/article/S0890-8567%2813%2900405-X/abstract">way the brain develops</a>. </p>
<p>Childhood adversity, particularly maltreatment, is associated with increased risk for numerous behavioural problems. These include drug use, suicide attempts, risky sexual behaviour and sexually transmitted infections. The earlier the experience of adversity in childhood, the greater the risk of <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23592532">poor mental health outcomes</a>.</p>
<h2>What does this mean for detained children?</h2>
<p>Clearly there are differences between the environments of our Melbourne families and those of detained children. But these differences are largely matters of degree. </p>
<p>Children in detention are at <a href="https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/asylum-seekers-and-refugees/publications/forgotten-children-national-inquiry-children">very high risk</a> of exposure to physical and sexual assault, family separation, environmental deprivation and forced relocation. They also commonly witness traumatic events affecting loved ones. These experiences roughly double their risk of developing mental health problems <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2822662/">later in life</a>. </p>
<p>The more traumatic events a child experiences, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2847368/">the more likely</a> lasting problems will emerge. A recent <a href="http://www.nature.com/mp/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/mp2015164a.html">German assessment</a> of families seeking refugee status found that 86.5% had already experienced multiple traumas involving war, torture and involuntary displacement. </p>
<p>Children entering detention in Australia already have <a href="https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/asylum-seekers-and-refugees/publications/forgotten-children-national-inquiry-children">elevated rates</a> of psychological problems. The trauma of detention is likely to compound these harmful effects, which may persist long after the resolution of the immigration process. </p>
<p>Childhood is a sensitive and vulnerable period; experiences of trauma and adversity can produce harm that endures into adulthood. This inescapable knowledge should inform policy on the release of children from detention and remind us of the care and support they will need when they are finally released.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/50582/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julian G. Simmons receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the National Health and Medical Research Council, and The University of Melbourne. He has previously received funding from the Colonial Foundation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nick Haslam is affiliated with the Researchers for Asylum Seekers group. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Meg Dennison does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A bill that would release the 112 children currently in immigration detention in Australia will soon go before the House of Representatives. So what should MPs consider when casting their votes?Julian G. Simmons, Research Fellow in Child and Adolescent Mental Health, The University of MelbourneMeg Dennison, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of WashingtonNick Haslam, Professor of Psychology, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/487382015-10-07T04:25:56Z2015-10-07T04:25:56ZWhat does an influx of refugee-background students mean for schools?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/97527/original/image-20151007-7335-1w03h72.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">How prepared are we to support young Syrian refugees entering our school system?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Reuters/Marko Djurica</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-09/refugee-intake-plan-who-will-come-to-australia/6762278">Australia will welcome 12,000 Syrian refugees</a> over the coming months. Most will be families, so many young people will be entering our education system.</p>
<p>How prepared are we to support these new students in our schools? Not at all well prepared, if current performance is anything to go by.</p>
<p><a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs13384-013-0095-y">Research</a> reveals students from refugee backgrounds are most likely to be in the lowest quartile of achievement as measured by national standardised testing (NAPLaN). </p>
<p>This is unsurprising, given their circumstances. They are learning and being assessed through a new language. They have had interrupted schooling which leads to inevitable gaps in their curriculum knowledge. They are emotionally fragile due to the traumatic circumstances of their past few years and their ongoing worries about the family and friends left behind. </p>
<h2>High hopes and high expectations</h2>
<p>However, while the hurdles are many, they are not insurmountable. These students and their families have <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272790745_Supporting_school-university_pathways_for_refugee_students_access_and_participation_in_tertiary_education">high educational aspirations</a>. They see education as key to their hopes of a better, safer life. They are highly motivated to learn, and to do well. </p>
<p>But their sheer will and determination will not be sufficient - there must be an equivalent commitment of both resources and will from government and education providers. </p>
<h2>Resurrect the Gonski funding model</h2>
<p>If there was ever any <a href="http://insidestory.org.au/could-turnbull-give-a-gonski">chance of a resurrection </a>of the original Gonski funding model, the arrival of thousands of refugees in our schools must surely be a compelling prompt.</p>
<p>Gonski proposed a resource loading for students who require English language learning support. However, while the provision for this loading remains in theory, in practice there has been no Federal definition of English language proficiency. This means there is no mechanism for deciding who qualifies for the English language proficiency loading. Nor is there any requirement for the states and territories to actually spend this federally allocated money on English additional language and dialect (EALD) learners. </p>
<p>Once passed on to the jurisdictions, they in turn pass the money on to schools to spend as they see fit - a hallmark of the shift to increased school autonomy around the country. </p>
<p>In this game of no accountability Chinese whispers, the funding is increasingly missing the intended recipients - students who are learning English. </p>
<p><a href="http://tesol.org.au/files/files/453_Draft_ACTA_2014_Survey_Report_V1_September_2014.pdf">A recent survey</a> by the Australian Council of TESOL Associations found that around 50% of English language teachers believed that principals are not spending funding for EALD students on programs for those students. As one respondent said,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>When questioned about where funding has gone, principals will often respond by saying the funding is supporting general literacy programs or reducing overall class sizes.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Key to the original Gonski model was the requirement that funds be directly allocated to the students who attract the funding. Such a model ensures simple and transparent accountability - is the student progressing or not. If not, why not.</p>
<p>Under current funding arrangements, nobody is accountable for the progress of EALD students in schools. Indeed there is no accountability for whether EALD funding is even being used for English language teaching and learning. </p>
<p>It is <em>very</em> hard to move out of the bottom quartile of achievement when your own education system is working against you. </p>
<h2>Language teaching and literacy teaching are not the same thing</h2>
<p>It isn’t that systems and principals are malevolent or sneaky as they misdirect EALD funding - they simply don’t know the difference between English language learning and literacy. </p>
<p>Mainstream literacy teaching is not sufficient. Literacy programs work on the premise that students can already speak and understand English, and will bring innate knowledge of the English language to learning how to read and write. </p>
<p>Children who have English as their first language don’t write ‘<em>Goes to soccer my brother</em>’, or ‘<em>My brother go soccer</em>’ , or ‘<em>My brother going soccer</em>’, because they can hear the sentence doesn’t makes sense or sound right. But these are the errors that EALD students make, because they are applying the rules of the languages they know to their English writing and speaking. </p>
<p>It is the job of the teacher to make English language knowledge visible to their EALD learners. However, this is beyond the expertise of mainstream generalist teachers, for whom English grammar is intuitive and invisible. While they can correct those errors, they cannot explain those errors. EALD students need teachers with specialist training in the teaching of English as an additional language.</p>
<h2>Not a quick fix, but a sure fix</h2>
<p>It takes a long time to learn a new language. Children learn playground language very quickly, but it takes many years to learn the academic language of schooling.
The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority has published <a href="http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/EALD_Learning_Progression_revised_February_2014.pdf">a description of the English language learning</a> process, describing four distinct phases: beginning, emerging, developing and consolidating. </p>
<p>When we tie our English language funding dollars directly to the students who have attracted the funding, as per Gonski’s original funding model, we can hold educators accountable for making sure these students progress efficiently through these phases of language learning. </p>
<p>Ensuring EALD students are the direct recipients of the funding they generate is not only ethical, it makes economic sense. When these students receive targeted and informed instruction they make rapid progress in their schooling. Ultimately, we fund them out of requiring funding.</p>
<p>These are resilient and motivated learners; they are <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-we-kill-languages-and-fail-our-cleverest-children-29137">cognitively advantaged bilinguals</a>. They will become Australia’s <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/04/refugees-are-australias-most-entrepreneurial-migrants-says-research">most creative and productive citizens </a>if we get their education right.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/48738/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<h4 class="border">Disclosure</h4><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Misty Adoniou works for the University of Canberra. She has received funding from the ACT Education and Training Directorate, and the International Organisation for Migration to investigate curriculum for English language learners. She has been commissioned by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority to work on the national EALD resource for teachers. She is affiliated with ACT TESOL, the Australian Council of TESOL Associations and TESOL International. </span></em></p>Under the current system, nobody is accountable for the progress of students learning English in schools – or whether funding is being used appropriately.Misty Adoniou, Senior Lecturer in Language, Literacy and TESL, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/435682015-06-22T19:39:47Z2015-06-22T19:39:47ZSyria’s refugees: time to get serious about preventing a lost generation of Arab Youth<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/85996/original/image-20150622-17743-gm31s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Home away from home for too many Syrians</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/statephotos/9312291491/sizes/o/in/photostream/">US State Department </a></span></figcaption></figure><p>I chat with several articulate young women about how high school is going. They tell me that classes don’t always interest them, their families can’t help much with homework, and the exams that they have to take to get into university are very difficult. </p>
<p>My conversation with these ambitious students could be taking place anywhere, but for the lack of reliable electricity and the tiny size and low roof of the temporary house in which we stand. </p>
<p>In fact, the crowded conditions and desert surroundings make clear that I am at Za'atari, the largest camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan, and among the largest such camps in the world.</p>
<p>I recently visited Za'atari as the academic director of <a href="http://i-platform.org/">i-platform</a>, a non-governmental organization (NGO) devoted to innovative approaches to global governance challenges. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/85955/original/image-20150622-17743-1239rua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/85955/original/image-20150622-17743-1239rua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85955/original/image-20150622-17743-1239rua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85955/original/image-20150622-17743-1239rua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85955/original/image-20150622-17743-1239rua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85955/original/image-20150622-17743-1239rua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85955/original/image-20150622-17743-1239rua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The author on location.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">David Mednicoff</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>My short time in the camp amid not only human misery but also youth aspiration underscored the key role that action to improve displaced Syrians’ lives can play in addressing instability in the Middle East in the coming years.</p>
<h2>An unprecedented crisis</h2>
<p>As the <a href="http://www.unhcr.org/558193896.html">UN noted on June 18</a>, the refugee crisis today – both in the Middle East and worldwide – is unprecedented in its number and its linkage to different intersecting conflicts. </p>
<p>Sixty million people have been uprooted from their normal lives. They need a concerted global effort to address their misery. </p>
<p>The Syrian situation caused by a civil war involving the brutal Assad government, various rebel groups and the Islamic State (ISIS) has contributed the single largest group of displaced people to the current crisis.</p>
<p>Americans rightly worry about ISIS, as they have about al-Qaeda. Yet, combatting Middle East violent Islamism is not just a military project. The causes and the effects of long-term conflict in the Middle East run deep, and have the potential to engender yet more conflict. </p>
<p>Western colonialism has been reproduced as Arab authoritarianism. Violent authoritarian states have bred violent reactions. Western overthrow of Middle Eastern governments in Iran and Iraq provoked anti-Western violent responses. Popular movements or uprisings have transformed to renewed authoritarianism (Egypt) or horrific civil war (Syria, Libya, Yemen). And this is just a part of the terrible story that is engulfing the world in conflict and insecurity.</p>
<p>In the heady days of the Arab anti-authoritarian uprisings of 2011, many Syrians hoped their repressive leader Bashar al-Assad could be dislodged in similar fashion to his peers in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. </p>
<p>But Assad’s will and resources, and political and military problems coordinating rebel forces, led to a full-scale civil war that has torn apart the country, displaced over 7.5 million Syrians internally and created <a href="http://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/syrian-arab-republic-humanitarian-snapshot-31-may-2015">nearly 4 million refugees</a> located mostly in Turkey, Lebanon and Syria. </p>
<p>Even if the conflict in Syria were to end today, this would be an extreme humanitarian challenge. </p>
<p>And Syria is far from any sort of peace.</p>
<h2>The violence problem</h2>
<p>One of the major underlying causes of violence in the Middle East is <a href="http://www.arabnews.com/news/columns/614021">disillusioned, undervalued and underemployed young people.</a> </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/85954/original/image-20150622-17748-oxltk6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/85954/original/image-20150622-17748-oxltk6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85954/original/image-20150622-17748-oxltk6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85954/original/image-20150622-17748-oxltk6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85954/original/image-20150622-17748-oxltk6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85954/original/image-20150622-17748-oxltk6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85954/original/image-20150622-17748-oxltk6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A school in Za'atari.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dfid/16805812735">UKAid</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Approximately 1.6 of Syria’s 4 million refugees are children. They have few prospects for meaningful social engagement or work. So how to make sure they are not left to fuel conflicts that Western countries have been unable to avert with their military or other global influences?</p>
<p>My recent tour of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjOXGhdZv8o">the Za'atari camp</a> inspired hope that there are strategies to address this seemingly limitless human crisis.</p>
<p>Administrators and Jordanian officials have worked together to improve basic order, sanitary facilities and morale in the camp, particularly after the camp’s initial problems upon opening in mid-2012.</p>
<p>The camp now includes a resident-run string of businesses selling clothes, cosmetics and most other items camp members need that is known as <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28541909">the Champs Elysees</a>. International and local managers, working in tandem, have made a disaster at least tolerable in the short run.</p>
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<h2>The training solution</h2>
<p>Most impressive is the program to provide hundreds of young people with specific vocational training in skills like making clothes, hair-styling and electronics repair that they can use to provide services for their fellow residents. </p>
<p>An enthusiastic teacher showed off beautiful student art and a functional car built from rusty scraps, really impressing my colleagues with the industriousness and hope that NGO workers nurture in these young Syrians.</p>
<p>But there are tens of thousands of young Za'atari residents. Most get no training. And more long-term training might threaten young Jordanians’ own capacity to find work – youth unemployment in Jordan is high, at <a href="http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.1524.ZS">almost 34%</a>. </p>
<p>The fruitful efforts of Za'atari camp workers and residents are still limited in scope and impact. The young people are cut off from better training opportunities.</p>
<p>Needed now is sustained, multinational, multifaceted policy conversation around strategies on how to turn these challenged young people from victims to possible preventers of Middle Eastern conflict. </p>
<p>Researchers and relief organizations are beginning to analyze <a href="http://www.unhcr.org/4eb25c7f9.html">how refugee conflict survivors can contribute to peace-building</a> and to other political efforts in war-torn areas. </p>
<p>It was easy for me to imagine the young people I met in Za'atari, who want to study law, literature or engineering, if nurtured, as not merely witnesses to an awful moment in history, but conduits for learning from their experiences. </p>
<p>Some of this can be very simple. More funding and technical assistance, for instance, would prevent the daily power outages that hinder some Syrians at Za'atari from studying for the Jordanian college entrance exams.</p>
<h2>Beyond basic development</h2>
<p>Other policy conversations will be harder.</p>
<p>When the <a href="http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21649712-emergency-meeting-brussels-produces-inadequate-plan-save-migrants-do-not-send-me-your">European Union held a summit in April</a> after over 1,000 refugees drowned off the coast of Italy, the piecemeal solutions that were offered suggest difficult debates among member states. </p>
<p>Western countries tend to see refugees as ideological risks or competitors for scarce jobs. Is this inevitable? What alliances between global NGOs and possible asylum or funding countries can smooth the passage of displaced people out of camps?</p>
<p>Questions like these have no easy answers and run up against a wide range of nationalistic and other insecurities.</p>
<p>That <a href="http://www.mercycorps.org/articles/turkey-iraq-jordan-lebanon-syria/quick-facts-what-you-need-know-about-syria-crisis">95% of Syria’s refugees</a> are in other Middle Eastern countries mirrors a broader pattern that wealthier countries do far less than less-developed nations to host refugees. Yet <a href="http://www.oecd.org/migration/mig/OECD%20Migration%20Policy%20Debates%20Numero%202.pdf">studies</a> show that migrants <a href="http://www.oecd.org/migration/mig/OECD%20Migration%20Policy%20Debates%20Numero%202.pdf">generally benefit</a> economies.</p>
<p>The young Syrians in Za'atari see daily how much non-Syrians working in the camp have done for them, and evince little hostility to outsiders. </p>
<p>The refugees I encountered, many of whom were highly successful in their countries, <a href="http://www.syriadeeply.org/articles/2015/06/7482/jan-egeland-its-time-change-narrative-syrias-refugees/">want to have a degree of control and initiative in their own decisions, and the prospects to be useful</a>, rather than being seen as victims. </p>
<p>With what we have learned about the unpredictability and costs of military action, a concerted effort to invest more into helping more of these people contribute to global society does not seem like a particularly risky investment.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/43568/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Prof. David Mednicoff visited the Zaatari camp in his role as Chair, Council of Academic Fellows, with iPlatform. iPlatform is a non-governmental, non-profit, global organization committed to linking diverse young policy advocates, experienced thinkers and established policy-makers in the service of novel approaches to some of the world's pressing challenges of governance and the rule of law. For details, see <a href="http://i-platform.org/about/leadership/">http://i-platform.org/about/leadership/</a>.</span></em></p>Syrians are the single largest group of displaced people in the world. How to make sure that the plight of these refugees doesn’t fuel future conflicts?David Mednicoff, Assistant Professor of Public Policy; Director of Accelerated Degree Programs, Center for Public Policy and Adminstration; and Director, Middle Eastern Studies, UMass AmherstLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/275822014-06-23T17:48:39Z2014-06-23T17:48:39ZEnsuring young people in all walks of life ‘earn or learn’ costs money<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/51722/original/yq2ty46k-1403232875.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A fashion program is one of the many effective alternative pathways to education and work offered by The Social Studio.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/avlxyz/6874518656/in/photolist-bGow5x-bttGHm-bGow3F-bttGP7-bttGTJ-bGow8H-bGowan-aeEgTm-5sGoB1-bnkxir-5sBX5v-5sGn4Q-5sBWsp-5sBXRM-5sGkh1-5sBVPi-5sGnK7-5sGo6b-5sBXmR-5sGmH9-5sGiGE-5sGnnC">flickr/Alpha</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Why do young people drop out of school? Many factors influence this critical decision. These include the cost of education (think rising fees, cost of transportation, materials, textbooks and uniforms), lack of support in the classroom for students with complex needs, and anxiety about succeeding in a competitive, individualistic and performance-driven education system.</p>
<p>Leaving school early is a predictor of social and economic disadvantage. The Australian Bureau of Statistics <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Products/4438.0%7E2009%7EMain+Features%7EPeople+aged+15%E2%80%9324+years?OpenDocument">reports</a> that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The number of years that a person is engaged in formal education is one of the best predictors of positive social and economic outcomes.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The risks of leaving school early are greater for young people affected by economic and social hardship. It is no coincidence that <a href="http://www.yapa.org.au/openingdoors/early_school_leavers/needs_issues.php">those at highest risk</a> are refugee youth, youth with disabilities and Indigenous youth. They already have a shaky foundation in terms of employment opportunities, risk of entering the criminal justice system and experiences of social exclusion. </p>
<p>A <a href="http://www.myan.org.au/file/file/Transitions%20to%20Employment%20Report.pdf">recent report</a> issued by the Centre for Multicultural Youth and commissioned by the <a href="http://www.lmcf.org.au/">Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation</a> describes gaps in the education system for young people from refugee backgrounds. The result is:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>… high levels of school drop-out and consistently higher rates of unemployment. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>(I acknowledge that the word refugee is a contested term that stigmatises as much as it provides context for the experience of humanitarian migration. A person who has had that experience does not remain a refugee for life.)</p>
<p>The researchers note that these issues persist despite both young people and their families being strongly motivated to succeed in education, contrary to public views about “lazy” youth. The reasons underlying these drop-out rates are complex. They include language barriers and lack of support in the classroom, pre-migration experiences of trauma that have an ongoing impact on learning, institutional racism, and lack of connection between school and the world beyond.</p>
<h2>Creating alternative pathways</h2>
<p>These issues are well recognised, and <a href="https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-own-words-african-australians-review-human-rights-and-social-inclusion-issues-2010">documented</a> in a number of reports that <a href="http://cmy.net.au/sites/default/files/publication-documents/Education%20Needs%20of%20Young%20Refugees%20in%20Vic%202006.pdf">advocate</a> for <a href="http://www.ncver.edu.au/wps/portal/vetdataportal/restricted/publicationContent/!ut/p/a1/lZDNbsIwEISfpQeOkZ34_5iCWgeBkKBViS_I2E4wCiYQF_Xxa1CvlHZvI83ufDtAgTVQQV98q6M_Bt1dtaKbKi_GUmI4XUhJYcVe3pYr-Y5gTsEHUECZEPu4A3UwF3feDDt9dnYE-89t583t0jCCuaD46u1166wbfBtuyngLasEIagpGMmscyjBvcLYVhciEJhRZpBHlNKHUCQXemRL-iTRZxq-lxGyWdjAvYDV5lhMm5jCZfwy_RNSJgd0NkQSs_vnU9BF1-trvTydVppaPIbqvCNYPa-4PB75vZnTJISJd-_QNrPk31A!!/dl5/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/">alternative programs</a> to overcome these barriers. </p>
<p>As a direct response, <a href="http://www.thesocialstudio.org/">The Social Studio</a> has endeavoured to carve out a space for an alternative model of education, to fill gaps in the existing system for young people from new migrant and refugee backgrounds. A fashion studio, retail shop and café provide the context for TAFE training. </p>
<p>Students participate in The Social Studio’s fashion design, clothing production, retail and hospitality operations, which provide an engaging and dynamic context for learning. The training combines work experience, practical skills, classroom education and exposure to industry professionals, responding to the interests, skills and talents of the young people involved.</p>
<p>Programs are offered in partnership with RMIT School of Fashion and William Angliss Institute. The resulting qualifications range from Certificate I in Hospitality through to Certificate IV in Textile Design and Development.</p>
<p>The Social Studio also aims to change public perceptions about the skills, talents and experiences that new migrant communities contribute to Australia’s social fabric. Popular culture is a powerful vehicle for social change. Some of The Social Studio’s success stories include graduates continuing on to higher education, starting up their own businesses and finding long-term employment in related industries.</p>
<h2>Drop-out costs make training cheap</h2>
<p>It is evident in both research and practice that alternative vocational training programs are effective for young people at risk of dropping out of mainstream school. However, in a political climate of <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/tafe-funding-in-crisis-20140407-3696n.html">increasing cuts</a> to TAFE and university funding at state and federal levels, the opportunity for these programs is fast diminishing.</p>
<p>The benefits to society of supporting young people in their educational journey and pathways to employment are significant. They include less risk of mental and physical health problems, lower crime rates, a more productive workforce and a reduced burden on the welfare system. And yet the will to act on the gaps in young people’s education and career paths is seriously lacking. </p>
<p>Often there is a perception that supportive and flexible training programs will be expensive and wasteful. At a <a href="http://www.studyinaustralia.gov.au/global/australian-education/education-costs/education-costs-in-australia">cost of about A$4000 to A$22,000</a> per student per year, vocational training might sound expensive, but these costs are slight in comparison to the social and economic cost of not keeping young people in school.</p>
<p>The cost of long-term unemployment to Australia’s social well-being is <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/longterm-unemployment-damages-australias-wellbeing-20140606-39ojk.html">estimated at $3.3 billion per year</a>. Civil Liberties Australia report that the costs of prison add up to an average of <a href="http://www.cla.asn.au/News/prison-costs-up-numbers-up/">$111,325 per prisoner per year</a>. The federal Department of Health reports that the average cost of hospitalisation for each mental health patient is <a href="http://www.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/mental-pubs-d-altfund-toc%7Emental-pubs-d-altfund-met">about $365,000 per year</a>.</p>
<h2>Education for all must be valued</h2>
<p>There is no guarantee that education will keep every young person out of prison or in a job. It is obvious, however, that investment in education for young people at the critical juncture of school and higher education can lead to great economic and social benefits further down the track, both for the individual and society at large. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, in the shadow of last month’s federal budget, young unemployed people are facing <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/federal-budget-cuts-will-force-young-people-into-ghettos-of-poverty-20140514-zrcgq.html">major cuts to welfare payments</a>, including the controversial decision to make them wait up to six months before being eligible for Youth Allowance. This is a recipe for poverty and all the social problems that follow.</p>
<p>Employment in general for young people is uncertain. Short-term contracts, an increasingly casualised workforce and self-employment are becoming standard across public and private sectors. At a time when manufacturing is rapidly moving offshore and the future of local employment lies in technology, innovation and knowledge industries, education is going to be even more crucial in securing decent work opportunities for young Australians. </p>
<p>The opportunity to “earn or learn” is only possible when education is valued, funded and made available to young Australians from all walks of life. </p>
<hr>
<p><em>See the rest of the Another Country: Youth in Australia series <a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/youth-in-australia">here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/27582/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Grace McQuilten is affiliated with The Social Studio. </span></em></p>Why do young people drop out of school? Many factors influence this critical decision. These include the cost of education (think rising fees, cost of transportation, materials, textbooks and uniforms…Grace McQuilten, Honorary Fellow, School of Culture & Communication, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.