Immigrant Youth Challenges

Youth face various challenges and pains during their journey through childhood and adolescence. They are going through changes physically and emotionally. It is a confusing time for individuals, as they are trying to determine various aspects of their identities. Immigrant children and children of immigrants face these challenges as well, however they are burdened with the intense challenges of culture variance and lack of acceptance in their settling communities. Adolescence can be an extremely difficult time, and when it is coupled with the emotions of settlement it can prove to be even more intense. They must attempt to integrate into their new living conditions, while still dealing with issues that all adolescents face. Ultimately, the stressors that immigrants and their families face in institutions such as the education system make them vulnerable to social, emotional and academic issues that contribute to a troubled sense of identity.

Youth's are challenged with the task of forming an identity, but the challenge for immigrant youth proves to be even harder.

Education

The westernized education system is structured in such a way that allows native english speakers with a westernized sense of culture to succeed. Adolescents who do not share the language of their host country, such as Canada have difficulties with academic performance. Often, these individuals pick up conversationalist aspects of the language but have issues with cognitive concepts that rely on use of the language. The educational system encompasses the values and customs of the place in which it is taught, often lacking a diverse perspective in the curriculums. Additionally, teachers and educational professionals are not adequately trained to understand the circumstances that affect the immigrants academic and personal life. Different cultures interpret and go about events differently, and what may seem insignificant to one may be fairly important to another. Teachers may not understand or tolerate these differences. If given the resources and taught different approaches to academia, teachers would be better equipped to assist immigrant individuals with academic success. Due to the frustration they can often experience academic failure and an overall sense of low self esteem. Academic failure early in the one's life can create a cycle of disadvantages. That person may enter the labour market with little to no education, and may be forced into low paying or dangerous jobs. Subsequently, the immigrant and the family are then forced into unfavorable living conditions due to low income, which can create a stressful and noisy studying environment. Thus, the cycle continues.

Immigrant youths fear going to school, as they are often afraid to show their cultural identity.

Identity

Creating a healthy sense of identity during the period of adolescence is important for all, however it is a daunting and difficult tasks for immigrants and children of immigrants. Immigrants and their children are torn between the attempt to keep cultural roots from their home countries and the desire to be accepted and fit in with their new settling homes. Children in school are exposed to teachers and peers that foster a lack of acceptance of the child's differences. The more distinct and different the child's culture is, the more intense the feeling of difference is felt. While trying to fit into their peer groups and communities as a whole, children are frequently forced to discard the cultures of their homes or of their parents. Children are reluctant to reveal their cultural backgrounds because they fear discrimination and ridicule. However, even when children abandon their cultures and attempt to fit in with their western peers they are still bullied and face discriminatory actions. This leaves immigrant youth in a confusing situation, because they cannot form identities with either of their supposed homes.

Canada encourages different cultural backgrounds, however immigrants are constantly disadvantaged.

Assimilation

In Canada, the state prides itself on being a multicultural nation called a cultural mosaic which implies the acceptance of different cultures. However immigrants are still challenged with injustices and discrimination regularly. Canada does not like to define its actions as attempts of assimilation, but they frequently appear as so. Assimilation forces individuals to give up their values, customs and beliefs in order to become a part of the mainstream culture. The pressure at school to assimilate into the new culture is generally fueled with the need to blend in and appear likable to peers. By acting and appearing different than their peers, they are regularly bullied and put down. This can force them to drop out of school, or fear attending their classes. However, by attempting to blend in, the children have to leave their previous cultures behind.

Noteworthy Research

Below are articles and contributions that shed light on the issues that young immigrants face.

Education

In The New Immigrants and Education: Challenges and Issues the author expresses the difficulties that immigrant youth encounter when in western education systems. Teachers are ill equipped to teach children who may have language barriers or have large cultural differences. Many students are born into cultures that value certain characteristics, like family interdependence, which does not necessarily fit in with the western "me centred" perspective.

Home

In Immigrant Children and Youth the author explores the meaning of home for immigrants and the hardships that they endure when immigrating to a new place. This book states that home is where you are safe and comfortable, but often immigrants feel a lack of safety because they are not completely welcomed.

Stories Shared

Tan Le expresses her story of immigration and the hardships that came with her journey. She explains that in school she was called "an asian that needed to go home", but she remembers thinking "what home?". While trying to establish an identity in her new home, these acts of discrimination cause confusion.

References

Bowlus, A. J., Miyairi, M. and Robinson, C. (2016). Immigrant job search assimilation in Canada. Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, 49, 5–51.
Bursztyn, A. Korn-Bursztyn, C. (2013). Immigrant Children and Youth: Psychological Challenges. California, Colorado.
Canada, Canadian Electronic Library, Social Planning of Ottawa. (2010). Retrieved December 1, 2016, from http://deslibris.ca.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/ID/225614
Dalla, R. L. (2009). Strengths and challenges of new immigrant families: Implications for research, education, policy, and service. Lanham: Lexington Books.
Hyslop, K. (2011). Facing Challenges: Young Newcomers to BC [jpg]. Retrieved from http://thetyee.ca/News/2011/10/17/Immigrant-Youth-BC/
James, D. C. S. (1997). Coping with a new society: the unique psychosocial problems of immigrant youth. Journal of School Health, 67(3).
Perkins, L. (2000). The New Immigrants and Education: Challenges and Issues. Educational Horizons, 78(2), 67-71. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/42927024