Trauma-informed Education Support Program for Refugee Survivors

Authors

  • Jaswant Kaur Bajwa George Brown College
  • Sean Kidd Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
  • Mulugeta Abai
  • Ibtissem Knouzi
  • Sidonia Couto
  • Kwame McKenzie wellesely institute

Keywords:

trauma-informed, refugee survivors, strength-based, participatory research, higher education.

Abstract

This paper describes how various community partners collaborated to design and implement a student-centred, trauma-informed educational program that addresses the personal and systemic barriers identified by refugees who are survivors of trauma as obstacles to accessing higher education, and consequently social inclusion, in Canada. This 14-week program created a safe space where participants could rebuild identities, agency, and confidence and develop healthy relationships of trust and mutual respect. Measures of well-being and qualitative interviews conducted at entry, mid, and exit points showed statistically significant improvements on measures of self-esteem, resilience, and life satisfaction and overall satisfaction with the program.

 

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Published

2020-02-20

How to Cite

Bajwa, J. K., Kidd, S., Abai, M., Knouzi, I., Couto, S., & McKenzie, K. (2020). Trauma-informed Education Support Program for Refugee Survivors: . Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education, 32(1). Retrieved from https://cjsae.library.dal.ca/index.php/cjsae/article/view/5452

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Section

Articles