Making a New Journey: Comparing the Settlement Experiences of Adult and Child Refugees in Atlantic Canada
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25071/1920-7336.41373Keywords:
Refugee Integration, Atlantic Canada, Canada, Child Refugees, Young Refugees, Refugee Education, Age differences, Comparative study, Leisure Studies, Social integrationAbstract
This article applies the ACL (Age at migration, Context/contact opportunities, and Life cycle stage) framework and uses qualitative interview data to compare the integration of Syrian adult and child refugees in St. John’s, Canada. Almost all children reported having Canadian-born friends, outpacing adults, facilitated by highly integrated classrooms. Their recreational activities were less structured. While adults focused on language school or settlement agency events, children were more open to new experiences and were more optimistic about Canadian weather and food. They more often walked or bused to school, with adults favouring automobiles for transportation.
Metrics
References
Ager, A., & Strang, A. (2008). Understanding integration: A conceptual framework. Journal of Refugee Studies, 21, 166–191. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/fen016
Akbari, A. H. (2015). Human resource deficit in Atlantic Canada: A challenge for regional economic development. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 16(2), 225–236.
Akbari, A. (2020). Immigration in Nova Scotia: Who Comes, Who Stays, Who Leaves and Why? A Research Project Report prepared for Nova Scotia Office of Immigration, Government of Nova Scotia. https://www.smu.ca/webfiles/3StayersandLeaversSurveyReportFinalOctober23.pdf
Almerico, G. M. (2014). Food and identity: Food studies, cultural, and personal identity. Journal of International Business and Cultural Studies, 8, 1–7.
Arnett, J. J. (2002). The psychology of globalization. The psychology of globalization. American Psychologist, 57(10), 774–783.
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency [ACOA]. (2020). The labour market in Atlantic Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/atlantic-canada-opportunities/services/researchstudies10.html
Bauer, C. A., & Hannover, B. (2020). Can I be myself around natives? Feelings of inauthenticity mediate the relationship between perceived discrimination and tendencies to avoid friendships with natives among refugees in Germany. Social Psychology, 51(6), 396–407. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-9335/a000423
Beiser, M., Puente-Duran, S., & Hou, F. (2015). Cultural distance and emotional problems among immigrant and refugee youth in Canada: Findings from the New Canadian Child and Youth Study (NCCYS). International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 49, 33–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2015.06.005
Bergnehr, D., Aronson, O., & Enell, S. (2020). Friends through school and family: Refugee girls’ talk about friendship formation. Childhood, 27(4), 530–544. https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568220923718
Bishai, D. M. (2004). Does time preference change with age? Journal of Population Economics, 17(4), 583–602. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-004-0187-0
Brar-Josan, N., & Yohani, S. C. (2019). Cultural brokers’ role in facilitating informal and formal mental health supports for refugee youth in school and community context: A Canadian case study. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 47(4), 512–523. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2017.1403010
Bunar, N., & Juvonen, P. (2022). “Not (yet) ready for the mainstream”—Newly arrived migrant students in a separate educational program. Journal of Education Policy, 37(6), 986–1008. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680939.2021.1947527
Cheung, S. Y., & Phillimore, J. (2014). Refugees, social capital, and labour market integration in the UK. Sociology, 48(3), 518–536. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038513491467
City of St. John’s. (n.d.). St. John’s climate. https://www.stjohns.ca/en/recreation-culture/st-john-s-climate.aspx
City of St. John’s. (2024, February 20). City of St. John’s releases 2023 economic review. https://www.stjohns.ca/en/news/city-of-st-john-s-releases-2023-economic-review.aspx
Clark, N. (2009). Welcoming communities and immigrant integration in Newfoundland and Labrador [Master’s thesis, Ryerson University]. https://doi.org/10.32920/ryerson.14645205.v1
Conference Board of Canada. (n.d.). Life satisfaction. https://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/life-satisfaction-aspx-2/
Dekker, B., & Siegel, M. (2014, February 6). Transnationalism and integration: Complements or substitutes? [Working paper]. Maastricht University. https://migration.unu.edu/publications/working-papers/transnationalism-and-integration-complements-or-substitutes.html
Dustmann, C. (1996). The social assimilation of immigrants. Journal of Population Economics, 9(1), 37–54. https://doi.org/10.1007/PL00003825
Edmonston, B. (2013). Life course perspectives on immigration. Canadian Studies in Population, 40(1–2), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.25336/P6MK73
El-Bialy, R., & Mulay, S. (2015). Two sides of the same coin: Factors that support and challenge the wellbeing of refugees resettled in a small urban center. Health & Place, 35, 52–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2015.06.009
Erdal, M. B., & Ezzati, R. (2015). “Where are you from” or “When did you come”? Temporal dimensions in migrants’ reflections about settlement and return. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 38(7), 1202–1217. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2014.971041
Erdal, M. B., & Oeppen, C. (2013). Migrant balancing acts: Understanding the interactions between integration and transnationalism. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 39(6), 867–884. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2013.765647
Fang, T., Sapeha, H., Neil, K. C., & Jaunty-Aidamenbor, O. (2020). Syrian refugee integration in Newfoundland and Labrador. In L. K. Hamilton, V. Luisa, & M. Walton-Roberts (Eds.), A national project: Syrian refugee resettlement in Canada (pp. 311–330). McGill-Queen’s University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv176ktst.20
Fang, T., Xiao, N., Zhu, J., & Hartley, J. (2022). Employer attitudes and the hiring of immigrants and international students: Evidence from a survey of employers in Atlantic Canada. Canadian Public Policy, 48(S1), 17–37. https://doi.org/10.3138/cpp.2022-007
Fitzpatrick, S. (2018). Grade level placement for refugee students: Determining appropriate placement. Morning Watch, 46(1–2), 1–4. https://journals.library.mun.ca/index.php/mwatch/article/view/2044/1625
Flight, G. (2021). Investigating the challenges that face refugee students in Newfoundland and Labrador—An educators’ perspective [Master’s thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland]. Memorial University Research Repository. https://research.library.mun.ca/15295/1/thesis.pdf
Garcés-Mascareñas, B., & Penninx, R. (2016). Introduction: Integration as a three-way process approach? In B. Garcés- Mascareñas & R. Penninx (Eds.), Integration processes and policies in Europe (pp. 1–9). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21674-4_1
Gien, L., & Law, R. (2009). Attracting and retaining immigrants to Newfoundland and Labrador: Voices from the newcomers and international students. Harris Centre, Memorial University of Newfoundland. https://research.library.mun.ca/8155/
Government of Canada. (2016). Wind atlas. http://www.windatlas.ca/maps-en.php?field=EU&height=50&season=ANU
Government of Canada. (2025). Precipitation climatology— Map—Average—Oct-Nov-Dec. https://weather.gc.ca/saisons/image_e.html?format=clim_stn&season=ond&type=pcpn
Government of Newfoundland & Labrador. (n.d.). Literacy enrichment and academic readiness for newcomers (LEARN). Making a New Journey https://www.gov.nl.ca/education/k12/curriculum/descriptions/learn-newcomers/
Hannafi, C., & Marouani, M. A. (2023). Social integration of Syrian refugees and their intention to stay in Germany. Journal of Population Economics, 36(2), 581–607. https://doi.org/101007/s00148-022-00913-1
Houle, R., & Schellenberg, G. (2010, February). New immigrants’ assessments of their life in Canada [Working paper]. Statistics Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11f0019m/11f0019m2010322-eng.pdf
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. (2023). Immigrate through the Atlantic Immigration Program: Get in touch with a settlement service provider organization. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/atlantic-immigration/settlement-service-provider-organizations.html
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. (2024, May 10). How long does the support for government-assisted refugees last? https://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=102&top=11
International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers. (n.d.). Total world vehicles in use (in thousand units). https://www.oica.net/wp-content/uploads/Total-World-vehicles-in-use-2020.pdf
Jedwab, J. (2008). Religion and social capital in Canada. Canadian Diversity, 6(1), 25–46. King, C. (2015, August 4). For this Newfoundland holiday, bad weather means all boats are off—St. John’s residents get to miss work for the regatta, but only if strong winds don’t spoil the atmosphere. The Wall Street Journal, https://www.wsj.com/articles/for-this-newfoundland-holidaybad-weather-means-all-boats-are-off-1438649053
Kyeremeh, E., Arku, G., Mkandawire, P., Cleave, E., & Yusuf, I. (2021). What is success? Examining the concept of successful integration among African immigrants in Canada. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 47(3), 649–667. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2019.1639494
Li, X., & Grineva, M. (2016). Academic and social adjustment of high school refugee youth in Newfoundland. TESL Canada Journal, 34(1), 51–71. https://doi.org/10.18806/tesl.v34i1.1255
Li, X., & Que, H. (2016). Integration and career challenges of newcomer youth in Newfoundland in Canada. FIRE: Forum for International Research in Education, 2(3), Article 5. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1133795.pdf
Li, X., & Que, H. (2020). Support for refugee students in a Newfoundland high school: Merits and ramifications. Education in the North, 27(1), 5–20. https://doi.org/10.26203/wfjh-v278
Li, X., Que, H., & Power, K. (2017). Welcome to “the Rock”: Service providers’ views on newcomer youth integration in Newfoundland and Labrador. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 18(4), 1105–1122. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12134-017-0520-6
Lichtenstein, G., & Puma, J. E. (2019). The Refugee Integration Survey and Evaluation (RISE): Results from a four-year longitudinal study. Journal of Refugee Studies, 32(3), 397–416. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/fey034
McDiarmid, S., Durbeej, N., Sarkadi, A., & Osman, F. (2021). Schools’ and teachers’ roles and challenges in supporting the mental wellbeing of refugee youths: A qualitative study with Swedish teachers. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being, 17(1), Article 2007568. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2021.2007568
McDonald, J. T., Cruickshank, B., & Liu, Z. (2018). Immigrant retention in NB: An analysis using administrative Medicare Registry data. Journal of Population Research, 35(4), 325– 341. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12546-018-9217-8
Meidenbauer, K. L., Stenfors, C. U. D., Young, J., Layden, E. A., Schertz, K. E., Kardan, O., Decety, J., & Berman, M. G. (2019). The gradual development of the preference for natural environments. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 65, Article 101328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2019.101328
Monteiro, L., & Haan, M. (2021). The life satisfaction of immigrants in Canada: Does time since arrival matter more than income? Journal of International Migration & Integration, 23, 1397–1420. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-021-00899-x
Murad, S., & Versey, H. S. (2021). Barriers to leisure-time social participation and community integration among Syrian and Iraqi refugees. Leisure Studies, 40(3), 378–391. https://doi.org/10.1080/02614367.2020.1862281
Pascoe-Deslauriers, R. (2020). Putting employers to work in economic development in the Atlantic provinces of Canada. Local Economy, 35(2), 165–175. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269094220907550
Penninx, R., & Garcés-Mascareñas, B. (2016). The concept of integration as an analytical tool and as a policy concept. In B. Garcés-Mascareñas & R. Penninx (Eds.), Integration processes and policies in Europe: Contexts, levels and actors (pp. 11–29). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21674-4_2
Pottie-Sherman, Y., & Graham, N. (2021). Live, work, and stay? Geographies of immigrant receptivity in Atlantic Canada’s aspiring gateways. Geographical Review, 111(2), 287–307. https://doi.org/10.1080/00167428.2020.1804301
Pottie-Sherman, Y., & Lynch, N. (2019). Gaming on the edge: Mobile labour and global talent in Atlantic Canada’s video game industry. The Canadian Geographer, 63(3), 425–439. https://doi.org/10.1111/cag.12522
Pozzo, M., & Nerghes, A. (2020). Dutch without the Dutch: Discourse, policy, and program impacts on the social integration and language acquisition of young refugees (ages 12– 23). Social Identities, 26(6), 842–860. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504630.2020.1814721
Pritchard, P., Maehler, D. B., Pötzschke, S., & Ramos, H. (2019). Integrating refugee children and youth: A scoping review of English and German literature. Journal of Refugee Studies, 32(Special_Issue_1), i194–i208. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/fez024
Randall, J. E., Kitchen, P., Muhajarine, N., Newbold, B., Williams, A., & Wilson, K. (2014). Immigrants, islandness and perceptions of quality-of-life on Prince Edward Island, Canada. Island Studies Journal, 9(2), 343–362. https://doi.org/10.24043/isj.310
Reitmanova, S., & Gustafson, D. L. (2017). Health and social inequities of visible minority immigrant women in St. John’s: A critical population health perspective. In G. Tibe Bonifacio & J. Drolet (Eds.), Canadian perspectives on immigration in small cities (pp. 173–194). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40424-0_9
Sano, Y., Kaida, L., & Swiss, L. (2017). Earnings of immigrants in traditional and non-traditional destinations: A case study from Atlantic Canada. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 18(3), 961–980. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-017-0512-6
Sapeha, H. (2015). Explaining variations in immigrants’ satisfaction with their settlement experience. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 16(4), 891–910. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-014-0371-3
Making a New Journey Schunck, R. (2011). Immigrant integration, transnational activities and the life course. In M. Wingens, M. Windzio, H. de- Valk, & C. Aybek (Eds.), A life-course perspective on migration and integration (pp. 259–282). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1545-5_12
Sergerie, F., Chastko, K., Saunders, D., & Charbonneau, P. (2021, May 11). Defining Canada’s downtown neighbourhoods: 2016 boundaries. Statistics Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/91f0015m/91f0015m2021001-eng.htm
Shuayb, M., Hammoud, M., & Al Samhoury, O. (2022). A comparative longitudinal study of the schooling of refugee children in Lebanon, Turkey, and Australia. Lebanese American University & Centre for Lebanese Studies. https://lebanesestudies.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/A-Comparative-Longitudinal-Study-of-Refugee-Childrens-Schooling-in-Lebanon-Turkey-and-Australia.pdf
Spaaij, R. (2015). Refugee youth, belonging and community sport. Leisure Studies, 34(3), 303–318. https://doi.org/10.1080/02614367.2014.893006
Stack, J. A. C., & Iwasaki, Y. (2009). The role of leisure pursuits in adaptation processes among Afghan refugees who have immigrated to Winnipeg, Canada. Leisure Studies, 28(3), 239– 259. https://doi.org/10.1080/02614360902951658
Statistics Canada. (2021, December 10). Table 1: Five-year retention rates, by pre-admission experience and province or territory, for the 2014 admission year. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/211210/t001b-eng.htm
Statistics Canada. (2022, April 27). Map 4: The populations of the Atlantic provinces are aging quickly. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220427/mc-a004-eng.htm
Statistics Canada. (2025, February 19). Table 13-10-0843-01: Life satisfaction by gender and province. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1310084301
Stewart, J., & El Chaar, D. (2020). The honeymoon’s over: Postsettlement issues and challenges for Syrian refugee youth in Canada. In L. K. Hamilton, V. Luisa, & M. Walton-Roberts (Eds.), A national project: Syrian refugee resettlement in Canada (pp. 105–126). McGill-Queen’s University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv176ktst.11
Strang, A. B., & Quinn, N. (2021). Integration or isolation? Refugees’ social connections and wellbeing. Journal of Refugee Studies, 34(1), 328–353. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/fez040
Takenaka, A. (2017). Immigrant integration through food: Nikkei cuisine in Peru. Contemporary Japan, 29(2), 117–131. https://doi.org/10.1080/18692729.2017.1351022
UNHCR. (n.d.a). Refugees in Canada. https://www.unhcr.ca/incanada/refugees-in-canada/
Wilkinson, L. (2013). Introduction: Developing and testing a generalizable model of immigrant integration. Canadian Ethnic Studies, 45(3), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1353/ces.2013.0038
Wingens, M., De Valk, H., Windzio, M., & Aybek, C. (2011). The sociological life course approach and research on migration and integration. In M. Wingens, M. Windzio, H. de Valk, & C. Aybek (Eds.), A life-course perspective on migration and integration (pp. 1–26). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1545-5_1
Wrzus, C., Hänel, M., Wagner, J., & Neyer, F. J. (2013). Social network changes and life events across the life span: A metaanalysis. Psychological Bulletin, 139(1), 53–80. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028601
Ylikoski, P., & Zahle, J. (2019). Case study research in the social sciences. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A, 78, 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2019.10.003
Zhaoyang, R., Sliwinski, M. J., Martire, L. M., & Smyth, J. M. (2018). Age differences in adults’ daily social interactions: An ecological momentary assessment study. Psychology and Aging, 33(4), 607–618. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000242
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 John Hartley, Tony Fang, Shanawaz Khan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Refuge authors retain the copyright over their work, and license it to the general public under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial License International (CC BY-NC 4.0). This license allows for non-commercial use, reproduction and adaption of the material in any medium or format, with proper attribution. For general information on Creative Commons licences, visit the Creative Commons site. For the CC BY-NC 4.0 license, review the human readable summary.
