| Description |
This study is about refugee youth social capital: how social capital forms and operates for refugee youth groups in pre- and post-resettlement contexts and what compositions of bridging and bonding social capital inhibit or lead to successful refugee youth education incorporation in post-resettlement. I explore Iraqi and Somali Bantu study participant experiences in various elements of pre- and post-resettlement contexts (i.e., geopolitical factors, economic conditions, and in school settings) to highlight similarities and differences across groups. This study identifies unique factors in reception contexts that fracture social capital: legal status challenges in asylum, economic constraints, religious and racial discrimination, geographic dislocation, under-resourced schools, cultural educational treatment of young women, deficits discourse and Whiteness in school systems, intergenerational challenges, and ethnic tension. The study also demonstrates that factors in reception contexts that fracture can also enable the formation and strengthening of other forms of social capital that can ultimately benefit refugee youth's access to education resources. I conducted qualitative fieldwork through focus groups, interviews, and direct observation involving refugee youth, their parents, community and religious leaders, educators, and refugee youth service care providers. Applying a strengths-based perspective, I analyze the formation and operation of social capital through vehicles that iv promote bonding and bridging social capital such as programs, clubs, and mentorship. Mentorship-built with trust and reciprocity-between refugee youth and teachers, professors, interethnic and co-ethnic peers, parents, siblings, community and religious leaders can form and maintain strong bonds that, through accessing education resources, ultimately lead to successful refugee youth education incorporation. I propose that refugee youth education incorporation matters to the wellbeing of society. Unfortunately, there are a host of challenges refugee youth face through their transitions from their country of origin to asylum countries or refugee camps to resettlement and post-resettlement contexts, further complicated by hostile conditions in resettlement that inhibit high school completion and college participation. To offset these challenging contexts, community leaders, policymakers, educators, and service care providers can encourage the fostering and formation of refugee youth bridging and bonding social capital so refugee youth can academically succeed. |
