Schools have critical role to play in supporting adolescents fleeing armed conflict
The findings are published online in Social Science & Medicine.
“Our review showed that despite recurring challenges, many girls and boys manage to adjust to their new lives,” noted Wessells. “Up to now, there was little discussion in the literature on how school-based programs for refugees and immigrants actually achieve holistic support for refugee and migrant children and how they enable educators, children, and families to navigate the social and cultural complexities associated with children’s and families’ movement to high income countries.”
The review was conducted to provide a more comprehensive picture of current school-based approaches to improve the health and wellbeing of adolescent forced migrants.
Among the findings:
“These programs showcase the abilities of schools to identify and monitor student needs, provide or connect with holistic supports for refugee and migrant adolescents, and contribute to continuity of care,” said Wessells, who noted that partnerships were central to most elements of the programs reviewed.