Support for the Transition of Refugees and Victims of Torture into the Labour Market through Access to Higher Education

Abstract

This chapter provides information on the specific programming needs of victims of torture pursuing higher education, and policy and practice guidelines which will support them in that pursuit. This is a community-based participatory action research project that brought together partners who had educational, research, practical, and real-life expertise in working with marginalized groups on this complex issue, with each partner playing an essential and a vital role in the research. A partnership between George Brown College, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the Wellesley Institute, and the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture established this community-based participatory action research project. The project established innovative outreach for people seeking to integrate into Canadian society through education following experiences of torture and war as a means to aid in the meaningful integration of survivors into Canadian society. This work is scalable to other settings (e.g., universities and colleges across Canada) and groups with experiences of marginalization (e.g., Aboriginals, visible minorities, etc.).

Citation

Bajwa, J.K., Kidd, S., Couto, S., Lidkea, N., Abai, M., Jackman, A. and McKenzie, K. (2018), "Support for the Transition of Refugees and Victims of Torture into the Labour Market through Access to Higher Education", Sengupta, E. and Blessinger, P. (Ed.) Refugee Education: Integration and Acceptance of Refugees in Mainstream Society (Innovations in Higher Education Teaching and Learning, Vol. 11), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 109-124. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2055-364120180000011010