Jenab Camara
This research analyzes how language takes part in integration for asylum seekers. As attempts to control citizenship rights and migration in certain countries becomes adamant, many European integration programs include language courses that are required to gain access to certain rights and privileges in society such as citizenship, housing, work, school, health, etc. The research seeks to answer “In which way can linguistic insecurity hinder asylum seekers in their integration path? It is hoped that this research will inform readers about how linguistic insecurity impacts asylum seeker’s in their independence in seeking integration strategies.
Comments
Beautifully-designed poster! And interesting finding about attitudes about language-learning when English is an option. It would be interesting to learn more about how relying on English rather than the primary language of the destination country affects the ability of refugees to have a positive experience in their new communities. – Jeanette Herman
Feel free to email me about the migration data in the photo! I realize it is not easily viewable! – Jenab Camara
I really like the design of this poster. I’m also happy to see that you had a good experience with IFE — other students have done cool work on those programs in past years. I was surprised to see so many respondents only studying English, and I’m curious what sort of outcomes await them. Any idea what a typical path might be for these students? – Rob Reichle
Thank you! I had such an amazing experience at IFE! I learned so much about Belgian culture, the European Union, and I improved my French immensely! Thank you for your question! So one of the most rewarding aspects of this study was that it was done in a citizen-initiated refugee program and one of the functions of this program was to provide free, non-traditional language courses to students willing to learn. Anybody could teach, and others were more qualified! Many students were passerbys waiting to travel to their next destination (a few students wanting to go to the UK), or to hear back about their citizenship status where they would be granted mandatory language courses by the government. Others simply weren’t sure about their future in Belgium, so there was no typical path for any of the students. So this program provided temporary assignment for situations like these. Those that were able to stay longer saw a lot of improvement in their English, and were able to develop conversational English skills. All students benefited, even if it was solely to interact with other members of society, or foreigners like myself, engaging in conversation ranging from culture, to languages! – Jenab Camara