Leading Change, Implementing Solutions, Sharing Knowledge: The Refugee and Im/Migrant Youth Conference
The Refugee and Im/Migrant Youth Conference, held in Toronto on February 21, brought together organizations and youth to showcase projects focused on supporting refugee and migrant youth and minors.
Presented by Tracy Muriithi, Coordinator of the project A Roadmap to Justice, and Jovana Blagovcanin, FCJ Refugee Centre’s Anti-Human Trafficking Manager, the Conference included presentations by youth working on impactful projects across three organizations (Centre for Refugee Children, FCJ Refugee Centre, and S4 Collective), and a panel discussion. It was a great opportunity to connect, share knowledge, and work toward creating a better system for the youth we serve.
The event opened with Stefan Enrique Joseph Kallikaden, FCJ Refugee Centre’s Youth and Access to Education Coordinator, who presented the report Building Pathways: Enhancing Access to Education Systems for Newcomer Children & Youth, prepared by the FCJ Youth Network.
This document is the second part of the Ontario Education Report Card, and it includes the findings, conclusions and recommendations of the Phase 2 of the project. The first part (the report A Rocky Path: Understanding Access to Education Challenges for Newcomer Children & Youth) was presented on June 2024.
The new two-phased report is an updated and more extensive version of the 2016 report produced also by the FCJ Youth Network, assessing the secondary school system in Ontario on five salient areas: Getting In, Equitable Participation, Anti-Discrimination, Support, and Moving On.
The new Ontario Education Report Card addresses rising concerns, create a space for open communication, and foster actionable items for equitable change. It also expands the analysis of the education access for newcomer youth and families to Elementary, Secondary (High School, EdVance, Adult School), and Post-Secondary levels.
Read the report:
Building Pathways: Enhancing Access to Education Systems for Newcomer Children & Youth
The second presentation was given by Tenzin Khentse, FCJ Refugee Centre’s Anti-Human Trafficking – Youth Coordinator, who talked about the new toolkit Pathways to Youth Empowerment: A Survivor-Centered Approach for Healing and Support, prepared by the FCJ Refugee Centre Youth Alliance Against Human Trafficking.
Acknowledging that human trafficking is a complex and pressing issue that affects individuals globally, including right here in Ontario, this toolkit aims to raise awareness, provide vital information, and equip both youth and service providers with the tools necessary to prevent, identify, and respond to cases of human trafficking.
The toolkit addresses how understanding human trafficking in its various forms is essential for creating proactive measures to protect vulnerable populations, particularly migrant youth, who are often targeted by traffickers. The key highlights are Support Group Facilitation, Accessibility of Services, Inter-Organization Communication, Holistic Support for Survivorsand Empathy and Understanding in Service Provision.
Read the toolkit:
Pathways to Youth Empowerment: A Survivor-Centered Approach for Healing and Support
After a networking and lunch break, the Conference resumed with the project A Roadmap to Justice, which was presented by the project’s Coordinator, Tracy Muriithi, and the project’s Youth Leadership Committee Member Sudayisi Sekajja.
Launched in April 2023 as a collaborative project by the FCJ Refugee Centre and the Centre for Refugee Children, A Roadmap to Justice is a youth-led initiative dedicated to improving the immigration and settlement system for unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) and youth in Ontario. The goal is to drive systemic and policy changes for a more inclusive and supportive future.
After showing a special video with testimonies and real youth experiences, presenters explained the project’s progress after two years of work, including collecting data from minors and youth, focus groups with youth and minors service organizations, data analysis and reporting, developing a Theory of Change, and creating the Action Implementation Plan. They also digged into the systemic challenges and roadblocks, and proposed a series of solutions.
Learn more about A Roadmap to Justice and stay tuned for the project progress »
The last presentation of the day was dedicated to the Sanctuary Students Solidarity and Support Collective (S4), with a panel that included Executive Director Elizabeth Barrera, and Project Coordinator Fatima Mohammed.
The Collective was formed in the fall of 2018 to address several challenges identified by precarious migrant and newcomer students (Sanctuary Students) at the threshold of post-secondary education in Ontario, and it’s a “for community, by community” support group with activities, campaigns, information and resources.
S4’s main objectives are to support Sanctuary Students with navigating various levels of education in Ontario; and to support programs and institutions to increase equitable access for these populations. As such, the group works to identify and respond to ongoing and emerging barriers that prevent the full and equitable participation of Sanctuary Students in existing educational institutions.
The Conference closed with a brief panel discussion with event participants.
Learn more about the Sanctuary Students Solidarity and Support Collective »
Gallery (30 pictures):
