Author: Joelle Badran
Joelle Badran has a background in humanitarian aid and emergency response and is interested in migration studies and children on the move. She is currently pursuing a PhD as a doctoral researcher at the University of Antwerp. Her research is centered around the unaccompanied refugee minors’ experiences of solidarity and recognition in their everyday social life in Belgium. Joelle is supervised by Prof. Dr. Stijn Oosterlynck at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, and co-supervised by Prof. Dr. Thomas Kampen at the University of Humanistic Studies in Utrecht, the Netherlands. She is affiliated with the European research consortium ‘Solidarity in Diversity’ (SOLiDi).
Young refugees are not passive beings. They can actively shape their lives and participate in society. Social professionals play a key role in this.
© Unsplash / Sourabh Barua
Finding your way in society
Young refugees who arrive alone in our country are children with unique stories and perspectives. They are willing and able to actively shape their lives. Social professionals play a key role in creating a context that empowers them and humanizes their experience. They provide an environment that ensures that the voices of these young people are heard and respected, and through which they can find their own way in society
How are young refugees supported, recognized and valued? To understand this, I went to a small-scale reception center for unaccompanied refugee minors in Flanders. For more than a year and a half, I participated in the daily life of the youngsters.
I conducted extensive interviews with minors from Afghanistan, Guinea, Somalia and Syria. It involved twelve boys and one girl, between eleven and eighteen years old. In addition, I spoke with staff, volunteers, and guardians associated with the center [1].
Lost childhood
"I lost my childhood the day I left Afghanistan. I haven't known what it feels like to be a kid for a long time," Ali tells me [2]. Six years ago, he began his journey to Europe. He was ten years old at the time.
Like many other unaccompanied refugee minors, Ali carries the heavy burden of a lost, if not stolen, childhood. Their arduous migration journey and fight for asylum lead to an accelerated and troubled transition to adulthood. Despite their young age, you would sometimes almost forget that they are children.
Many of these young people are resilient and determined. They shape their migration trajectory as much as it shapes them. Yet, underneath these traits are often experiences of trauma, depression, struggle, and sometimes outright dehumanization.
This is articulated in Farah's testimony, for instance. He fled the Taliban, who killed his parents, and describes how he survived during his journey: "We were left alone, in the freezing jungle. For three days we had to eat tree leaves to survive hunger."
Children with a name
Unaccompanied refugee minors want to be seen as ordinary children. The conversations show that they felt valued when first responders acknowledge their needs, opinions, and stories. Recognition humanizes their experiences.
Sometimes it's even about something as seemingly obvious as acknowledging their name. "Here I have a name. My name," says Bassem from Syria about how he experiences the stay in the small-scale reception center. Things were completely different in the large-scale center where he was first accommodated. "There I was called by my room and bed number. That's not good. I had a hard time there. If I had stayed there, I would have died."
Their voices matter
Behind the names are young people with distinct identities and voices. Individuals with dignity and pride. They should be given the opportunity to express themselves. These youngsters, who have spent days, months , and sometimes even years traveling across continents, can do that too.
“To create inclusive, equitable, and safe environments for them, it is important not only to decide for them, but also to listen to which path they want to take, ” says a social assistant. This also means thinking along with them and not just thinking on their behalf. For example, it is important to involve them through meaningful and tailor-made consultations. This approach requires time, effort, staff availability, and most importantly, conscious attention.
Professionals can actively stimulate the inputs of these young people. Or as one of the social assistants sums it up nicely: "It is their right to make their voices heard and it is our duty not only to hear what they say, but also to listen." This approach not only empowers these youngsters, it also allows their voices to be heard where they are often ignored or silenced.
Getting involved in small and big things
Involving the young people can be done in many different ways. Sometimes it's about very small things. Every Monday, for example, there is a meeting at the shelter. Mike outlines how it works: "I like it. We can talk about problems. What's good, what's not good. We don't talk behind anyone's back. We also get to choose what we want to eat during the week."
But it is also about more important matters. Nicolai recounts, for example, how, after a serious conflict with some supervisors and other youngsters, he was asked to contribute constructively to a solution. "I made a big mistake: I fought with someone. That really wasn't okay," he acknowledges. "It was a reason to send me somewhere else, but we talked. I got another chance and was able to stay."
One of the professionals explains that they wanted to involve Nicolai and the other young people in finding a solution: "We really asked them to work with us. We made them part of the solution, so to speak."
Giving something back to those around them
The fact that these young refugees are vulnerable does not make them passive beings. They deserve to be approached as active members of their community, rather than merely as passive recipients of support. "We see that they have talents," says a social assistant. "Although I don't know if everyone can see that."
Volunteering, for example, is positive for the development of youngsters. It can empower them. "It's good that they're volunteering," expresses one guardian. "They're just like normal people doing something for the people around them."
When one of the center's volunteers needed some extra hands in the yard, some guys offered to help. "He always comes to play football with us," Mike explains. "I wanted to help him, too." The social assistant who came along enjoyed watching: "They worked, laughed, joked. In their own way, they all had their roles. So I think these youngsters can contribute, but we have to give them the opportunity to do so."
Never enough
When Ali talks about how he helps other people, he indicates that he feels his efforts are not enough. "When I do something, I always think it should be more and better. Even when I'm doing my best or doing it perfectly. It's never enough." It's a sound we also hear from Layali: "I'm good at helping people and everyone tells me so, but I want to do more."
One of the social professionals rightly notes that the young refugees do not always have the mental space for volunteering. "But when they're doing it, they're at their best." When it is possible and feasible, professionals can play an important role by facilitating it.
Professionals can raise awareness about the importance of volunteering among these youngsters. They can advocate for more places and opportunities in surrounding areas where the young people can lend a hand. They can also direct the youngsters to existing volunteering platforms and explain the application process and requirements. Giving the youth a figurative pat on the back for their efforts encourages them. It makes them feel like they belong.
Generating a much-needed income
Young refugees are often weighed down by financial responsibility for their families in the home country. Student jobs are a way to generate a much-needed income. But work is challenging, because it distracts attention from school and integration. And on top of that, it increases the pressure that rests on their young shoulders.
Nevertheless, a student job, if feasible, can also help them develop skills. It strengthens their social bonds and sense of productivity. It makes the young people feel a sense of belong and normalcy, something they are constantly striving for. "Every boss is happy with them. Did you know that?", says a professional.
Majed works as a student and really enjoys it. "Working as a student is a right, just like school. All my friends work. The friends I made outside of shelter and football are all people I met at work."
Professionals, as with volunteering, can help these young people along the way. For instance, by helping them with job applications, preparing a CV, clarifying job requirements and making them aware of their rights and responsibilities.
Motivating Dreams
Like all children, unaccompanied minors have dreams. Those dreams motivate them. They pop up between the lines in their personal stories. Many dream of successfully completing their fraught migration story. Others have ambitions that symbolize resilience and hope for a better future amid all adversities.
"When I grow up, I want to be a judge or a lawyer. I want to help other children," says Ronaldo, for example. While Zarif, who has a talent for cycling, wants to become a professional cyclist. "Here in Belgium, they do that. My assistant tried to get me into a club, but there was no free spots, so now he's looking for another one."
Challenges related to asylum status, mobility, social vulnerability and integration problems often get in the way of these dreams. Yet, despite the obstacles, social professionals can create a place and space where these young people can develop. By offering them the opportunity to express themselves, share ambitions, improve skills, pursue goals and increase their self-confidence.
They do exist, the professionals who believe in the potential, opinions and dreams of these youngsters. Who are willing to go the extra mile to cater for them. I noticed that in my research. Unaccompanied refugee minors need more of these supportive and authentic figures