Teachers and schools
Recommendations for teachers and schools are organized into five groups, presented below. Links or contacts are also presented.
1. Digital skills training
- Recognise the importance of digital skills for refugee teens and provide tailored training programmes that respond to the distinct and diverse set of needs that different groups and individuals have.
(Lesson plan on digital awareness for refugees)
- Develop training that ranges from supporting fundamental functional and operational communication skills all the way to advanced critical skills that enhance young refugees’ abilities to participate in school, in society, and prepare for future employment.
(Cultural Orientation Resource Exchange (CORE))
(DISC – Digital Skills for Integration and Active Citizenship)
(Developing digital skills and tools for better inclusion of refugees and Immigrants)
- These training efforts should be collaborative, and young refugees’ voices need to be heard and their lived experiences, needs and skills need to be accounted for when such training is designed and delivered.
2. Generate regular opportunities for feedback
- Establish channels for regular communication and feedback so that refugee students can discuss how training and support provided meet their needs, or if they fall short.
(This Refugee-Led Organisation is Championing Digital Skills in Kakuma)
(Digital skills resources for refugees)
- Use this feedback to tailor different kinds of training that recognise that while some may require support in very basic skill development, others may benefit from advanced skills training.
3. Address social media pressures and mental health
- Establish open and inclusive platforms for all students to discuss pressures emerging from their digital engagement.
- Encourage refugee teens to join without singling them out, so that they understand and develop strategies to cope with the pressures they may experience on social media, such as comparing themselves to others or feeling overwhelmed by unrealistic expectations.
(Designing Safe Digital Mental Health and Psycho-Social Support)
- Recognise young refugees’ range of vulnerabilities as teenagers, not only as sufferers of war and destitution, and provide them with opportunities to seek help from peers, teachers, or mental health professionals. Enable conversations on how social media and digital technologies use more broadly can impact their mental health and wellbeing.
4. Cultivate cultural sensitivity and recognition of difference
- Recognise the unique individuality of young refugees and understand that not everyone shares same experiences and vulnerabilities. Listen to their voices and recognise their diverse identities, including gender, sexuality, ethnicity.
(Lilas, a Syrian girl, talks about adapting to her new life in Norway.)
- Prioritise active listening to their perspectives and establish an environment that promotes dialogue among all members of the school community, by including them in all different activities and initiatives.
5. Foster peer support networks
- Recognise the importance of peer support networks for young refugees.
(How to welcome refugees into your school | UNHCR France)
(Empowering refugees through technology)
(Building Skills and Communities)
- Encourage the development of safe and inclusive spaces where students of different backgrounds can share experiences, learn from each other, and provide support.
(Young Champions for Refugees)
- Facilitate group activities, workshops, or mentoring programmes that encourage peer learning and solidarity.
(Toolkits for UNHCR's Young Champions for Refugees)
- Be alert to the risks of divisions between students already in the school system and newcomers, as assumptions about their knowledge and experiences can differ.
(Video - I'm not a number: a refugee's tale)
(Video - What does it take to be a refugee?/Muhaddisa Sarwari)
- Organise group activities and workshops to highlight the diversity of (digital) skills among all students, including important skills newcomers have, such as navigating dangerous cross-border journeys through their smartphones.
(Back to School: Challenges and Strengths of Refugee Students – BRYCS)
Images copyright: storyset from Freepik.