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Research Context
Research Context
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, in an escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian war which began in 2014. Canada’s federal government crafted a new, temporary, visitor visa (the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel or CUAET) in response in a move which scholars have called “unprecedented” (see for example, Silverman, 2022). This unprecedented response, however, also resulted in a gap in government-sponsored settlement support services that were left scrambling to cover the sudden influx of Ukrainian nationals who did not immediately fit their support mandate or within their already stretched budgets.
Brief Overview of Research Project
Brief Overview of Research Project
Through the generous support of MacEwan’s Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre and MacEwan's Office of Research Services's Thematic Area Grant, the research team (Dr. Jenn Long & Sofiia Budianska) collected data on the following research questions:
How and why do Edmontonians with Ukrainian heritage support the settlement of Ukrainian newcomers in Edmonton?
What are the settlement experiences of Ukrainian newcomers coming to Edmonton?
To answer this first question, Jenn & Sofiia collected the following data between February and June 2024:
Focus groups with 26 Edmontonians (most had Ukrainian heritage, but some did not).
Life history interviews with 15 Ukrainian newcomers.
Photovoice workshops with 8 Ukrainian newcomers.
How did the Project Team come together?
How did the Project Team come together?
Janice Krissa-Moore approached MacEwan University in late fall 2023 to explore opportunities for research. Krissa-Moore began working with Dr. Jennifer Long (Department of Anthropology, Economics, and Political Science) and Sofiia Budianska (Undergraduate Research Assistant from the Department of Psychology) from MacEwan University, with the support of Larysa Hayduk from MacEwan’s Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre (URDC).
Following ethics approval from MacEwan’s Research Ethics Board, all individuals interviewed were connected in some way to Krissa-Moore or the Free Store for Ukrainian Newcomers.
More information about the Free Store for Ukrainian Newcomers (The Free Store)
More information about the Free Store for Ukrainian Newcomers (The Free Store)
The Free Store is a space where “Ukrainian newcomers can shop for free for things like winter coats, shoes and essentials has moved into a new, larger location to accommodate growing demand” (Lamb & Bremness, March 4, 2023, para. 1). The goal of this store is to “hand up, not hand out” (ibid., para. 2), as Ms. Krissa-Moore is well-aware (through lived experience) of the importance of providing individualized choice and re-establishing dignity in newcomer settlement and service provision. This community knowledge follows existing scholarly research concerning barriers to integration of refugees in Canada (Ghahari et al., 2020; Hakiza, November 27, 2014; Forte et al., 2019; Alexander-Nathani, 2020). The Free Store also provides a space for community connection and belonging, not just among Ukrainian newcomers, but Edmontonians with Ukrainian heritage who are volunteering their time and resources to support these new arrivals. Immigration scholars from across the social sciences have long demonstrated the importance of building host community contacts and connections as a key facilitator and support for newcomer integration (Agrawal & Sangapala, 2021; Costigan et al., 2022; Oudshoorn, Benbow, & Meyer, 2020).
Check out the website: https://www.freestoreyeg.com/
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