Facilitating Learning and Transition among the Refugee Population

Abstract

Those of us who work with recent immigrants can attest to the fact that it can be both a rewarding as well as a challenging experience. We work with people who are tremendously resourceful, driven, resilient, and eager to learn and succeed, but at the stone time, very vulnerable. I have learned this firsthand, having been involved in refugee education as an employment counselor and later, as a consultant for a social service agency engaged in refugee resettlement. My clients were primarily newcomers from the former Soviet Union and former Yugoslavia. They represented a diverse group of people, varied in age, gender, level of education, socioeconomic status, and regional, cultural, and religious affiliation. Most of my clients had limited English proficiency, but basically all were employable adults with at least a high school diploma. Many of them, both male and female, were professionals in their old country. Over the years, I conducted numerous job-skills-related workshops and training sessions with these groups of refugees. From these experiences, I have learned some basic considerations to help improve the overall refugee learning experience. I will discuss these in this article. Honoring Transitions Moving to a new country is one of the most difficult and transforming events in one's life. People usually don't leave the countries of their birth without some compelling reasons. Although this is true for the immigrants in general, the situation is most dramatic for those who are granted refugee status. Refugees free their homeland escaping war, civil unrest, or persecution based on ethnicity, religion, or other convictions. In many cases, going back home is not an option for many years to come. Although for most refugees, coming to America is a life-saving experience and a dream come true, many clients told me repeatedly that emigration was extremely traumatic and the adjustment to a new life took years. I can only agree since I walked the same road when I came to this country from Russia 12 years ago. Sometimes we are so happy for our refugee clients that made it here that we tend to forget that their difficult journey does not end when they step on American soil; it just begins. They undergo different stages of transition. There is the psychological process people go through to come to terms with the new situation. Bridges (1991) refers to this as the ending phase. Refugees' successful adjustment to a new life starts with the ability to leave the old situation behind. However, refugees landing in a new country often experience intense grief for the things they left behind: their place of birth, culture, language, and a familiar way of life, as well as relatives and friends. In addition, there is a loss of social status, personal identity, and the ability to operate effectively in the environment. This situation creates frustration and a sense of helplessness, and when an adult person feels like a helpless child, it shatters and demoralizes even the strongest and most confident individual. It is no wonder that such an emotional turmoil has a profound effect on any learning situation that refugees or immigrants encounter. After the old way is gone, according to Bridges (1991), people move into the neutral zone, a very confusing place where old habits are no longer working in a new situation and new patterns of behavior are not yet created. It is a painful time for refugees when they reexamine and reevaluate their prior life experiences and question their personal and cultural values, assumptions, and attitudes. This is the most creative time when critical thinking is done and new life strategies form. Depending on the scope of the transition, getting out of the neutral zone takes time and positive attitude. Realizing that there is no way back, the refugee enters a phase, which Bridges (1991) describes as the new beginning. At this phase, the individual establishes once and for all that the transition is final. …