Promoting refugee well -being: A community -based advocacy and learning intervention
Author(s):
Goodkind, Jessica R.
Format:
Thesis
Degree granted:
Ph.D.
Publisher:
Ann Arbor : Michigan State University, 2002.
Pages:
295
Language:
English
Abstract:
The United States accepts approximately 70,000 refugees each year for resettlement. Most of these refugees face numerous struggles in their new lives, including overcoming past traumas and adjusting to a different environment that is not particularly receptive to newcomers. The adjustment of Hmong refugees has been particularly challenging. The Refugee Well-Being Project was developed to promote the well-being and empowerment of Hmong refugees. It was rooted in ecological and empowerment perspectives, focusing on improving the community's responsiveness to the needs of refugees and building upon refugees' strengths, experiences, and interests. For a period of six months, Hmong adults and undergraduate students participated together in the intervention, which had two major elements: an educational component, which involved cultural exchange, opportunities to address community issues collectively, and one-on-one learning opportunities for Hmong adults, and an advocacy component which involved undergraduates advocating for and transferring advocacy skills to Hmong families to increase their access to resources in their communities. An evaluation with both quantitative and qualitative components revealed that Hmong and undergraduate participants benefited in numerous ways. Hmong participants' quality of life, satisfaction with resources, English proficiency, and knowledge for the United States citizenship test increased and their levels of distress decreased over the course of the intervention. In addition, Hmong participants increased their environmental mastery, self-sufficiency, and self-confidence. Both Hmong and undergraduates developed greater critical consciousness and awareness about structural factors affecting their lives, the difficulties faced by refugees, diversity within the United States, and possibilities for collective action. These findings suggest that attending to the exile-related stressors faced by refugees, providing opportunities for mutual learning and collective validation, and collaboratively developing interventions that are community-based and culturally-appropriate are important aspects of promoting refugees' well-being and creating supportive contexts for newcomers to the United States.