Project Details
Location: Vancouver
Timeline: 2023–2024
Funding: UBC Faculty of Education
Project Contact: Kalisa Young
Description
“Supporting Teachers to Address the Mental Health Needs of Newcomers from War Zones” is an online manual created by Dr. Sofia Noori, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Education. This resource was developed in response to teachers’ expressed need for information and methods to support the large number of recently arrived refugees in schools across Canada, particularly in British Columbia.
Goals
The goal of the manual is to equip educators with the knowledge and strategies necessary to support refugee students, who often seek refuge outside their homeland to escape persecution. With the Canadian federal government increasing the intake of refugees significantly, this impacts schools, students and communities. Successful strategies for supporting refugee students include providing academic and language support, building relationships with students and families and creating a welcoming and inclusive learning environment. However, teachers may face challenges in implementing these strategies due to time constraints, lack of resources and limited training.
The benefits of the program include:
- Providing a quick and easy-to-use resource for educators working with children and youth with refugee experiences;
- Offering background information about recent wars, escape plans, camps and resettlement experiences, and their impact on mental health;
- Presenting a bank of resources and strategies to empower educators;
- Enhancing academic and non-academic references for further exploration by teachers and administrators; and
- Supporting the mental health of refugee students through effective strategies.
Deliverables
Specifically, the deliverables of the project are:
- An interactive and accessible online manual;
- Background information on recent wars and their impact on refugee children and youth;
- A bank of resources and strategies for educators; and
- Academic and non-academic references for further exploration.
The anticipated impact of the project is as follows:
- Enhance educators’ ability to support refugee students effectively;
- Provide comprehensive background information to inform teaching strategies;
- Increase the use of effective mental health support strategies in schools;
- Foster a welcoming and inclusive learning environment for refugee students; and
- Serve as a model for other educational resources focused on supporting refugee students.
Project Team
Project Team Lead
- Sofia Noori, Associate Professor, EDCP
Learning Design and Digital Innovation
- Jamilee Baroud, Curriculum & Evaluation Consultant
- Eduardo Rebagliati, Learning Technology Specialist
- Kalisa Young, Learning Designer
Graduate Research Assistants
- Tamara Brenie
- Monir Shahzeidi
- Leigh Kweon
Project Feedback
“I really appreciate the land acknowledgment video. The video went beyond a basic land acknowledgment and brought in the role the government, and refugees must understand and respect the people of the land.”
“This is a great resource. I could see myself using this as an informative resource for my classroom in social studies teachings and bringing awareness to these topics within the schools. Having activities and resources that are directed towards students would be amazing because it is just as important for peers to be aware and gain knowledge.”
“This resource would be so impactful for Ontario teachers, especially in Toronto. I’ve received several newcomer students from war zones, and this information better prepared me to support their diverse needs.”
“I think it is super helpful because this is such a big issue in Canada. I’m an education student at UBCO and was wondering if it’s possible to get a hard copy or a PDF version of this course so I can have it in the future.”
Sample Video
Introduction to the Online Manual
This video provides an overview of the contents of the manual and how it can be used to help educators support students from war zones.