Dr. Susan Chuang will once again host the conference ‘On New Shores: Understanding Immigrant Children and Youth’ at the University of Guelph in 2012.

The dates are October 25-26. The theme is happiness.

The 2010 conference was comprehensive, engaging and a great way to connect with researchers, policy makers and front-line workers passionate about understanding and empowering immigrant children, youth and families.

Save the date; c’mon, get happy!

From the H-CHILDHOOD@H-NET.MSU.EDU listserv:

“CFP: AEGIS Thematic Workshop: Children & Migration in Africa: an Interdisciplinary Perspective In association with the Centre of African Studies (SOAS, University of London); the Institute of Historical Research (University of London); and Institut des Sciences Humaines (University of Liège – Belgium).

“While African children are heavily involved in migration, they remain obscure in scholarly literatures dominated by the male labour migratory model. Furthermore, work on young migrants often conflates the social categories of ‘child’ and ‘youth’ and children themselves are divided into the binary states of agents or victims.  Although recent scholarship on children and migration in Africa has acknowledged the importance of African children as discrete agents in migratory processes, analytical shortcomings remain. Much of this research has lacked a longue durée perspective.

“The key aim of this workshop will be to connect contemporary and historical analysis of the migratory trajectories of children in several African societies.  Papers could address, but are not limited to, the following issues: patterns of fosterage; child circulation within Africa and between Africa and Europe; the role of education; child labour; and conceptions of place and ‘home’.  The workshop will take place at SOAS (University of London) on 24-25 May 2012. There is a ceiling of 20 participants and limited funding, with priority for Graduate Students and African Scholars.

“Interested scholars should send us an abstract in English (max. 300 words) and a short bio (max. 250 words) by 29 January 2012. Postgraduate and recent PhD graduates are particularly encouraged to send in proposals. Papers will be pre-circulated among the participants and need to be submitted by 29 April 2012. Selected papers will be published in a peer-reviewed edited volume”.

Contact Info: mr28@soas.ac.ukJack | jl79@soas.ac.ukElodie | elodie.razy@ulg.ac.be

Right 2 Childhood announces a conference examining the convergence of sex, violence, the media, commerce and popular culture and the impact on children. The Right to Childhood will take place Fri. April 29th, in Sydney, Australia.

Sessions include:

• Melinda Tankard Reist on How the New Hypersexual Culture Limits Childhood
• Maggie Hamilton on What’s Happening to Our Boys
• Steve Biddulph on The War on Girls
• Nina Funnell on Living in Cyberia

From the conference brochure:

The erosion of childhood is becoming a social and cultural trend of great concern to child development experts as well as the broader community. Commercialisation, sexualisation, body image dissatisfaction and over exposure to violent imagery are some of the key factors. A growing body of scientific evidence and expert opinion has transformed the debate about this trend into an important issue with major implications for mental health, public health, education and policy. The aim of this event is to provide up-to-date and authoritative information from leading experts, share initiatives and strategies to facilitate understanding and awareness and empower participants with practical skills to address this crucial social issue. The information in this seminar is essential knowledge for teachers, counsellors, welfare workers, health professionals, parents and all those who work with young people.

Dr Ramesh Manocha, Convenor and Chairman

Dr. Susan Chuang will once again host an On New Shores immigrant children conference from the Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition at the University of Guelph in 2012.

The dates are October 25-26. The theme is happiness.

The 2010 conference was comprehensive, engaging and a great way to connect with researchers, policy makers and front-line workers passionate about understanding and empowering immigrant children, youth and families.

Save the date; c’mon, get happy!

The Association for Canadian Studies and the Canadian Ethnic Studies Association will host their 2^nd Joint Annual Conference in Ottawa, Ontario from Sept 30-Oct 1, 2011 on the theme of Revisiting 40 Years of Multicultural Policy in Canada. Regrettably, there are few sessions related to the impact of multicultural policy on children. However, here is the preliminary program, fyi. I’ve included links to where I thought they might add value. Question to organizers: is there a hashtag for tweeps attending?

Fri Sept 30/11 9-10:30 am Concurrent sessions

Multiculturalism and the Social Network

Chair: Anne B. Denis, University of Ottawa

Tieja Thomas and Vivek Venkatesh, Concordia University, Digital media and immigration: Limits and possibilities.

Raluca Bejan, University of Toronto, A Step further: How to improve a mentoring program to fully advance the labour market inclusion of internationally trained professionals.

Ceta Ramkhalawansingh, City of Toronto (retired), By any name – From respect for cultural difference to re-distribution of wealth and status.

Carl  E. James, Danielle Lafond, Selom Chapman-Nyaho, York University, Getting to “know” police: Youth’s perceptions and experiences with police through summer employment.

Governance and Multiculturalism

Chair: Jean Teillet, Teillet and Associates

Augie Fleras, University of Waterloo, Rethinking multicultural governance in Canada: Toward a multiversal multiculturalism in  a globalizing world of  transmigration & transnationalism.

Malgorzata Kierylo Malolepsza, Queen’s University, Multiculturalism and the bureaucratization of ethnic consciousness.

Sinelka Jurkova, University of Calgary, Ethnic organizations – segregating or integrating effects?

Tara Gilkinson & Geneviève Sauvé, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Recent immigrants, earlier immigrants and the Canadian-born: Personal and social trust.

Zhang Jijiao, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Canadian multiculturalism policy: Experiences and lessons, and its implications to China.

Multiculturalism on the Prairies

Chair: Lloyd Wong, University of Calgary

David McGrane, University of Saskatchewan, Multiculturalism in Manitoba and Saskatchewan: An historical perspective.

Professor Emeritus Cornelius Jaenan, University of Ottawa, Belgian immigrants in western Canada.

Henry Chow, University of Regina, Bringing the world to Saskatchewan: Effects of national feelings, citizenship, and socio-political orientation on young Canadian adults.

Multiculturalism and National Identities

Sourayan Mookerjea, University of Alberta, Multiculturalism between empires.

Hijin Park, Brock University, Conceptualizing (Im) Migrant Asian women in multicultural Canada.

Pat McLane, University of Alberta, Canadian understandings of universalism and extremism.

Ashleigh Androsoff, University of Toronto, Immigration and identity in Canada’s insipient multicultural era: the Doukhobor case.

Friday, Sept 30/11 11-12:15 am/pm Concurrent sessions

Cities, Neighbourhoods and Multiculturalism

Heath McLeod, University of Calgary, Understanding unstable housing experiences of newcomer women in Calgary and Montreal – Considerations for policy.

Marilena Liguori & Bochra Manai, Institut national de la recherche scientifique – Centre Urbanisation, Culture et Société (Montréal), Multiculturalism in the city, reflections on ethnic neighbourhoods in Montreal and Toronto.

Cultural Multiculturalism

Chair: Sidd Bannerjee, Association for Canadian Studies

Melissa Templeton, University of California, Dance, race and national identity: Multiculturalism and federal support for Les Ballets Jazz.

Robert A. Kenedy, York University, Diasporic liminality from France to Montréal: Re-negotiating Jewish identity in intercultural and multicultural contexts.

Lloyd Sciban, University of Calgary, The Status of traditional Chinese medicine in Canada.

Rebecca Margolis, University of Ottawa, Yiddish and Canadian multiculturalism: A Marriage made in heaven?

Rethinking Multiculturalism: Tensions Between Ethnicity and Immigration

Chair: Judy Young Drache

Shibao Guo, University of Calgary, Immigration, integration & multiculturalism: Exploring the role of Chinese diasporic communities in Canada.

William Shaffir & Vic Satzewich, McMaster University, The informal settlement sector: Broadening the lens to understand newcomer integration in Hamilton.

Sinela Jurkova, University of Calgary, Ethnic organizations segregating or integrating effects?

Friday, Sept 30/11 1:45-3 pm Concurrent sessions

Slavic Marxists in Canada in the Twentieth Century

Chair: Christopher Adam, Carleton University

Mark Stolarik, University of Ottawa, Slovak Marxists in North America: Their hopes and disappointments.

Petryk Polec, University of Ottawa, The rise of Polish leftist culture in Canada.

Myron Momryk, Library and Archives Canada (retired), The Association of United Ukrainian Canadians and the ‘politics’ of multiculturalism.

Cultural Multiculturalism and Post-secondary Education

Janki Shankar and Eugene Ip, Norquest College, University of Calgary, Academic aspirations: Challenges and barriers of ethnic minority immigrant and indigenous students in a post-secondary education setting.

Dan Cui & Jennifer Kelly, University of Alberta, Too Asian? Media and multiculturalism from the Chinese Canadian youth perspective.

Multiculturalism Turns Forty: Reflections on the Impact of Multiculturalism

Chair: Susan Brigham, Mount St-Vincent University

Tamara Seiler, University of Calgary, Multiculturalism and the changing national imaginary: The Case of Canadian literature in English.

James Frideres, University of Calgary, Diasporas in society: Implications for Canada.

Lloyd Wong, University of Calgary, Anti-Multiculturalism and the implications for ethnic identity.

Madeline A. Kalbach, University of Calgary, The Impact of Canada’s multiculturalism policy and research data.

Research on Racialization and Racism at Canadian Universities: Preliminary Findings

Chair: Kamal Dib, Citizenship and Immigration Canada

Carl James, York University, Strategies of engagement:  Racialized faculty members Negotiation of the university.

Frances Henry and Carol Tator, York University, Marginalization, exclusion and omission:  The Experiences of racialized  faculty.

Ena Dua, University of Calgary, Measuring equity: The Politics of data collection.

Friday, Sept 30/11 3:30-5 pm Concurrent sessions

Multiculturalism and Ethnic Media

Chair: Sidd Bannerjee, Association for Canadian Studies

Augie Fleras, University of Waterloo, Ethnic media and multiculturalism in Canada: Partnership or opposition?

April Lindgren, Ryerson University, News that’s not fit to print? Portrayals of other ethnic and racialized groups in the Greater Toronto Area’s ethnocultural newspaper.

Multiculturalism and Education

Johanne J. Jean-Pierre, McMaster University and Fernando Nunes, Mount Saint Vincent University, Multiculturalism policy turns 40: Reflections on its impact on education.

Sarah Smith, Université de Montréal, The Multicultural textbook and the coloniality of difference.

Thomas Ricentro, University of Calgary, Multiculturalism and the monoglot ideology: Incommensurate worlds?

Unpacking Multiculturalism in the Classroom

Ratna Ghosh, Mariusz Galczynski, and Vilelmini Tsagkaraki, McGill University, Unpacking multiculturalism in the classroom.

Religion and Multiculturalism in Canada: 40 Years Later

Chair: Kamal Dib, Citizenship and Immigration Canada

Paul Bramadat, University of Victoria, Back to the future: Canadian approaches to recent and anticipated controversies involving religion.

Lori Beaman, University of Ottawa, Beyond accommodation: Multiculturalism and deep equality.

Benjamin Berger, Osgoode Hall – York University, Trying religion: Multiculturalism, religion and law in Canada.

Solange Lefebvre, Université de Montréal, After Bouchard-Taylor: Religion and interculturalism in Quebec.

David Seljak, University of Waterloo, Christianity, citizenship and multiculturalism norms in a post-secular society.

Taking the Nation to Task: Reflecting on the Cultural Dimensions of Multiculturalism

Carrianne Leung, Ontario College of Art and Design, The Passage of fortune: Writing heritage, history and race in the nation.

Lynn Caldwell, University of Saskatchewan, Static possibility: Race, nostalgia, and Saskatchewan as a national space.

Sam Tecle, York University, I’m not Black, I’m Eritrean: Being Eritrean/learning Blackness.

Meaghan Frauts, Queen’s University, Canada’s racialized spaces: The Politics of race and temporality of space during National Aboriginal Day.

Nouveau arrivants et intérgration scolaire en milieu linguistic et culturel minoritaire au Manitoba

Nathalie Piquemal, University of Manitoba

Boniface Bahi, Faculté Saint Jean – University of Alberta

Mahsa Bakshaei, Université de Montréal, La politique canadienne de multiculturalisme assure-t-elle l’égalité de chance de la réussite scolaire des élèves immigrants au secondaire québécois ? Le cas des élèves sud-asiatiques au secteur français.

Sat Oct 1/11 9-10:30 am Concurrent sessions

Black Canada and Multiculturalism: After Colonialty

Rinaldo Walcott, OISE – University of Toronto

Andrea Fatona, Ontario College of Art and Design

Katherine McKittrick, Queen’s University

Mark Campbell, University of Guelph

The Evolving Practice of Multiculturalism: from Food and Drink to Social Transformation

Chair: Ceta Ramkhalawansingh, Former Corporate Diversity Manager, City of Toronto (retired)

Herman Ellis Jr, Program Director, Scadding Court Community Centre

Antoni Shelton, Co-ordinator of Operations, Canadian Union of Public Employees Ontario

Linda Koehler-Moore, Supervisor, Toronto Parks Forestry and Recreation

André Goh, Manager, Diversity Management Unit, Toronto Police

Nadira Pattison, Manager, Arts Services, Toronto Culture

Immigrant Social and Political Participation

Chair: Phil Ryan, Carleton University

Philippe Couton, University of Ottawa, The Immigrant third sector: Recent evidence.

Marie-Michele Sauvageau, University of Ottawa, Immigrant political activism in Quebec.

Halyna Mokrushyna, University of Ottawa, Social and political engagement in the Ukrainian diaspora.

Mixed Race and Identity

Chair: Minelle Mahtani, University of Toronto

Danielle Lafond, York University

Leanne Taylor, Brock University

Karina Vernon, University of Toronto

Renisa Mawani, University of British Columbia

Sat Oct 1 11-12:15 am/pm Concurrent sessions

Multiculturalism and Suspect Minorities: Possibilities of Conflicting Identities

Chair: Lori Wilkinson, University of Manitoba

Kalyani Thurairajah, McGill University, Tamils in Canada and Sri Lanka: Competing identities and loyalties in the shadow of terrorism.

Morton Weinfeld, McGill University, Competing identities and loyalties among Canadian and British Jews.

Interculturalism

Chair: Susan Brigham, Mount St-Vincent University

Celine Cooper, OISE – University of Toronto, The Rise of interculturalism in Quebec: How can the emergent approach to language, identity, ethno-cultural diversity and social integration in Quebec help us reflect upon multiculturalism and forms of nationalism(s) in Canada?

Darryl Lerroux, Saint Mary’s University, considering Quebec’s interculturalism as a response to multiculturalism.

Author Meets Critics: Us, Them and Others: Pluralism and National Identity in Diverse Societies

Chair: Minelle Mahtani, University of Toronto

Elke Winter, University of Ottawa

Catherine Frost, McMaster University

Harold Ramos, Dalhousie University

Leslie Seidle, Institute for Research on Public Policy

Youth, Generational Issues and Multiculturalism

Chair: Kamal Dib, Citizenship and Immigration Canada

Emanuel de Silva, University of Toronto, Making and Masking Difference: Multiculturalism and sociolinguistic tensions in Toronto’s Portuguese-Canadian market.

Yunliang Meng, York University, A Spatial and temporal analysis of  youth’s socioeconomic outcomes in ethnic enclaves in Toronto.

Fernando Mata, Canadian Heritage, Prevalence and generational persistence of lone parent status among ethnic groups in Canada: A Look at census data.

Sat Oct 1/11 1:45-3:30 pm Concurrent sessions

Multiculturalism, Human Rights and Canadian Identity

Multiculturalism has been a cornerstone of Canadian society for 40 years. It is premised on the concept that all citizens are equal, and they can maintain their identities, take pride in their ancestry and do so without undercutting their sense of belonging to Canada.  Public opinion surveys generally reveal that Canadians are supportive of the principle of multiculturalism.  However the nature and depth of this support is often the object of debate. Also there is often some uncertainty around how the theory of multiculturalism is applied when it comes to issues of human rights and discrimination.

This panel discusses the impact of multiculturalism on human rights from the perspectives of four institutional champions of Canadian human rights. More specifically, the panel will  address: the relationship between multiculturalism and human rights; the difference between multiculturalism and interculturalism; how to accommodate multiculturalism within a framework of common values.

Chair: Ayman Al-Yassini, Canadian Race Relations Foundation

Gaetan Cousineau, Commission des droits de la personne et de la jeunesse, Québec

Judge David M. Arnot, Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission

Barbara Hall, Ontario Human Rights Commission

Maxwell Yalden, former diplomat and senior public servant, and author

Challenges of Multicultural Discourse

Chair: Kamal Dib, Citizenship and Immigration Canada

Elke Winter, & Marie-Michele Sauvageau, University of Ottawa, How to recast national identity and on whose terms? Media representation of the new Canadian citizenship guide.

Chedly Belkhodja, Université de Moncton, La critique du multiculturalism ou Québec: les nouveau intellectuels de droite.

Karen Bird, McMaster University, WTF is the ethnic vote? Critical reflections on multiculturalism and electoral politics in Canada.

Dominique Riviere, OISE – University of Toronto, Scratching our “Great National Itch”:  narratives of multiculturalism in 12st-century Canada.

Multiculturalism and Immigrant Integration: The Experience of Smaller Cities and Rural Areas

Chair: Howard Ramos, Dalhouise University

Lori Wilkinson, University of Manitoba, An Examination of identity and experiences of discrimination among newcomer youth living in mid-sized Canadian cities.

Evangelia Tastsoglou and Sandy Petrinioti, Saint Mary’s University, Does ‘place’ matter? multiculturalism and the forging of identities by Lebanese youth in Halifax.

Madine VanderPlaat, Saint Mary’s University, The Role of family in the decision to migrate and settle.

Multiculturalism and Mental Health

Chair: Nehal El-Hadi, University of Toronto

Avril Aves, Multicultural Outreach, KW Counselling Services, Kitchener, Ontario, Multiculturalism and Mental Health: An Outreach strategy for counselling agencies.

Professor Emeritus John Berry, Queen’s University, Intercultural relations in plural societies: Research derived from multicultural policy.

Examining Multiculturalism, Ethnic Identity and Intercultural Communication Competence Through the Social Construction of Food

Jaya Peruvemba, University of Ottawa, Examining multiculturalism, ethnic identity and intercultural communication competence through the social construction of food

Sat Oct 1/11 3:30-5 pm Concurrent sessions

Multiculturalism and immigrant Integration: The Experience of Smaller Cities and Rural Areas II

Chair: Evangelia Tastsoglou, Saint Mary’s University

Laura Lee Howard, University of Prince Edward Island, Reaching out and welcoming in: Increasing newcomer parental engagement in the Garden of the Gulf (PEI).

Yoko Yoshida and Howard Ramos, Dalhousie University, Who are rural immigrants?

Ather Akbari, Saint Mary’s University, Economic integration of immigrants in small urban centres: Some evidence from Atlantic Canada.

Susan Brigham, Mount St Vincent University, Talking back to Canada’s multicultural policy: Internationally educated teachers’ negotiation of space, place, identity and belonging in Maritime Canada.

Ethnic Communities and the Creation of Canada’s Multicultural Policy

Ethnic communities were instrumental in creating Canada’s Multiculturalism Policy. Their contribution in the development of the policy is not well known or documented. Representatives of ethnocultural organizations appeared before the Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism pointing out that many Canadians who helped build the country were of non-French and non-English origin: hence, the implementation of ”A Policy of Multiculturalism within a Bilingual Framework.” The panel will provide an opportunity for members of the Canadian Ethnocultural Council and representatives of community organizations to reflect on the development of the policy over the past 40 years, reflecting how it has shaped the role of ethnic organizations, been an instrument for social cohesion, and has facilitated nation building while strengthening Canadian identity.

Chair: Anna Chiappa, Canadian Ethnocultural Council

Can Le, Vietnamese Federation of Canada

Gita Nurlaila, Indonesian Canadian Congress

Diane Dragasevich, Serbian National Shield Society of Canada

C. Lloyd Stanford, Le Groupe Stanford Inc.

Author Meets Critics: Creative Subversions: Whiteness, Indigeneity, and the National Imaginary

Chair: Minelle Mahtani, University of Toronto

Margot Francis, Brock University

Renisa Mawani, University of British Columbia

Rinaldo Walcott, University of Toronto

Jeff Thomas, Independent Photographer and Curator

Developing and Measuring Effectiveness of Cultural Intelligence and Diversity in the Canadian Forces: Challenges and Considerations

Chair: Karen Davis, National Defence Canada

Jack Jedwab, Association for Canadian Studies

Daniel Lagacé-Roy, Royal Military College

John Berry, Queen’s University

Lloyd Wong, University of Calgary

The Motherhood Initiative for Research and Community Involvement (MIRCI) and the Institute for Gender and Development Studies: The Nita Barrow Unit, University of the West Indies are hosting an international conference on: Mothers and Mothering in a Global Context, Feb 24-25, 2012 in Barbados.

From their call for papers:

“This conference explores motherhood and mothering in a global context by highlighting the commonality and also the diversity in how mothers care for children and others across, and beyond, borders and cultures. We welcome submissions from researchers, students, activists, community workers, artists and writers and papers that explore the meaning and experience of motherhood in a global context from all academic disciplines including but not limited to motherhood studies, anthropology, history, literature, popular culture, women’s studies, sociology, and that consider the theme across a wide range of maternal identities including racial, ethnic, regional, religious, national, social, cultural, political, and sexual. Cross-cultural perspectives on the subject matter are particularly welcome.

Deadline for submissions is Nov 15, 2011. For more information, visit the MIRCI website.

The Centre for Refugee Studies at York University hosts the 2012 Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies (CARFMS) conference May 16-18th at York U, Toronto.

From the call for papers: “The 2012 CARFMS conference will bring together researchers, policymakers, displaced persons and advocates from diverse disciplinary and regional backgrounds to discuss the issue of restructuring refuge and settlement witha view to better understanding how migration policies, processes andstructures responds to the global dynamics of displacement. We inviteparticipants from a wide range of perspectives to explore the practical,experiential, policy-oriented, legal and theoretical questions raised byrefuge and settlement at the local, national, regional and internationallevels. The conference will feature keynote and plenary speeches fromleaders in the field, and we welcome proposals for individual papers andorganized panels structured around the following broad subthemes:

Restructuring settlement: Local, national, comparative and international issues and concerns

States utilitarian approach towards migration challenges the balancebetween the objective of economic development, on the one hand, and integration and equal treatment of migrants, on the other. Recent changes inthe selection of migrant workers have negative consequences on social cohesion. Settlement, adaptation and integration policies play an importantrole at local, national and international levels to address this situationand prevent exclusion: What are the strengths and the weaknesses ofsettlement policies? How should these policies be adapted to meet the needsof increasing numbers of temporary workers? How can actors promote a process of integration that fosters social cohesion? What is the role played by local and national authorities, employers and members of civil society? How to ensure coherence and coordination between various actors dealing with issues such as health, education, social welfare, employment and law enforcement? What are particular legal, social, economic needs of different groups of migrants? How does gender, age, ability, race and other factors affect settlement? What are the best settlement practices?

Restructuring refuge: Local, national, comparative and international issues and concerns

The recent reform of the Canadian asylum system aims at accelerating the refugee status determination process and reducing the number of asylum claims by making the system less attractive. In North America, the United States and Canada cooperate to stem ‘unwanted’ migration. Similar developments can be observed in other parts of the world. Critical analysis of recent trends and developments contributes to a better understanding of current challenges: How do local, regional and international mechanisms and logics transform political and media discourse, norms, policies and practices related to forced migrants? What are the changes in institutional and procedural arrangements to deal with refugee and asylum claims? How do these changes affect protection norms and policies at the local, national and international level? How do international and local actors, institutions and agencies promote the legal, economic and social inclusion of forced migrants?

Restructuring settlement and refuge:  New approaches and theories

Innovative approaches and theories developed within traditional disciplines or in interdisciplinary lines foster knowledge on current norms, policies and practices linked to questions of settlement and refuge. New theoretical, conceptual, methodological issues from diverse critical and institutional perspectives highlight these questions, including: the link between refuge and security in an era of globalization; the impact of restrictive regulation of the freedom of movement of forced migrants; the need to redefine policies of resettlement, adaptation, and integration of immigrants and refugees in a context of changing migration figures; the adaptation of settlement policies to promote social inclusion of low-skilled temporary workers, asylum seekers and irregular migrants; settlement and citizenship.

Individuals wishing to present a paper at the conference must submit a250-word abstract and 100-word biography by December 30, 2011. The conference organizers welcome submissions of both individual papers and proposals for panels. Please submit your abstract via the conference website. For more information, please contact Michele Millard at mmillard@yorku.ca”.

The program for the November 2011 Honoring the Child, Honoring Equity conference, hosted by the Youth Research Centre, University of Melbourne, has been posted (with updates promised as they become available – and full and final conference program by November, 2011). The conference website includes a few sessions related to diversity and integration, including the following, but it also addresses diversity from the broadest perspective and examines everything from working with children with disAbilities, politics and more. Worth bookmarking to see the scope of the sessions being offered.

Nicola Surtees, University of Cantebury, gives a paper exploring “privilege and silence with respect to family diversity, equity and inclusion in early childhood education. … challenges the primacy of the nuclear family model as a benchmark for families calling for ways of thinking and talking about forms of kinship that open up possibilities for all families”.

Follow developments of the 2011 Honoring the Child, Honoring Equity conference at the conference website.

CUExpo is a conference about how community and university partnerships collaborate together to develop innovative solutions to strengthen communities.

CUExpo2011 will be held May 10-14, 2011 in Waterloo, Ontario Canada. It is expected to draw about 600 people from Canada and around the world who are passionate about the power of community-university partnerships as a vehicle for social change. Students, community leaders, researchers, educators, funders, policy makers and others invested in community-building will be in attendance.

The CU Expo movement began in Canada as a response to individuals involved in community-university partnerships needing a forum to share experiences, strategies and ideas. CUExpo2011 includes several sessions related to immigration, settlement, diversity, multiculturalism and integration (all links open as PDFs):

Wed May 11th ~ Community Voice and Relevance

It takes a village: Training community health workers in the Burundian refugee population using a community-based participatory service learning model.

Training immigrant peer researchers for CBPR on HIV/AIDS in Germany.

Tuberculosis amongst immigrants and refugees at an adult education centre: A community-based participatory research approach.

CBR within an immigrant community.

Cross-cultural lessons of engaging immigrant and refugee families in research and evaluation.

Growing community through urban agriculture: A community-university project involving senior immigrants.

Immigrant cultural values and language barriers as communication class lessons.

Settling, working, and belonging: An innovative and collaborative approach to integrating newcomers.

Churches responding to the immigrant reality in Canada: A national participatory action research project.

Thurs May 12th ~ Partnerships & Collaboration

Building multi-cultural and multi-health system partnership to conduct health research.

Recruiting low-income families into community programmes: Exploring differences in engagement strategies among ethnic groups.

Fri May 13th ~ Action and Change

Immigrant peer researchers and HIV prevention in Germany: The PaKoMi video.

Register now!

Ryerson’s upcoming conference – and launch pad for the Ryerson Institute on Immigration and Settlement, RIIS, has released the program for its inaugural conference: Migration and the Global City. immigrantchildren.ca is very pleased to see so many sessions devoted to immigrant child, youth and family issues. Excerpts below from the program:

Oct 29th, 5-7pm Poster Sessions ~ The Settlement Of refugee youth: A Literature review, Charity Davy, University of Western Ontario

Refugee youths are often perceived as unwell because of the trauma experienced in their home country yet many refugee youths successfully transition to their host country with astounding resilience, motivation and hope. This study aims to explore the knowledge base of the pre-arrival, arrival, and resettlement phases of youth refugees to gain an understanding of successful settlement processes.

Oct 30th, Morning sessions ~ Experiences of Asylum seekers in Montreal: Need for childcare services, Gillian Morantz

In-depth interviews about post-migratory experiences were conducted with 33 dyads of parent and child asylum seekers attending a pediatric hospital in Montreal. Their narratives reveal that the lack of access to affordable childcare services profoundly impacts on their ability to integrate into their host society. This lacuna in services, particularly in the case of single mothers, affects their employability, language acquisition and reconstruction of social networks. Although 7$ a day childcare services are available throughout Quebec, asylum seekers do not qualify for this program. A comparison of childcare policies and services for asylum seekers is made with other regions of Canada and other western countries, and policy implications are discussed.

Schools and borders: Frameworks for access to schooling for precarious status students, Francisco Villegas, OISE/UT

Although the Ontario Education Act ensures the ability of students with precarious immigration status to attend Ontario schools, many still find themselves excluded on the basis of their immigration status. School districts, including those in Toronto have largely ignored this policy and have effectively taken on the role of immigration enforcement  by asking for students’ immigration documentation prior to enrolling them. While there has been a long-standing movement attempting to ensure access to schooling for precarious status students, such students have been conceptualized under different frameworks of access, membership and citizenship. The purpose of this paper is to examine the ways in which discourses affect the ability of precarious status students to receive schooling, as well as the material consequences of immigration precarity on affected individuals.

Oct 30th ~ Asylum denied: Exploring the reasons why some refugee children are deported, Jacqueline Lapeyre-MacNeil, Ryerson University

This project will explore the factors that come into play in the assessment of a refugee claim put forth by unaccompanied children when arriving in Canada, and will focus particularly on children who are denied asylum. Designed as an exploratory research, the study will look into the procedure in place to screen those applications, in an attempt to determine the key criteria used to assess who stays and who gets deported.  Because little research has been done to date on this particular aspect of the process, the potential benefits of this project will be to identify the gaps in the existing protocol, especially in terms of addressing the best interests of the child, as determined by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

Access to services for unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in Canada, Chloe Dumouchel-Fournier, Ryerson University

Through semi-structures interviews with service providers in these two provinces, this research analyzes the service delivery to unaccompanied minors in Quebec and Ontario. In addition to being major receivers of asylum seekers, these two provinces were chosen in part because the implementation of the 1991 Canada-Quebec Accord led to major differences in service delivery to unaccompanied minors between Ontario and Quebec.

Separated children: Their status, experiences and unique needs in the Canadian context, Alaina Johnston, Ryerson University

This research focuses on children who arrived in Canada as separated children and who were placed in the care and custody of the Children’s Aid Society of Peel, the child welfare organization west of Toronto which includes Pearson International Airport.

Things Ontario could learn from other jurisdictions in assisting separated children, Francis Hare, Ryerson University

Previous research on services for separated children/unaccompanied minors in the care of the Ontario child welfare system highlighted areas in which the experience of other jurisdictions could offer guidance to Ontario on how to improve the services it offers.  Youth without status who wish to continue into post-secondary education pay “international student” fees, substantially higher than those paid by Canadian citizens or residents. In the US, “The DREAM Act” may provide a way to address this issue. Ontario staff often find themselves in need of training on issues related to immigration status issues for youth in care. SARIMM in Quebec regularly conducted such training sessions for others. Non-status youth in Ontario need social support as well as legal representation, another service found in Quebec. Finally, ideas for assisting Ontario youth make the transition to citizenship may be found in US legislation called the Special Immigrant Juvenile Status.

Oct 31st ~ The Settlement of young children: The future of the global city, Judith Colbert, Consultant

The distinctive settlement needs of young newcomer children have not been fully recognized, although cross-cultural psychologists tell us that acculturation begins in infancy (and before), and data, such as EDI scores, indicate that many kindergarten children who are second language learners are disadvantaged. The benefits of quality child care and early intervention have been well-researched, but much remains to be learned about their potential as vehicles for settlement support. Progress is slow in part because programs continue to focus on Western ideas of development and childrearing and strive to meet culturally inappropriate indicators of quality. Initiatives that lead to positive futures for both young newcomers and the global city are good public policy. More work by governments, academics and community-based organizations is needed to identify settlement issues and optimum practices, develop and implement new programs, and ensure that current programs address the settlement needs of young children more effectively.

Geography and mental health: Why region of resettlement affects the mental health risk of immigrant children in Canada, Morton Beiser, Ryerson University

Data from the New Canadian Children and Youth Study (NCCYS) show that immigrant children living in Toronto and Montreal have higher levels of emotional problems than their counterparts living in Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.  This presentation demonstrates that cross-country differences in both immigrant personal attributes (language proficiency) and the welcome accorded immigrant families help explain differential mental health risk.

Parents’ educational expectations and child outcomes of Hong Kong Chinese, Mainland Chinese and Filipino children in Canada, Patrizia Albanese, Ryerson University

Using New Canadian Children and Youth Survey (NCCYS) data we compare the school performance of Hong Kong (HK) Chinese children, children from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and Filipino children. We look at the relationship between parental human capital and children’s school performance. We … focus on whether high parental expectations and immigrant children’s ‘superior academic performance’ at school results in immigrant children “adapting well.” This paper will use NCCYS data to assess the mental health impact of parental educational expectations on immigrant boys and girls.

Ethnic identity and discrimination among children, Jane Friesen, Simon Fraser University

We engaged almost 400 Canadian children aged five through eight years in a series of activities that draw from both social psychology and experimental economics, and are designed to reveal patterns of ethnic stereotyping, self-identification and discrimination with respect to three ethnically phenotypic categories (white, East Asian, and South Asian).  We find that children from the dominant white group have the most favorable evaluations of and identify most strongly with the white ethnic category.  Minority East Asian children tend to associate themselves with the dominant white category as well as with East Asians. These social identities are reflected in children’s altruistic behaviour – white children show clear pro-white bias, but East Asian children do not discriminate.

Attributed causality among child abuse victims in the Tamil and Punjabi communities, Vappu Tyyskä, Ryerson University

The results presented in this paper come from a larger study of family violence in the Punjabi and Tamil communities in Toronto, conducted in 2007-2008, based on interviews with adults who were subjected to abuse as children.The participants were asked about their experiences of family violence; patterns of abuse before and after immigration; and about their attribution of the causes of abuse. The results will be outlined, with a focus on attributed causality by the victims, and with attention to gender.

Honour killings and intergenerational relations in South Asian families, Muzzammil Beelut, Ryerson University

Since 2002 there have been 13 reported honour killings in Canada. This presentation seeks to understand reasons behind honour killings.  Since an honour killing is an extreme form of violence, this presentation examines the roots of intergenerational conflict in South Asian families with the hope of ceasing the problem from the start. Also, a media analysis is conducted of the Toronto Star and the National Post to determine how the media dealt with killing of Aqsa Parvez, a 16-year-old Pakistani woman who was killed by her father in 2007. Finally, policy recommendations are offered as to how honour killings can be prevented from happening in Canada.

To review the complete program, visit the RISS website.