Chapter 9 Further Resources

Social Work with Immigrants and Refugees     

Recommended Readings

Brewer, C.A., & McCabe, M. (Eds.). (2014). Immigrant and refugee students in Canada. Edmonton: Brush Education.

Denov, M. (2010). Child soldiers: Sierra Leone’s Revolutionary United Front. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Fadiman, A. (1998). The spirit catches you and you fall down. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

FCJ Refugee Centre (2019). Welcome Home. “Which home? Just a place to sleep?” Welcoming refugee claimants and precarious migrants to the city of Toronto. Retrieved from https://www.fcjrefugeecentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Welcome_Home_FCJ-1.pdf

Kottler, J.A., Banu, S., & Jani, S. (2020). Handbook of refugee experience: Trauma, resilience, and recovery. (1st ed.). San Diego, CA: Cognella.

Refuge: Canada's Journal on Refugees. https://refuge.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/refuge

Reid, A., & Schofield, H. (2011). Goodbye Sarajevo: A true story of courage, love and survival. London: Bloomsbury.

St. John, W. (2009). Outcasts United: An American town, a refugee team, and one woman’s quest to make a difference. New York: Spiegel & Grau.

Stewart, J. (2011). Supporting refugee children: Strategies for educators. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Walker, B. (2008). The history of immigration and racism in Canada: Selected readings. Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ Press.

Recommended Videos

  1. 19 Days (2016), by Asha Siad & Roda Siad. 26 min 25 sec. National Film Board. https://www.nfb.ca/film/19_days/

    This short documentary shows the first 19 days of resettlement in Calgary, Alberta for several refugee families. Sponsored by the Canadian government, they are initially housed in the Margaret Chisholm Resettlement Centre, where an initial assessment is conducted.
  1. Benedetta Berti & Evelien Borgman: What does it mean to be a refugee? (2016). 5 min 42 sec. TED-Ed. https://www.ted.com/about/programs-initiatives/ted-ed/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-refugee

    Conflict and security researcher Benedetta Berti and Evelien Borgman describe the origin of the modern term “refugee” and detail the asylum process.
  1. Last Chance (2012), by Paul Émile d’Entremont. 84 min 56 sec. National Film Board. https://www.nfb.ca/film/last-chance/

    This documentary shares the stories of 5 asylum seekers who flee their home countries based on homophobic violence. The film chronicles the challenges they face integrating into Canada, their fears of deportation, and their asylum claim decisions.
  1. Lost Boys of Sudan (2004), by Megan Mylan & Jon Shenk. 83 min. Actual Films/Principe Productions. http://www.pbs.org/pov/lostboysofsudan/

    This documentary follows two young Dinka refugees, Peter and Santino, through their first year in America.
  1. Everybody’s Children (2008), by Monika Delmos. 51 min 29 sec. National Film Board. http://www.nfb.ca/film/everybodys_children/

    This documentary follows the lives of two teenage refugees, Joyce and Sallieu, who have left their countries of origin for settlement in Ontario.

Recommended Websites

  1. Action Réfugiés Montréal. https://actionr.org

    Action Réfugiés Montréal (ARM) is a non-profit, faith-inspired organization that seeks justice for refugees. Staff at ARM partner with social workers, lawyers, and others working with refugees. Their programs include supporting refugees through a women’s jumelage/twinning program, detention visiting, refugee sponsorship, and education and advocacy for refugees in Quebec and beyond. Their website is available in English and French.
  1. Association for New Canadians. http://www.ancnl.ca/

    Located in St. John’s, NL, the Association for New Canadians is a non-profit, community-based organization committed to the provision of settlement and integration services for immigrants and refugees to Canada. The Association has been providing settlement and integration assistance for over 30 years. Extensive resources are available on the Association’s website, such as the downloadable guide, An Immigrant Parent’s Guide to the Newfoundland and Labrador School System, available in Albanian, Burmese, English, Nepalese, and Spanish.
  1. Rainbow Refugee. https://www.rainbowrefugee.com

    Based in Vancouver, Rainbow Refugee is a community group that supports people seeking refugee protection in Canada because of persecution based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression (SOGIE) or HIV status. The website provides information on submitting refugee claims and refugee sponsorship.
  1. Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (CCVT). http://ccvt.org/

    Located in Toronto, CCVT is a non-profit organization focused on assisting survivors of torture to overcome the lasting effects of violence and war. The website offers information about programs as well as resources such as First Light, a bi-annual publication by CCVT about torture, its effects, and what allies can do in supporting survivors of torture and war.
  1. Centre for Refugee Studies, York University. http://crs.yorku.ca/

    The Centre is engaged in research on refugee issues and informs public discussion as well as policy development and practice innovation by international, governmental, advocacy, and service organizations. It also supports teaching in refugee and migration studies. The Centre is also home to the journal Refuge: Canada’s Periodical on Refugees, which is available free online.
  1. Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI). http://ocasi.org

    OCASI, formed in 1978, serves as a collective voice for immigrant-serving agencies and coordinates responses to shared needs and concerns. OCASI’s mission is to achieve equality, access, and full participation for immigrants and refugees in every aspect of Canadian life. The website contains comprehensive information on refugee and immigrant policies, research, and programs.
  1. Halifax Refugee Clinic. http://halifaxrefugeeclinic.org/

    The Clinic’s mandate is to provide legal representation for those claiming refugee status in Nova Scotia. A primary goal is to ensure that refugee claimants are given a fair opportunity to present their cases before the Immigration and Refugee Board and that their rights and integrity are fully respected throughout the process. An overview of filing a refugee claim in Canada is provided online in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic.
  1. Immigrant Services Calgary. http://www.immigrantservicescalgary.ca/

    Immigrant Services Calgary offers a broad array of settlement-focused programs and services to help newcomers enhance their life in Canada. Available online, ISC Annual Reports provide an excellent overview of settlement in Calgary and Alberta more broadly.
  1. Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria. http://www.icavictoria.org/

    The Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria offers services for immigrants and refugees, including settlement and integration counselling, translation and interpretation, English classes, mentoring, job search assistance and guidance, volunteer matching, and peer support. Their website offers extensive resources, including downloadable resources such as guidance for settlement workers in schools.
  1. Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). http://mcccanada.ca/

    The MCC is an Anabaptist, non-profit, global organization that strives to make peace a part of everything they do. The Committee has a wide variety of resources that can be used in congregations, schools, with family, and so forth. Involved with refugee resettlement, MCC Canada promotes refugee sponsorship and supports churches through the process, informs Canadians about refugee policies and advocates for fair legislation, provides refugee claimants with legal support and help with settlement into new cities, and encourages churches to provide migrant workers with spiritual and practical support. MCC also does long-term development, working to address root causes of conflict and thereby reduce the number of people who become refugees.
Back to top