Presenter Information
Anna Fish
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Jaime Muñoz & Dr. Anne Marie Witchger Hansen
Community Mentors: Alliance for Refugee Youth Support and Education & Jewish Family and Community Services
Duquesne University
Rangos School of Health Sciences
Department of Occupational Therapy
Abstract
This research discusses the challenges that youth that are refuges face adjusting to the United States, as well as the benefit of providing health and educational activities, which can support these youth to overcome these challenges. Health and educational activities establish an enriching environment for youth who are refugees by providing academic support and fun and creative activities. Health and educational activities work on skills such as self-identity, love and teamwork that are important for the development of key occupational roles of youth including being a friend, a family member and a student. This research highlights the experiences of ten youth who are refugees that attended an Afterschool Club in Pittsburgh through Jewish Family and Community Services and the Alliance for Refugee Youth Support and Education that implemented health and educational activities in the spring of 2019. This research analyzes the effectiveness of health and educational activities for these youth and gave me a better understanding of the role that an Occupational Therapist can have with the refugee population.
School
Rangos School of Health Sciences
Advisor
Dr. Jaime Muñoz and Dr. Anne Marie Witchger Hansen
Submission Type
Paper
Publication Date
April 2019
Developing Occupational Identity In Refugee Youth
This research discusses the challenges that youth that are refuges face adjusting to the United States, as well as the benefit of providing health and educational activities, which can support these youth to overcome these challenges. Health and educational activities establish an enriching environment for youth who are refugees by providing academic support and fun and creative activities. Health and educational activities work on skills such as self-identity, love and teamwork that are important for the development of key occupational roles of youth including being a friend, a family member and a student. This research highlights the experiences of ten youth who are refugees that attended an Afterschool Club in Pittsburgh through Jewish Family and Community Services and the Alliance for Refugee Youth Support and Education that implemented health and educational activities in the spring of 2019. This research analyzes the effectiveness of health and educational activities for these youth and gave me a better understanding of the role that an Occupational Therapist can have with the refugee population.