Identities on the Move: the Integration Experiences of Somali Refugee and Asylum Seeker Young People
Author(s): D. Sporton G. Valentine
This report explores the ways in which young Somalis' identities and affiliations are shaped by their histories of mobility, their experiences of home, school and community life in the UK, and looks at the implications of these experiences for their social integration. The study is based on a two year research study conducted by the Universities of Sheffield and Leeds, which focuses on the lives of young Somalis aged 11-18 in Sheffield, UK. The study employed a multi-method research design combining quantitative and qualitative elements. The quantitative research involved an in-depth survey of young people in schools. The qualitative stage of the research included work with Somali communities and families in Sheffield UK, as well as additional work in Aarhus, Denmark.
The research found that:
- Young people are wary of claiming a British identity because ‘British' is implicitly still imagined as a white identity.
- Community space for migrant groups, such as the Somalis, to define their own identities is important in giving these groups the security to feel they belong to the nation.
- Integration policies which stress national identity have the potential effect of legitimising negative attitudes by the majority population towards migrants and their cultures.
- Somali children (and their parents) receive very limited support at school to learn English and to integrate into the British educational system.
- Funding is needed to develop the educational support that Somali community homework clubs provide for Somali young people and to link this more strongly with the British school curriculum.
- Intercultural differences are emerging between different generations within the Somali community. Young people commonly feel their parents do not understand their experiences of trying to integrate in the UK.
- A general crisis of masculinity and a lack of male mentors is contributing to a high incidence of youth offending.
- There is an emerging - but hidden - culture of smoking and drinking amongst Somali young people which has implications for the development of health education initiatives.