The integration experience of Somali refugee youth in Ottawa, Canada: “Failure is not an option for us” A thesis submitted to the Department of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology Carleton University By Mary Ellen Kenny Carleton University September 2007 © Mary Ellen Kenny, September 2007 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 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The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. this thesis. Neither the thesis Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels de nor substantial extracts from it celle-ci ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement may be printed or otherwise reproduits sans son autorisation. reproduced without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne Privacy Act some supporting sur la protection de la vie privee, forms may have been removed quelques formulaires secondaires from this thesis. ont ete enleves de cette these. While these forms may be includedBien que ces formulaires in the document page count, aient inclus dans la pagination, their removal does not represent il n'y aura aucun contenu manquant. any loss of content from the thesis. i * i Canada Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Abstract This thesis examines the integration experience of a targeted group of young Somali refugees in Ottawa, Canada. The data obtained for this thesis spanned two years and is based on participant observation, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. The purpose of this study is to better understand the impact of the refugee experience on the integration process, as well as to explore the factors that hamper and/or assist the integration of Somali youth. It focuses on the economic and social factors that combine in complex ways to influence the integration experience. In particular, the study examines how culture, identity, religion, schools, the ethnic community, the youth’s larger social world, family and gender weave together to shape the individual’s integration experience. Based on their own personal experiences, these youth reveal several ways in which the integration of young Somalis in Ottawa can be assisted. The life stories and focus group discussions reveal that, for this particular group of Somali youth, “failure is not an option”. They also highlight, especially to policy-makers, the value of this kind of qualitative research, and the need to invest in the continued integration process of Somali youth - both for their benefit and that of Canadian society as a whole. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Acknowledgements This thesis would not have been possible without the support, encouragement and patience of my husband Fred, my son William, my parents Bob and Joan and my friends. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Louise de la Gorgendiere, and committee members Dr. Daiva Stasiulis and Dr. Melanie Wiber for their guidance and insight. Finally, a special thanks to Sahra Said for being a friend and a sister. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. 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Table of Contents Abstract ...................................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgements................................................................................................................iii Table of Contents...................................................................................................................iv List of Tables.......................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1: Introduction......................................................................................................... 1 1.0 Aim of Research............................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Background ....................................................................................................................1 1.2 The Issue: Somali Refugees in Ottawa .....................................................................2 1.3 History of Somali Refugees in Ottawa...................................................................... 5 1.4 Somali Culture.............................................................................................................. 7 1.5 Need for Research....................................................... 8 1.6 Limitations of Study.....................................................................................................9 1.7 Chapter Outline.......................................................................................................... 11 Chapter 2: Methodology......................................................................................................13 2.0 Introduction.................................................................................................................13 2.1 Participant Observation .............................................................................................15 2.2 Sampling .......................................................................................................................16 2.2.1 Snowball Sampling for Somali Community....................................................17 2.2.2 Snowball Sampling of Participants .................................................................. 18 2.3 Triangulation .............................................................................................................. 19 2.4 Life Stories................................................................................................................... 20 2.5 Focus Groups.............................................................................................................. 22 2.6 Semi-Structured Interviews with Organizations..................................................23 2.7 Data Analysis...............................................................................................................24 Chapter 3: Understanding the Refugee Experience and the Integration Experience ..................................................................................................................................................25 3.0 Introduction................................................................................................................ 25 3.1 Definition of Refugee................................................................................................. 26 3.2 Refugee Experience....................................................................................................28 3.3 Integration................................................................................................................... 30 3.4 Role of the Social World in Integration..................................................................32 3.4.1 Culture, Identity, Religion.................................................................................32 3.4.2 Community and Social Relations..................................................................... 38 3.4.3 School and Education.........................................................................................40 3.5 Role of the Family in Integration............................................................................ 41 3.6 Gender..........................................................................................................................43 Chapter 4: Life Stories and Thematic Analysis...............................................................47 4.0 Introduction................................................................................................................ 47 4.1 Community Profile.....................................................................................................49 4.2 Life Stories and Thematic Analysis........................................................................ 52 4.2.1 Sophia..................................................................................................................