A Compassionate Perspective on Immigrant Children and Youth

The social context into which refugee, migrant, or unaccompanied children and youth settle has significant implications for shaping both their short-term adaptation for a variety of outcomes as well as their future participation in their new homelands. It also has significant implications for the future of the all post-industrial nations. Immigrant- and refugee-origin children face considerable challenges as they navigate their new lands, particularly during the transition period while concurrently often embodying extraordinary resilience, optimism, and work ethic. In this chapter, models for understanding the immigrant and refugee-origin child experience are articulated along with strategies for bridging the compassion gap, and developing ecologies of care aimed at serving to integrate these young people into the fabric of our societies.