Social Exclusion of Newcomer Children and Youth in Canada (Essay Sample)

Social Exclusion of Newcomer Children and Youth in Canada Student’s Name Institution Affiliation Course Name Instructor’s Name Date of Submission Social Exclusion of Newcomer Children and Youth in Canada While Canada is one of the most socially inclusive societies of the 21st century, newcomer children and youth face challenges in their quest for integration into the mainstream of the society. Social exclusion of newcomers in Canada is a reality that scholars have explored over the years, with varied suggestions given on the best approaches to improving the inclusion of immigrants. The majority of immigrants arrived in Canada after the 1990s and social exclusion is a phenomenon that affects even seniors in the country (Johnson, Bacsu, McIntosh, Jeffery, & Novik, 2019). However, the problem extends to children and youth. While children and youths are expected to settle quicker in new environments, the phenomenon in Canada has revealed a score of dynamic challenges that make inclusion difficult. In the education-employment nexus, the systemic impediments in the Canadian society anchored on historical prejudices against newcomers have caused challenges to the youths coming out of schools to seen jobs (Yoshida & Amoyaw, 2020). Due to exclusion, many immigrant youth do not complete their education and they end up working in low-wage and low-skill jobs. For children, schools are the most critical arena for social development. Despite the attempts of the Canadian government to redefine the social inclusion paradigm, the past policies and historical orientations have continued to affect the integration of newcomer children and youths with profound consequences on the human development space. Children and youths are excluded as much as adults despite previous studies focusing on adult-centered approach to the study of the subject. Social inclusion or exclusion of children and youths from the mainstream of the Canadian society can be determined mostly by the circumstances of the families in which they come from (Nichols, Ha, & Tyyskä, 2020). However, the adult-constructed concepts of inclusion fail to consider that children are capable of expressing their own views about subject that continues to create tension in the Canadian society. Oxman-Martinez and Choi (2014) cited the studhy of the Canadian Council on Children and Youth which reported that social inclusion was related to the context of participating in and contributing to the community. In this regard, newcomer children and youth often face the significant differences of education setting compared to their country of origin. The native-born children who grow up speaking English from a very young age have huge advantage when it comes to classroom learning and those newcomers from non-English speaking countries have massive problems adjusting to this environment (Lara & Volante, 2019). Consequently, social adjustments and adaptations become increasingly difficult (Lara & Volante, 2019). A conflict often arises between the home cultural values and the school norms which puts children on difficult situations. These challenges are even greater if the newcomer children come from families with low income and poorly educated parents. Such children have little incentives to foster their settling within the new environment and the results is social exlusion. The main social exlusion of newcomer children and youths in Canada is related to a lack of opportunities to participate in activities that would galvanize the social growth paradigm in the society. The distances in language and culture between the families of newcomers and the Canadian society makes it difficult for children to learn new kinds of pro-social skills and have mutual interactions that would be beneficial to the growth of those children (Kalchos, Kassan, & Ford, 2022). This leads to the second domain of exclusion which relates to psychological isolation. Oxman-Martinez and Choi (2014) observed that newcomer children often feel disconnected from others including peers and teachers and this breaks the chain of social and cognitive development that is vital for the growth of children and youths. The peer interactions that serve as buffers to loneliness and promotes self-confidence and self-esteem are inherently disrupted and the result is the total exclusion of children. Oxman-Martinez et al. (2012) observed that during childhood, “newcomer immigrant children experience simultaneously both the resettlement challenges and integration opportunities associated with family migration and those associated with the developmental trajectory itself” (377). The education system where children and youths are expected to spend most of their time has not been redefined to respond to this unique challenges. The feelings of isolation alongside weak sense of belonging and alienation distorts the potential of those children to grow and achieve their optimum limits. This phenomenon remains a reality in many neighborhoods of communities in Canada where immigrants have settled. A content analysis of policy documents guiding the response of education institutions to the needs of newcomer children and youth over the years demonstrates grave disparities and gaps in the treatment of this special group in Canada. Lara and Volante (2019) studied the Ontario provincial education policies, strategies and guidelines and reported that they are inadequately structures to respond to the needs of newcomer children within the K-12 education system. In Canada, a total or 21.9% of the population are newcomers and immigrants and this percentage could rise to 28.2% by 2036 (Lara & Volante, 2019). It is suprising that no express policy provision focuses on the integration of this population against the unique needs and challenges that they present. “Because over 75% of Canada’s new immigrants are racialized, the experience of racialization and the reality of racialized poverty also play a role in the experience of immigrant education. Many of these gaps in achievement are in place before school has even begun” (Nichols, Ha, & Tyyskä, 2020). One of the much needed policy guidelines regards the school system and the treatment of English- and non-English learners. School systems that have adopted an early tracking system, where children are placed in a specific program and/or school type based on their abilities at a relatively young age, often increase inequity among disadvantaged students, particularly those with an immigrant background (Lara & Volante, 2019). Consequently, immigrant children are not given adequate time and opportunity to develop the level of knowledge and skills that their non-immigrant peers have developed. Inequality that is made worse by a deeply-entrenched exclusion program in the society. A good social policy that focuses on the inclusion of newcomers in the Canadian society will consider the mainstreaming of English as Second Language (ESL) classes which will foster the settlement of children from non-English speaking countries. The government has failed to create multi-lingual services that would enable newcomers to settle more quickly. Building language proficiency is one of the key antecedents to improving process of integration of newcomers into the social paradigm of the society (Kalchos, Kassan, & Ford, 2022). The mastery of language will foster the children and youths’ coping skills and resilience. A subsequent policy will focus on mainstreaming of the community policies to create support groups. Inclusion entails the reframing of thinking towards a more positive orientation. Newcomer children and youths must be able to access community support groups where they can share their experiences with experts who understand the mechanics of promoting resilience (Johnson, Bacsu, McIntosh, Jeffery, & Novik, 2019). All the policy proposition must be aimed at reconstructing social networks and offering immigrants the much-needed incentives to be integrated into the new society where they find themselves. One other key main reason for Canada’s exclusion of newcomer children and youths from the mainstream of the society is because of the inherently weak social philosophy connected to the narrative of minority versus majority in the population. Oxman-Martinez et al. (2012), citing the Canadian postcensus Ethnic Diversity Survey, noted that approximately 20% of the visible minority respondents reported that sometimes they experienced discrimination or unfair treatment. Children become targets of discriminatory behaviors which are deeply entrenched discrimination tendencies within the society. Canada’s history points to a culture of minority exclusion and discrimination, especially with the colonial assimilation policies of the 19th and 20th centuries. The perception of ethnic or racial discrimination has an impact on a child’s life. Canada has not strictly respected the United Nations Convention of the Rights of Children. Consequently, the country still lags behind when it comes to mitigating the perceived discrimination including by the teachers who are supposed to foster the integration of children into the mainstream of the society. Owing to the skewed construct of inclusion in the Canadia society, newcomer youths end up being underemployed or taking on adult responsibilities at a very young age before they can adequately develop within the society. Shields and Lujan (2019) observed that immigrant youths who come from poor families are forced to take up social work to support their parents and families. There are no culturally appropriate and sensitive programs in Canada that can support these children to attain better standards of life. According to Shields and Lujan (2019), youths and their parents often feel judged and misunderstood by social and human service workers. The ethno-culthral differences between the newcomers and the mainstream so...