Private Story
Children uprooted: integration of refugee families in Prince Edward Island
As Canada marks one year since one of the largest efforts to resettle refugees in its recent history, it is especially interesting to contrast their arrival to the experience of Syrian refugees. It took the family seven years from their first interview to come here, with no welcome signs at the airport. For many Syrians, that process was reduced dramatically to one year or less, and they continue to have a significant amount of community support and media coverage.
There are also the challenges of adjusting to another standard of living. The family is learning how to cook and clean with electricity and read and write, all for the first time. César and Calinia, the parents, walk for one hour a day to their EAL language classes and back home, even in the snow and as Calinia is 5 months pregnant, as they have not yet learned how to drive. Despite these difficulties, neighbors and community groups have come together to get the family through the winter, and we see the response as a generally positive example of refugee integration into host communities.
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