From Helpless Rage to Loving Resistance: Resistance to Othering and Practices of Agency in Mentoring Children of Asylum Seekers in Israel

Autor/in	Amitay, Gila
Titel	From Helpless Rage to Loving Resistance: Resistance to Othering and Practices of Agency in Mentoring Children of Asylum Seekers in Israel
Quelle	In: Child & Youth Care Forum, 51 (2022) 4, S.705-727 (23 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Amitay, Gila)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1053-1890
DOI	10.1007/s10566-021-09649-7
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Emotional Response; Mentors; Refugees; Volunteers; Experience; Attitudes; Children; Israel + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Emotionales Verhalten; Flüchtling; Freiwilliger; Erfahrung; Attitude; Einstellung; Verhalten; Child; Kind; Kinder
Abstract	Background: Children of African asylum seekers are a growing population in the Western world. Many of them who live in extreme social exclusion experience social alienation and powerlessness. Based on the assumption that the unique relationships between mentors and mentees can increase well-being, more in depth data on the perspectives of the practical work strategies of the volunteers themselves would be useful to understand their actions and underlying principles of actions in mentoring children of asylum seekers. Objective: To explore the experiences and strategies employed by nonprofessional volunteers who mentor children of asylum seekers. Method: In-depth semi-structured interviews with 19 volunteers who mentor children (age range 6-12) of African asylum seekers in Israel were conducted. A thematic analysis based on grounded theory approach was employed. Results: Based on the volunteers' perceptions, the data suggest a four-level process of strategies aimed at resistance to othering and the development of a sense of personal agency through mentoring. Conclusions: The perceptions of volunteers who work with the children of asylum seekers suggest they use strategies that seek to increase the children's sense of belonging and agency and to provide them with the unconditional support they usually do not receive elsewhere. The findings suggest that volunteers may help create an agency-promoting environment to help asylum seeker children cope with their distress. Studies using controlled designs might examine the effects of volunteers by developing guidelines and action principles as a basis for fostering standardized training for volunteers who work with children in extreme social exclusion. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01