Promoting Adjustment for Yazidi Refugees: Youths’ Perspectives

Yazidis, an ethnic and religious minority group from Northern Iraq, are a distinctive population of highly traumatized refugees who have been persecuted for centuries. In 2014, the 74th recorded genocide was committed against the Yazidis. In response to the genocide, the Government of Canada has assisted in relocating, and committed to supporting, the Yazidis. However, to date, little is known about the factors Yazidi youth find helpful in promoting their mental, physical, and social well-being, or their integration. This study uses concept mapping, a form of participatory action research, to explore factors that have promoted adjustment for Yazidi youth refugees in Canada. 12 Yazidi youth between the ages of 15 and 24 participated in interviews and a subsequent group sorting activity. Seven concepts to represent the responses were generated, including: experiences at school, connection with family and friends, accepting it takes time, sense of security, community agency support, feeling liberated, and feeling like I belong. These findings were compared and contrasted with existing literature. Using the youths’ perspective and needs as a guide, recommendations have been made for continued support, facilitated through policy revisions, that centre on fostering connections to Yazidi culture and community here in Canada and promoting family reunification.