IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jscscx/v12y2023i12p666-d1292432.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Drawing Together in Scotland: The Opportunities and Challenges for Young Refugees within a ‘Relational Wellbeing’ Approach to Integration

Author

Listed:
  • Ravi K. S. Kohli

    (Institute of Applied Social Research, University of Bedfordshire, Luton LU1 3JU, UK)

  • Paul Sullivan

    (Sistema Scotland, Glasgow G42 8JL, UK)

  • Kirstie Baughan

    (Institute of Applied Social Research, University of Bedfordshire, Luton LU1 3JU, UK)

Abstract

In this paper, we consider how young refugees in the Drawing Together project experience integration in Scotland. We critically examine the term ‘refugee integration’ and emphasise its multiple dimensions. Specifically, we analyse Scotland’s role as a country committed to the protection and care of young refugees by mapping some key Scottish legal, political, social and cultural policies and strategies that provide the contexts for refugee integration as a mutual endeavour based on hospitality and reciprocity. Finally, we show the ways young refugees talk of rebuilding a life in Scotland that feels coherent in relation to their past and present circumstances, and their future plans despite the challenges that they encounter in their everyday lives. We suggest that a ‘relational wellbeing’ approach to integration in Scotland is tangible. It confirms the importance of the practical and social opportunities available to young refugees as they resettle. This approach extends the meaning of integration beyond its political and social categories, to include young refugees’ attachment to their faith of origin as well as the natural environment of Scotland. In all, we suggest that young refugees face the challenges and use the opportunities for integration in Scotland in ways that are of sustained benefit, for them as well as Scotland as their new country.

Suggested Citation

  • Ravi K. S. Kohli & Paul Sullivan & Kirstie Baughan, 2023. "Drawing Together in Scotland: The Opportunities and Challenges for Young Refugees within a ‘Relational Wellbeing’ Approach to Integration," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-13, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:12:y:2023:i:12:p:666-:d:1292432
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/12/666/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/12/666/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Silvia Galandini & Gareth Mulvey & Laurence Lessard-Phillips, 2019. "Stuck Between Mainstreaming and Localism: Views on the Practice of Migrant Integration in a Devolved Policy Framework," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 685-702, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mary Gilmartin & Jennifer Dagg, 2022. "Finding the Gap: Immigrant Integration Outcomes and Settlement Service Provision in the Republic of Ireland," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 679-699, June.
    2. Robert Djogbenou & Vissého Adjiwanou & Solène Lardoux, 2024. "Exploring Sixty-Two Years of Research on Immigrants’ Integration Using Structural Topic Modeling-Based Bibliometric Analysis," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 25(4), pages 1797-1824, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:12:y:2023:i:12:p:666-:d:1292432. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.