Trauma-Informed Primary School for Immigrant Children

 

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Whether an immigrant child was raised here in the U.S. or traveled from their home country, the chances are that the child has been put through distressful situations that can disrupt their growth, potentially developing trauma and having to go through an educational system that simply puts these children in a disadvantage in learning and living in the U.S. In New York City we can design an elementary school that helps children feel happy that’s tailored to immigrant children which can, as a result, help relieve immigrant children’s circumstances and dramatically improve their mental health & education.

Anyone between pre-teen to adulthood can find help when dealing with their

Unfortunately circumstances and yet where is the help when you’re a child and have parents who either are confused about where to find help, have a language barrier, or are too busy making a living, or worse, never recognizing the trauma of their child in the first place? It’s a situation that immigrant children often experience and they can’t help but wonder if there’s a solution that can help these children relieve their stressful circumstances without having the child and parent put any additional efforts into resolving it. That’s where this school can come in; all it takes is for the child to attend school. Right now the United States is currently going through an asylum-seeking crisis with floods of immigrant families moving to sanctuary cities such as New York City, which means an increase of immigrant children that need support. And with the city mainly populated by immigrants as it is, the concern for an immigrant child’s mental health and well-being has never been so important to so many lives as it is now.

Distressful Events Immigrants Go Through

Stage 1 - Pre - Migration

People may have experienced trauma before their move, trauma that would likely have influenced their decision to leave their country. This might involve violence, poverty, persecution, or exposure to armed conflict. Money is another factor as many people's motivation to move from their home country is simply the poor life they live that’s almost impossible to escape when staying. Many of these migrants also migrate due to traumatic separation from their families that already live in the U.S.

Stage 2 - Travel & Transit

This involves exposure to trauma during the journey. This might involve violence, detention, forced labor, or lack of access to basic services. Their journey traveling to the U.S often involves dreadful environmental conditions when moving on foot or even through transportation vehicles after making it to the U.S. And situations can escalate with the risk of children being separated from parents when crossing the border, a very scarring experience for both ends.

Stage 3 - Post - Migration

Migrants and refugees can experience trauma with barriers to accessing basic services like education and health care, as well as financial struggles and poor living conditions, particularly if they’re sending money to loved ones back home, making them feel helpless and stuck to find a stable living. Most migrants don’t have a place to go to when arriving the States and are often displaced. Many migrant children go through their own challenges as well that negatively influence their mental health such as expecting to know 2 languages without proper education, being forced to quickly adapt as they’re going to school, and even experiencing emotional neglect from parents.

Potential Negative Results

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1. Loss of Identity and Familiarity:

When somebody moves to a new culture and loses their familiar culture and social structure, it can cause a form of grief that’s sometimes referred to as cultural bereavement. Migrants might miss the language of their country—particularly regional dialects and colloquialisms - as well as social structures and support networks. Struggling to adapt to a new culture and way of life can be overwhelming and disorienting.

2. Violence, Assault, Loss of Family Members:

Migrants and refugees may have experienced assault, abuse, or violence either 

before the journey or during the process of migration, or lost family friends, or friends experiences that many people would find traumatic regardless of the wider context of immigration.

3. Uncertainty and Lack of Stability:

In terms of post-migration trauma, in particular, uncertainty surrounding immigration policy can be a cause of stress and trauma—some migrants may have a fear of deportation, or experience difficulties in getting work permits, for example. And beforehand, getting the required documentation and seeing if there’s a path to residency can both add to the trauma, as can changes in people’s lives during the immigration process that might impact eligibility. People with student visas might face more anxiety during their stay if they want to remain in the US. Many families can find themselves constantly moving from place to place, never feeling ready to settle until many years into living in the US due to financial instability.

Individuals who experience immigration trauma may go on to exhibit 

symptoms such as:

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): 

Flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, and avoidance of reminders of the

 traumatic event.   

Depression: 

Feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest in activities.   

Anxiety: 

Excessive worry, fear, and restlessness.

Substance abuse: 

Using alcohol or drugs to cope with stress and trauma.   

Proposed School Solutions for Immigrant Children

1. Growth

Students will be allowed to not only gain a linguistic education but also be given the support and resources to help find themselves by providing clubs to join and extracurricular activities they may participate. This school will encourage students to find their individuality as what better way to help fit into a new society than to know one’s self. In addition, will be providing a course that’ll introduce and educate students on different types of careers so students have a better grasp of the field of work that’s out there. 

2. Prosperity

we must prioritize the happiness of the children in this school as it plays a key role in their focus and commitment to their education as well as in helping heal students from their trauma. Much of the architectural designs will help create an oasis for the students by providing fenestration along exterior & interior spaces, aromatic gardens, play areas, natural lighting, vibrant spaces, interactive corridors, and spaces that foster social interaction, all of which will create an interactive experience for the kids to be free and enjoy. Doing so will create a more enjoyable educational experience for both students and faculty.

3. Recovery

While not all students may be immigrants and/or even have immigration trauma, those of whom do show symptoms of trauma are equally prioritized as the rest of the students in this school. And by prioritizing the prosperity of the children through the designed spaces of the school, will also act as a passive form of healing for children with immigration trauma. The School will also be introducing additional programs to nurture students with mental/emotional health issues by providing therapeutic sessions as part of their monthly schedules. Doing so will actively heal students recover from their trauma which will result in the betterment of the child’s education in school.

4. Education

How we plan to help create successful students while also helping them heal is by introducing a unique education system within a charter school, where we introduce a linguistic educational system that’ll have half of the major classes in a native language and other half in English, employing multi-lingual speaking teachers, dedicated language courses, Extensive-use of English and native language media in school, and using English as practical means of communication during teaching and in class. Helping these children understand their native language and English will help children feel confident and be able to bond with their communities, culture, and families while also preparing students to adapt the lifestyle in the U.S. 

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