Youth and Migration
Exploring the integration of migrant youth
Overview: There are an increasing number of policy initiatives by governments around the world aimed at fostering the integration of international youth migrants. These initiatives are the result of a recognition that integration brings benefits both to migrants and to the countries and communities in which they live; the lack of integration is viewed as having the potential to result in not only socio-economic and psychological challenges for migrants but also fragmented societies.
Integration can mean different things in different contexts. Some scholars have defined it as broadly referring to “both the socio-economic incorporation of immigrants in the host society, and to their socio-cultural adaptation to that society.” Others conceptualize integration as comprising four main aspects: access to rights and citizenship; access to housing, health, social security, decent work, financial services and education; social connections within destination communities; and language and cultural exchange as crucial to the integration process.
Government policies and initiatives often focus on areas such as providing access to education, healthcare, as well as offering language and cultural integration programs to youth migrants. Additionally, employment initiatives aim to remove barriers to entry into the workforce, ensuring that young migrants can contribute meaningfully to their host communities.
Sources: Saharso, 2019 and Ager and Strang, 2008.
