Welcome to the Mercy Corps Syrian Refugee Program!

Developmental Challenges Faced During Middle Childhood and Early Adulthood Among Syrian Refugees

By: Sonya Fiebig, Kimiknu Mentore, Isy Tavarez, Jessica Weber

Objectives

• Brief introduction to the current Syrian refugee situation

• Discuss normal developmental milestones of middle childhood

Theories of development

• Define Middle Childhood related to Syrian Refugees

• Implications of Refugee Status Related to Development

• Promotion of Resilience

• Discuss normal developmental milestones of early adulthood

Theories of Development

• Define Early Adulthood related to Syrian Refugees

• Implications of Refugee Status Related to Development

• Promotion of Resilience

Syrian Civil War

100,000 deathsOver 8 million people affected

REFUGEES of the Syrian CONFLICT • 5,000 people flee Syria daily

• 2,034,544 refugees registered with the UNHCR and expected to increase

• Over 50% of refugees are children under the age of 17

Lebanon- 716,000 Iraq- 195,388

Jordan- 515,000 Egypt- 110,000

Turkey- 460,000 N. Africa – 14,959

Demographics of Syrian Refugees

The majority of the refugees are in the middle childhood and early adulthood stage of development

MaleYears of Age Percentage of Refugee

0-4 9.4

5-11 10.1

12-17 6.9

18-59 22.1

60+ 1.3

FemaleYears of Age Percentage of Refugee

0-4 9.1

5-11 9.6

12-17 6.3

18-59 23.6

60+ 1.6

Middle Childhood

Erikson

• ages 5-12

• Dealing with competency

• Industry vs. Inferiority

• Responsibility

• seeking out tasks they can excel in

• Building self-confidence

• Forming peer relationships

Piaget

• Concrete Operational Stage

• Children begin to think more like adults

• Distinction between their own thoughts and the thoughts of others

• Able to classify objects

• Understand conservation and reversibility

• Become less egocentric

Implications for a refugee

• LACK OF education opportunities

• Strained peer relationships

• Adult examples are not prime modeling

• LACK OF structured activities, seeking food, shelter play

Promoting Resilience

• Providing children with a central location for education

• Encouraging new skills development

• Safe place to interact with peers

Early Adulthood

Developmental Milestones of Early Adulthood

• During this stage young adults:• Choose a career

• Begin to develop expertise in their field

• Gain creativity

• Feel control over life events

• Strive to commit to a permanent partner

• Start a family

• Develop gratifying adult friendships

Erikson• Dealing with competency

• intimacy vs. isolation

• Asking themselves: How to balance independence while fostering bonds in relationships?

Labouvie- Vief

• Transition from hypothetical to pragmatic thought

• Integration of emotion with cognition

Levinson

Adults construct an image of self that guides their decision making.

The men

• Increased risk of violence/execution• Lack of socialization• Halt to education• Lack of career development• Lack of control over life events• Lack of independence

The Women

Women in the early adulthood phase of development

• Increased risk of physical violence including rape

• Separation from male support • Sole care provider for upbringing of the

children and grandparents.

Implications for a Refugee

• No opportunities for career development or higher education

• Difficult to find a life partner

• Difficult to start a family

• High levels of stress

• Isolation

Your Purpose as Mercy Corps Aid Worker

1. Help refugees meet basic life needs such as water and shelter 2. Focusing on the impact our work can make on the emotional and developmental needs of this population

Images retrieved from Google images:http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/syria.phphttp://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/world-heritage/ancient-city-damascus/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14703856 http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/11/syria-in-ruins/100402/http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/16173http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19370506http://www.dw.de/brazil-reluctant-to-accept-syrian-refugees/a-17104178http://www.unhcr.org/51adb6589.html http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-07/u-s-agrees-with-russia-to-back-mediation-on-syria-civil-war.htmlhttp://theobservers.net/the-logic-of-war-a-manila-perspective-on-the-syrian-conflict/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10193128/Syria-civil-war-could-last-multiple-years-if-Islamist-rebels-not-checked-says-top-Pentagon-intelligence-official.htmlhttp://www.news24.com/World/News/1-millionth-child-refugee-flees-Syria-UN-20130823http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/policy/australia-to-take-in-500-syrian-refugees/story-fn9hm1gu-1226732292398http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/09/why-human-rights-groups-dont-agree-on-what-to-do-about-syria/279360/http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=119712Http://muftah.orghttp://politicalviolenceataglance.org/tag/syria/

Sources

“Syrian Refugees Flee Into Neighboring Countries”. Care. Accessed on the web: 10/8/2013. http://www.care.org/emergency/syrian-refugees-in-jordan/index.asp?s_src=redcpcgSyrianCrisis&s_subsrc=syrianrefugees&cr=careisproviding&gclid=CPqXn9P8iLoCFdSY4AodZz4AQw

“Syria Regional Response Rate”. UNHCR. Accessed on the web: 10/8/2013. http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php

Smith-Spark, Laura. “Syria: Chemical weapons team faces many danger, says U.N. chief Ban. CNN. 10/08/2013. Accessed on the web: 10/8/2013. “http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/08/world/meast/syria-‘civil-war/index.html

“Stories from Syrian Refugees.” UNHCR. Accessed on the web: 10/8/2013. http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/syria.php

Goh, Melisa. “Red Cross declares civil war in Syria”. NPR. 07/15/2012. Accessed on the web: 10/8/2013.http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/07/15/156808427/red-cross-declares-civil-war-in-syria

UNHCR. “Syria Emergency – Background.” UNHCR. Accessed on the web: 10/8/2013 http://www.unhcr.org/pages/4f86c2426.html

“Syria Profile” BBC. 10/08/2013. Accessed on the web: 10/8/2013 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14703856

Anonymous Syrian Citizen. “Fearing Detention, many young Syrian Men Stay in the Shadow”. NPR. 10/01/2013. Accessed on the web: 10/8/2013http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/09/30/227781619/fearing-detention-many-young-syrian-men-stay-in-the-shadows

Shim, Serena. “Syrian Woman Torches Herself After Being Raped in Turkey Camp”. PressTV. 9/29/2013. Accessed on the web: 10/8/2013. http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/09/29/326620/syrian-woman-torches-herself-after-being-raped-in-turkey-camp/