Newton RCUK-TUBITAK Integration and Well-Being of Syrian Youth in Turkey
Lead Research Organisation:
London School of Economics and Political Science
Department Name: European Institute
Abstract
The project aims to assess the needs of Syrian refugee youth in Turkey and to provide concrete policy recommendations for their integration. All recent studies of the Syrian population in Turkey indicate that their status is gradually shifting from refugee to immigrant as a result of the prolonged conflict. While the Turkish government has maintained an 'open door' policy regarding refugees from their neighbouring country, they also were not prepared for the scale of the exodus or the length of the war. As a result, the Turkish government is currently struggling to formulate effective policies to deal with a crisis that threatens to impact both Turkey's future development and regional stability.
Our project focuses on one of the most vulnerable groups within the refugee population: youth whose futures are being put on hold. Youth between 15 and 30 years of age would have attended university or entered the job market, but many are finding that their plans of education and training, or marrying and building a family, must be deferred. The project will assess their background, including educational level and skills; their educational, work, and health needs; and their visions of the future. We aim to develop concrete organisational and policy suggestions for social and economic integration show how Syrian youth in Turkey may be
viewed not as burdensome 'guests' but as human capital that can contribute to the country's development.
The project will assess delivery and access to services such as education and healthcare, and will employ a comparative and historical approach that takes lessons from other states' and from Turkey's own past responses to mass refugee emergencies. Moreover, we will map the various local, regional, national and international governmental, voluntary, and humanitarian organisations currently working in Turkey in order to understand how and why refugees use these organisations to access services. This will allow us to evaluate the government response and gaps left by that response. Two of our particular concerns are access to education and transition into the labour market, especially critical for the age group under study. The ability of refugee youth to access education will play a critical role in Turkey's immediate future, as it will determine whether or not Turkey will be able fully to make use of the human capital represented by this large, young population. Assuming that refugees are likely to remain in Turkey at least in the medium term, then, the project aims to improve access of refugee youth to education, health services, and the labour market in order to insure that this young population will contribute to Turkey's growth rather than become an impediment to its development.
This research is urgent, because the future of hundreds of thousands of Syrian youth is currently in danger. While a number of studies have attempted to assess integration problems and have warned of the immanent dangers of leaving them unaddressed, no study to date has systematically examined the critical age group that is transitioning from childhood to adulthood and currently making decisions that will shape their futures. This will also be the group that will play a critical role in decisions about return to the home country in future years.
The project responds to a research gap regarding this humanitarian crisis, because the urgency and lack of data has so far dictated quick responses regarding populations that are constantly changing and whose needs are shifting. The thirty-month period of the RCUK-TUBITAK grant will provide research teams from two leading universities the opportunity systematically to collect and analyse data on the crisis and examine how those results may change over time, hence providing a base of reliable research data.
Our project focuses on one of the most vulnerable groups within the refugee population: youth whose futures are being put on hold. Youth between 15 and 30 years of age would have attended university or entered the job market, but many are finding that their plans of education and training, or marrying and building a family, must be deferred. The project will assess their background, including educational level and skills; their educational, work, and health needs; and their visions of the future. We aim to develop concrete organisational and policy suggestions for social and economic integration show how Syrian youth in Turkey may be
viewed not as burdensome 'guests' but as human capital that can contribute to the country's development.
The project will assess delivery and access to services such as education and healthcare, and will employ a comparative and historical approach that takes lessons from other states' and from Turkey's own past responses to mass refugee emergencies. Moreover, we will map the various local, regional, national and international governmental, voluntary, and humanitarian organisations currently working in Turkey in order to understand how and why refugees use these organisations to access services. This will allow us to evaluate the government response and gaps left by that response. Two of our particular concerns are access to education and transition into the labour market, especially critical for the age group under study. The ability of refugee youth to access education will play a critical role in Turkey's immediate future, as it will determine whether or not Turkey will be able fully to make use of the human capital represented by this large, young population. Assuming that refugees are likely to remain in Turkey at least in the medium term, then, the project aims to improve access of refugee youth to education, health services, and the labour market in order to insure that this young population will contribute to Turkey's growth rather than become an impediment to its development.
This research is urgent, because the future of hundreds of thousands of Syrian youth is currently in danger. While a number of studies have attempted to assess integration problems and have warned of the immanent dangers of leaving them unaddressed, no study to date has systematically examined the critical age group that is transitioning from childhood to adulthood and currently making decisions that will shape their futures. This will also be the group that will play a critical role in decisions about return to the home country in future years.
The project responds to a research gap regarding this humanitarian crisis, because the urgency and lack of data has so far dictated quick responses regarding populations that are constantly changing and whose needs are shifting. The thirty-month period of the RCUK-TUBITAK grant will provide research teams from two leading universities the opportunity systematically to collect and analyse data on the crisis and examine how those results may change over time, hence providing a base of reliable research data.
Planned Impact
The project will aim to make urgent, medium-term, and longer-term policy interventions in a humanitarian crisis that has the potential to impact Turkey's future development and that is already threatening regional stability. The project studies Syrian refugee youth, a group that is especially vulnerable given curtailed access to education and language barriers in the labour market. We will aim to impact four main audiences: (1) the Syrian refugee youth population, which currently struggles to access education, health services, and the labour market in Turkey; (2) Turkish government agencies and non-governmental and humanitarian organisations whose work addresses the refugee youth population; (3) EU and UN policymakers, who are attempting to formulate appropriate policy strategies to address a growing crisis; (4) the UK and EU publics, which have limited reliable information about the refugee population.
We will achieve impact through a collaborative strategy that will build on the strengths and networks of the two research organisations (for details, please see Pathways to Impact).
1. Research updates (press briefings)
Over the course of the 30-month grant period, we will have five press briefings regarding research results beginning in month 6 of the grant, when we expect to have initial findings of the structured and semi-structured interviews. Subsequent press briefings in months 12, 18, 24, and 30 will coincide with the workshops and conferences and/or the publication of research results as policy briefs and reports. Press briefings will take place in Turkey, while the LSE press office will aid in placing announcements of research results in the U.K. press.
2. Research reports
The research will result in four reports that will be presented in workshops and conferences organised by the partners and that will form the basis for two policy briefs. The report themes will be: (a) state-of-the-art report on policy responses and best practices regarding refugee youth (based on WP4) (b) access to and delivery of services to refugee youth (findings from WP1); (c) a gender-based assessment of well-being and needs (a comparative study from the findings of WP1, WP2); and (d) a human capital assessment and potential benefits to the receiving country (findings from WP2 and WP 3);
3. Two LSE workshops on refugee reception
A LSE workshop in month 9 will bring together NGOs and academics working on reception of refugees in Arab countries and the EU, especially Germany, with the LSE/MiReKoc research team for a discussion of preliminary research results and best practices. A second LSE workshop in month 22 will include a presentation of the first research report on access to services and will involve experts and NGO representatives from U.K. and EU migration receiving countries in a discussion of methods for improving access to services and integration.
4. Policy informing workshop in Ankara with government agencies, NGOs, and civil society
A policy informing workshop in Ankara (month 20) will present research results to date, as well as conclusions from the LSE workshops in a discussion of refugee integration and comparative best practices.
5. Policy briefs
Two English-language policy briefs in months 12 and 28 will be aimed specifically at making available research results on access to service and human capital assessment for an EU and international audience. These policy briefs will include recommendations on EU-level engagement and burden-sharing as a result of the two LSE workshops.
6. Two LSE-organised policy conferences
The research teams will present their policy recommendations at two policy conferences, to be held at the LSE and in Brussels and organised by the Institute for Global Affairs.
7. Project website
A project website in English, Turkish, and Arabic will be essential to make research results easily available to wider publics both in Europe and in Turkey.
We will achieve impact through a collaborative strategy that will build on the strengths and networks of the two research organisations (for details, please see Pathways to Impact).
1. Research updates (press briefings)
Over the course of the 30-month grant period, we will have five press briefings regarding research results beginning in month 6 of the grant, when we expect to have initial findings of the structured and semi-structured interviews. Subsequent press briefings in months 12, 18, 24, and 30 will coincide with the workshops and conferences and/or the publication of research results as policy briefs and reports. Press briefings will take place in Turkey, while the LSE press office will aid in placing announcements of research results in the U.K. press.
2. Research reports
The research will result in four reports that will be presented in workshops and conferences organised by the partners and that will form the basis for two policy briefs. The report themes will be: (a) state-of-the-art report on policy responses and best practices regarding refugee youth (based on WP4) (b) access to and delivery of services to refugee youth (findings from WP1); (c) a gender-based assessment of well-being and needs (a comparative study from the findings of WP1, WP2); and (d) a human capital assessment and potential benefits to the receiving country (findings from WP2 and WP 3);
3. Two LSE workshops on refugee reception
A LSE workshop in month 9 will bring together NGOs and academics working on reception of refugees in Arab countries and the EU, especially Germany, with the LSE/MiReKoc research team for a discussion of preliminary research results and best practices. A second LSE workshop in month 22 will include a presentation of the first research report on access to services and will involve experts and NGO representatives from U.K. and EU migration receiving countries in a discussion of methods for improving access to services and integration.
4. Policy informing workshop in Ankara with government agencies, NGOs, and civil society
A policy informing workshop in Ankara (month 20) will present research results to date, as well as conclusions from the LSE workshops in a discussion of refugee integration and comparative best practices.
5. Policy briefs
Two English-language policy briefs in months 12 and 28 will be aimed specifically at making available research results on access to service and human capital assessment for an EU and international audience. These policy briefs will include recommendations on EU-level engagement and burden-sharing as a result of the two LSE workshops.
6. Two LSE-organised policy conferences
The research teams will present their policy recommendations at two policy conferences, to be held at the LSE and in Brussels and organised by the Institute for Global Affairs.
7. Project website
A project website in English, Turkish, and Arabic will be essential to make research results easily available to wider publics both in Europe and in Turkey.
Publications
Bryant Rebecca
(2024)
Lives in Limbo: Syrian Youth in Turkey
Üstübici A
(2022)
'Street-Level Justifications': Service Providers Mediating Refugee Reception in the Urban Context of Istanbul
in Journal of Refugee Studies
| Description | This study tackled different aspects of the experiences of young 18-30 years old Syrian refugees in Turkey. It first examined their access to (and experiences with) services, namely formal education, language education, health services, housing and employment. Second, it looked at their social and cultural integration experiences as well as their plans for the future. The most striking finding with regards to education was the discrepancy between the aspirations in terms of education and the real figures in terms of access to education. It appears that a very small proportion of those who wanted to pursue their education had there not been a war in Syria, were able to pursue their education in reality. There appears to be significant barriers faced in terms of accessing education among students who otherwise would have pursued their studies, had the war not happened in Syria. The first difficulty an important proportion of interviewed young Syrians in the target age group is due to the fact that they had to interrupt their studies and could not complete their high school education due to the war or could not get their high school diploma from Syria as they fled the war. The challenge within this group was to get a high school diploma to be able to join university. Most of the ones who did access education, reported having attended Temporary Education Centers. However, as these have progressively been closed down, and students are now required to attend the regular Turkish schools, they faced several barriers, such as language as the education in schools in predominantly in Turkish. Some attended Imam Hatip vocational schools which aim to train future religious leaders of prayers in mosques. In these schools, some courses are in Arabic and that helped distinguish Syrians from Turkish individuals. They also struggled due to their lack of familiarity with the curriculum, which they integrate late in grade 9 onwards. Others were turned back by the school directors due to limited capacity. The solution of open education appeared as a possibility to overcome barriers. The option of pursuing open education among students could be made easier and some courses can be offered to encourage them and assist them in obtaining these diplomas Overall, even with a high school diploma, the transition from high school to university presents several difficulties. The university landscape for foreigners (Syrians and others) is extremely complex. Each university has its own requirements, and there is a lack of standardization in terms of the application process. As a result, individuals have to go through a multitude of entrance exams (Turkish proficiency exam/YOS/SAT), for which they have to invest time and money to prepare. Students should be supported in that in-between phase between school and university to prepare for these exams. The system in general appears confusing, and students have to spend a lot of time, money and effort in navigating it. This has led to the emergence of a variety of informal sources of information. There should be a stronger homogenization of the system. There should be more official information about the university entrance procedures, for each university, perhaps through the creation of an online official application that regroups all of the universities. In addition, the emergence of study centers has also been unregulated and ad-hoc. There could be study centers that are more accessible, free of charge, perhaps linked to the public education centers to prepare students for the entrance exams. In some cases, English becomes an important asset in universities which offer education in English. However, these options are very limited and difficult to access. There could be more English branches created within universities, and these would facilitate access to a larger number of students. Further, the Arabic branches in universities were useful in increasing access, but students in these branches are still insecure about their future and experience university as second-class students. For those who had interrupted their studies in Syria at university level, the transfer procedure is still complicated. In some cases, the students are not able to obtain their certificates from Syria due to the political situation. Those who do incur very high expenses. The government has already offered the possibility to attend courses without a diploma, but in order to obtain the diploma, the students need to have provided their previous certificates. Financial barriers appear to predominate as a barrier to access to education. Most of the young persons interviewed have to work for their livelihood and for the livelihood of their family members, as they often become the head of the household in charge of their parents and siblings, too (especially among men). Such individuals of school age could also be offered financial compensation in order to enable them to remain in school. Alternatively, their parents' entry to the job market could be facilitated so that other family members become the main breadwinners. There could be more scholarships offered to increase access to a larger number. In addition, the criteria of these scholarships should be made more transparent for the students. The possibility of night schools that are free of charge was brought up in interviews. In many cases, students had to move to another city for university. This led to further expenses in terms of accommodation, being far from their parents. There could be more priority given to students based on residence or more scholarships covering living expenses. In addition, there were social implications, as they moved to other provinces, many students faced discrimination, whether from their peers or their teachers, directly or indirectly. This had an important effect on their university experience. Some women were not allowed to move away from their families, and this impacted on their access to higher education. The perceptions of the host community overall and in particular within the university can be addressed through awareness-raising activities, communicating clearer expectations and policies and more emphasis on the importance of education within this group, for a better common future. There can be more efforts towards common activities among the students, including the teacher so as to overcome the barriers and to help create a stronger sense of belonging. As for language, though there was strong motivation among most of the participants to learn Turkish, there were various barriers that emerged which resulted in low access of individuals to courses and learning opportunities. Learning the language would enable them to obtain better employment opportunities and better conditions and to adapt better to life in Turkey, especially as they start to perceive their stay as long-term. The most important barrier appeared to be the fact that they have to work and thus do not have much time left for learning the language. There have been some solutions brought up to address this shortcoming. Language education can be linked to the job market as part of vocational training, or on-the-job learning. There is the possibility of providing young refugees some sort of compensation for a few months while learning the language before they join the labour market, as is the case in Germany. Otherwise, it is very difficult to manage to work and learn the language. Some learn informally through social interactions or via the internet or media, such as Youtube channels, but not all benefited to the same extent, and these methods can come in complement to the formal learning courses, especially for those who want to gain benefit in their employment. Many faced difficulties in navigating the complex landscape of language education. We recommend offering more concrete guidelines, information on different types of offers available. There should be more tracking and monitoring of which persons are accessing and which are not at a central level. In addition, there should be more information and personalized guidance about the courses that are offered. The ones who want to pursue their higher education have to do private courses affiliated to universities (such as TOMER), which are costly. It is not sufficient to do the free courses offered in NGOs and often limited to A1, A2 level. There are scholarships for learning Turkish at TOMER, but the numbers are not sufficient and should be increased to reach more people. In addition, the conditions for these scholarships should be widened to include a wider age group. A gender differential also emerged. Those who do manage to take the courses, feel it is insufficient when it is not accompanied with conversation practice. We recommend creating spaces of exchange and practice with Turkish native speakers, in activities that have a common goal, or that are mutually beneficial to encourage participation and interaction. Women tend to be particularly more affected by this than their men counterpart as their interactions with Turkish native speakers is more limited. In addition to the financial barriers, women also need childcare or support from relatives to be able to attend the language courses. Syrian youth in Turkey are living in "permanent temporariness", and their daily encounters are governed by uncertainties. Such position prevents them from thinking about their plans for the future in Turkey, and make them unsure about where do they stand in the Turkish society. This is reflected, for instance, in stereotyping discourses such as "Syrians as guests" which implies that they need to go back. Many youth find social integration hampered by the negative portrayals of the Syrian refugee population in the media, particularly during election periods. And this, as a result, make the social integration initiatives much harder to achieve. While some young people have developed close friendships with Turkish youth, many express a sense of isolation from the host community and marginalization from social interaction, particularly based on language. Successful efforts reported by youth often involve cultural mixing, particularly in ways that positively demonstrate Syrian culture such as food, art. Reflecting on the current practices that are available for the Syrian youth, humanitarian actors and government official representatives highlighted the importance of implementing holistic integration policies that reach out to the community as a whole and encourage practices that provide an enabling space for youth to initiate a cultural exchange, civic engagement and inter-group social interactions. In addition, the research further highlights a strong discrepancy between need for healthcare and access to healthcare services. In order to reduce this discrepancy, there could be efforts invested in the following aspects: reducing linguistic barrier for hospital services, developing awareness campaigns for Syrian youth providing them with more information about services and access. There could also be free-of-charge mental healthcare services in multiple languages to address the needs related to trauma. In terms of employment, there should be stronger links between education and employment in order to avoid de-skilling. The strong gendered characteristics of labor market participation can be resolved through offering the possibility of childcare. The very limited access of young Syrians to work permit also needs to be addressed as it creates a precarious situation in the job market. We also suggest in-house awareness seminars in order to reduce discrimination faced by Syrians in their workplace. Lastly, it appeared that the refugees' aspirations to migrate to Europe was not as high as it is expected. Though most interviewed Syrians would like to return, they all felt like return is not a realistic option. Yet, more research is needed to better understand the driving forces of secondary migration decisions, especially as those are variable and largely depend on political and economic situation. Most would apply for citizenship and some had done so already. There appeared a strong link between citizenship and future plans. Citizenship for many seemed to represent a way to avoid forced return and to increase their mobility within the country and internationally. It also appeared to increase their attachment to Turkey and their investment in language learning and obtaining higher education. |
| Exploitation Route | Due to delays caused by illness and other factors, the final policy brief is still to be printed. It will contain concrete recommendations at the national, EU, and international levels. In particular, the information and recommendations will focus on the role of youth in regulating migration and determining whether families will remain or move on. |
| Sectors | Education,Healthcare,Security and Diplomacy |
| Description | The Responsible Deal: Where and how to best protect and integrate Syrian refugees |
| Amount | € 1,000,000 (EUR) |
| Organisation | Volkswagen Foundation |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | Germany |
| Start | |
| Description | Workshop on Syrian youth integration with regional stakeholders |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The two-day workshop was a region-wide stocktaking involving academic and civil society representatives from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey stakeholders as well as academics and policy experts from Germany, Greece, Netherlands and the UK. Two particular concerns were access to education and transition into the labour market, especially critical for the age group under study, i.e., youth from 18 to 30 years of age. We focused specifically on the following topics: economic integration (employment, housing, health), social connections, facilitators (education, language and cultural knowledge, safety and stability), and future plans (further migration, return or settlement into host country). For each theme, we worked to locate policy challenges involved, "best practices" already implemented and lessons learnt from current and past policy interventions. Day one included a presentation of the project and its preliminary results followed by presentations by participants on their work in relation to the field. Day two included interactive discussions on the subtopics identified, whereby each participant brought his or her own experiences from the field or practice in order to inform the discussions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://syrian-youth-research.ku.edu.tr/news-and-events/ |