Building Belonging: How Schools can Facilitate Young Asylum Seekers' Adaptation to Trauma

Young Asylum seekers (YAS) report of experiences with trauma that make coping in the host country a lot
harder. These experiences are often understood through a Western medical model which reduces
understanding of trauma to the symptoms it produces, in turn, translating into individualised
interventions . However, this project will aim to sit within a broader literature that directs attention
toward factors within the post-migration context which shape how trauma may be experienced. This
wider lens offers a more holistic and culturally sensitive way to support YAS.
School belonging represents an important construct to consider for YAS; having a sense of belonging to
school is protective against a range of adverse outcomes associated with trauma. School belonging is
broadly defined as feeling accepted, respected, included and supported by others (Goodenow & Grady,
1993). Key themes have been identified across the literature which represent important goals for schools
to aim for in order to increase belonging. For example, changing pedagogy, increasing understanding of
cultural diversity, changing wider school attitudes toward integration, and identifying the educational
needs of asylum seekers more holistically. However, as goals, the steps to translate these into practise
and policy are more under-researched. The aim of this project is to understand how we can more
precisely define these steps so that we can best support YAS in their adaptation to trauma.