2020 Annual Report CYRRC

2020 marks 5 years since 70,000+ Syrian refugees began to arrive in Canada.

The arrival of the first Syrian refugees in 2015 was transformative for Canada as a country. The Child and Youth Refugee Research Coalition (CYRRC) emerged as a response to the arrival of the “Syrian cohort”, and from a desire to improve the settlement of mass migrations of forcibly displaced people. Our 2020 Annual Report pays tribute to the Syrian cohort and all other young refugees who now make Canada their home.  

About CYRRC

The Child and Youth Refugee Research Coalition (CYRRC) is a network of academics, community partners, and government agencies. Seeded by a SSHRC Partnership Grant in 2017, CYRRC members  carry out research, promote best practices, and engage in knowledge mobilization. Today, CYRRC researchers are involved in 70+ research projects on social integration, economic outcomes, education, and the mental and physical wellbeing of refugee children, youth, and families in Canada. 

To learn more about our work, connect with CYRRC members, and explore opportunities to collaborate, visit us at cyrrc.org

Explore Our Work

Focuses on economic outcomes of refugee children, youth, and families.

Focuses on language acquisition and literacy skills of refugee children and youth.

Investigates experiences of trauma and what facilitates resilience before and after resettlement.

Examines integration, stressors, discrimination, and supports before and after resettlement.

How refugees are affected by COVID-19, and how service providers are adapting.

Our KMb moves research beyond the academic realm into the community sector.

CYRRC researchers have compiled data aggregations of refugees’ economic outcomes and retention rates.

Message from CYRRC’s Scientific Director, Michael Ungar

Michael Ungar

CYRRC Scientific Director

2020 was a year unlike any other. As the world came to a standstill due to the COVID-19 pandemic, research ground to a halt and service providers were forced to close their doors. Very quickly, however, we collectively innovated new ways of working. CYRRC responded with a series of projects looking at how COVID-19 is impacting young refugees and their families, and how settlement agencies are responding. We look forward to sharing findings from this research in the coming months.

2021 marks 5 years since Syrian refugees began to arrive in Canada. This year’s highlights report puts a special focus on how Syrian refugees are settling in Canada, while drawing attention to broader themes that have emerged from the last four years of our research. I would like to thank all who contribute to this important work, and I look forward to ongoing success as we seek to better understand and support the successful integration of young refugees in Canada.

Syrians in Canadian & German Media

Documentary: Syrian Refugee Children’s Memories

Mehrunnisa Ali and colleagues engaged 13 Syrian refugee children to create their autobiographies based on memories of their lives in Syria, Lebanon/Jordan, and Canada. This short video documentary showcases how the children remembered fear, violence, and uncertainty, but also joy, friendship, excitement, and wonder.

Language, Literacy & Wellbeing in Syrian Children

Literacy: Syrian Children in Canada & Germany

Language Learning & Syrian Refugee Preschoolers

Summer Camps Help Refugee Children Integrate

Syrian Refugee Integration

Thomas Soehl and colleagues began a five-year exploration of the integration trajectories of Syrian refugees, starting in 2019. This study aims to understand the challenges Syrian refugees face and the resources they mobilize in their integration journeys, while paying particular attention to the interplay between institutional, social, and organizational experiences; family dynamics; social networks; pre-migration experiences; home country and diaspora connections; and private and public sponsorships.

Mathematics & Syrian Refugee Children

Documentary: Syrian Refugee Children’s Memories

Mehrunnisa Ali and colleagues engaged 13 Syrian refugee children to create their autobiographies based on memories of their lives in Syria, Lebanon/Jordan, and Canada. This short video documentary showcases how the children remembered fear, violence, and uncertainty, but also joy, friendship, excitement, and wonder.