Promoting Refugee and Newcomer Children's Health and Flourishing
August 22–24, 2024
A Conference and Workshop Event at the University of Toronto Mississauga
The Pathways to Kindness Conference Description
This conference and workshop event highlighted research-practice efforts to support positive social and emotional development in refugee and newcomer children in Canada and beyond. It was held at the University of Toronto Mississauga from August 22–24, 2024 to coincide with the Rohingya Genocide Commemoration Day, August 25, 2017.
The conference shared results from an international research partnership that assessed an intervention to support the development of Rohingya children whose family’s fled genocide in Myanmar. The children and their families live in one of the largest refugee camps in the world, located in Bangladesh hosting close to 1 million Rohingya refugees. The focus of the conference also extended beyond these results to synthesize and discuss next steps for policy efforts to support refugee and newcomer health and flourishing.
The conference included presentations from academic researchers, humanitarian practitioners and refugee community members. Several distinguished guests, including UN Ambassador Bob Rae, UNHCR EU Representative Jean-Nicolas Beuze and Alexander Humboldt Professor Dr. Tina Malti, shared their insights on Canada’s role in the global refugee crisis and ways to mobilize research to improve refugee children’s health and flourishing.
The aims of the Pathways to Kindness Conference were to:
- Bring together different communities, including members of the Rohingya community, community advocates, and those from humanitarian, policy, and research sectors who have an interest in supporting refugee and newcomer communities.
- Raise awareness of cutting-edge research findings that can inform local and international refugee and newcomer policy efforts.
- Engage diverse perspectives to design new supportive activities that can be scaled up to support refugee educational and mental health programming nationally and globally.
CLICK HERE to access the Pathways to Kindness Conference Summary Report.
CLICK HERE to access the Pathways to Kindness Conference Infographic.
CLICK HERE to access our Policy Brief on supporting Rohingya children's healthy development.
CLICK HERE to view the Conference Brochure.
Conference Contact
If you have any questions, please contact the Conference Organizer, Joy Chang, at ccdmp@utoronto.ca
