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ABSTRACT
Drawing on our study1 with newcomer youth from four communities in Toronto, this article discusses post-migration determinants of mental health for newcomer youth in Toronto and reflects on policy implications. Preliminary study findings indicate that settlement challenges and discrimination/exclusions are salient risks to the mental wellbeing of newcomer youth and their families.
INTRODUCTION
There is a paucity of Canadian literature on the mental health of newcomer youth. Our study sought to fill this gap by investigating the social determinants of newcomer youth mental health.2 We focused on newcomer youth (between the ages of 14-18 who have been in Canada for five years or less) and their families from four communities in the Toronto area: Afghan, Colombian, Sudanese, and Tamil. The project was grounded in an academic-community collaboration between the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto and Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services; we also incorporated several principles of Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR) including involving newcomer youth from the four communities as peer researchers and as advisory committee members.3 Drawing on the qualitative component of our research, this article discusses the relationship between settlement stressors, discrimination/exclusion, and the mental health of newcomer youth and their families.
SNAPSHOT OF NEWCOMER YOUTH IN CANADA
The number of newcomer youth between the ages of 15-24 settling in Canada has been steadily growing during the last decade from 28,125 arriving in 1999 compared to 37,425 arriving in 2008 (24.9% increase). The trend in newcomer youth migration to Canada since 1999 is presented in Figure 1. On average 35,000 immigrants and refugee youth between the ages of 15-24 settle in Canada every year; this represents roughly 15% of the approximately 250,000 permanent residents that come to Canada annually. The composition of youth within refugees settling in Canada is slightly higher (20.4%) compared to youth in other groups. The majority (79.8%) of youth who settle in Canada are from racialized 'visible minority' backgrounds. A large percentage of immigrant youth settle in the three metropolitan cities in Canada (Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver); immigrant youth thus comprise a significant segment of youth population in these cities. In the City of Toronto, for example, immigrant youth between the ages of 15-24 constitute 39.5% of all youth in that age group.4