Report on Migrant Children Shows Value of Friendships
29 Sep 2009
The report "Tell me about yourself: migrant children's experiences of moving to and living in Ireland" launched September 29th 2009 explores migrant children's lives across different communities and different spheres of their lives.
The research was conducted over three and a half years by a team of researchers based in the Department of Geography, UCC.
The study explored the experiences of 190 children and young people, aged 3-18, who have moved to live in urban, rural and suburban areas across Ireland in recent years. One of the findings of the research is that having friends and making connections with others is more important to migrant children than emphasising their national or ethnic differences. While migrant children do have their own views on national identity, which vary a lot, a desire to make new friends and to keep up old friendships is what dominates their stories. The research, conducted among four very different migrant populations (African/Irish, Central/Eastern European, Latin American and returning Irish) focussed on the children's and young people's own stories.
Full report is available at www.migration.ucc.ie/children