This resource guide was developed in March 2014 as part of the Surrey Welcoming Communities Project in British Columbia, Canada. Surrey is a district with the largest number of immigrant and refugees in Metro Vancouver, and the Welcoming Communities Project was created to administer and coordinate resettlement efforts.  This resource guide was created to provide educators and school staff with a framework for understanding children from refugee families. As part of a “myth busting” campaign, the guide provides information on experiences of these children (e.g., displacement, relocation and resettlement), possible effects of the refuges experience on these children (e.g., trauma, PTSD), suggestions for assessment, and strategies for supporting these children in schools.

This guide includes a section on art-based activities that can be used with these children, as well as artwork and quotes from refugee students who have participated in such activities.