Immigrant Youth Living In Low Income Households and Their Experience With Settlement Agencies

This Major Research paper explores the experiences of immigrant youth who are living in low income households and their experiences with settlement agencies. Through two focus groups this research compared the attitudes of first generation immigrants between the ages of 16-24 and how effective settlement agencies were in meeting the needs of newcomer youth. The finding indicated that employment, education and social integration were key areas of concerns for newcomer youth. Newcomers who were aged 18-24 felt underserved by settlement agencies, and thought that programs they participated in did not directly address their needs. Settlement policies were also examined to observe whether the current structure hinders a client centred approach. The policy analysis found the funding structure employed by Citizenship Immigration Canada to favour larger NGOs and settlement agencies which would often alienate or subordinate smaller NGO firms. The results implied that current policy structures are performance based rather than directly addressing client needs which left certain clients feeling underserved.