What do we know about out‐of‐school youths? How participatory action research can work for young refugees in camps

Abstract

This paper reports on an initiative that took the strategy of youth consultation in programme planning one step further by putting a research project's design, data collection, analysis and presentation of findings in the hands of young women and men who have experienced education and discontinuity of education in a long‐term refugee camp. The participatory action research (PAR) process is described and assessed with attention to how PAR may serve as a practical, credible and ethical methodology for research with refugee youths about refugee youths. This case study reflects that PAR can yield new insights for developing youth‐focused initiatives and positive personal experiences for youth participants, including limited forms of empowerment. Ultimately, however, the structural inequalities imposed by refugee status require redress if the goal is the long‐term empowerment of youths in camps.

Keywords:

• Participatory action research
• Youth
• Protracted refugee camps
• Education in emergencies

Notes

1. UNHCR's working definition of protracted refugee situations is an experience of exile for more than five years without immediate prospects for voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement (Crisp, 2003).

2. In June 2005 the UN World Food Programme (2005) issued an appeal for food aid for the Dadaab Camps where, due to shortages, food rations were cut from the recommended 2166 kilocalories to only 1660 kilocalories.