Immigrant Teens, A Very Common Reality
Migration creates great stress for those who live it, regardless of age. However, young people are a very vulnerable group in this situation. In this article, we are going to talk about immigrant teenagers, a situation that happens very often nowadays.
Immigrant teenagers: identity problems
When a family decides, for different reasons – such as unemployment or war – to live in another country, it brings with it a culture, a language and traditions that are perhaps very different from those of the country they come to.
Of course, teenagers feel the same way about their new home. According to age, this change can have consequences that, in many cases, will last a lifetime.
Not much is said about immigrant teenagers, as the focus is often on babies and children. However, during this crucial stage of our existence, any trauma, alteration or stress has short, medium and long term effects.
What is the life of immigrant teenagers like?
Sometimes young people who migrate join others with the same background as they, as they share many experiences and feelings. Despite this, in other cases, teenagers share their daily lives with peers who were born in the country that is now their home.
When this happens, what is known as “deculturalization and crisis in the construction of identity” occurs. This concept means that everything that was learned during childhood is broken. Now that the young man is building his personality for adulthood, he must think and act like the people of the host country.
All changes have their consequences. It is very important that parents or family members are close during a teenager’s migration process.
In this phase that defines us as people, a disturbance as profound as leaving home, friends, and country of origin can lead to instability that is difficult to control. This can be reflected in the behavior and academic performance of young people.
In adolescence alone, there are already many tensions that the young person must deal with regarding hormonal or growth changes. If we add to this the traumatic situation of having to move elsewhere, we can understand why an adolescent who migrates can become ‘impossible to educate’.
Immigrant teenagers: how to help them
If your family has decided to emigrate, it is very important that you help your children to deal with these changes, as they are many and very sudden. Teenagers suffer a lot from change, which includes separating from friends, going to another school or having to adapt to a new neighborhood.
Symptoms in young people can be diverse, such as not having good grades at school, not getting along with peers or treating parents badly.
Certainly, it can be said that this happens to any teenager due to the uniqueness of this stage, but the truth is that, if a change of residence is also added to the equation, it is necessary that the parents take action.
How to help foreign teenagers?
It is essential to accompany them through the changes in the best possible way. Communication is the foundation, even when they don’t want to talk. Ask them how they feel, what they miss from the old life, or what particularly bothers them in their new home.
If it is not possible to return for a while, today technology can help a lot to reduce distances and connect us with those we have left in our home country or city. Use this tool to alleviate homesickness.
Another way to support them is to look for support groups where young people feel happy and supported. It could be, for example, moving to a neighborhood where there are other families who also come from abroad or even speak the same language.
Finally, in some cases, it is also recommended that the adolescent seek therapy or professional help. A psychologist can be a most important help to a young person trying to shape his destiny and prepare for the future in a different place.
