Hope Among Refugee Children Attending the International School of Peace on Lesbos

Abstract

The study focuses on refugee children who live in a temporary transit camp on the Island of Lesbos in Greece, and attend a unique school, which, in the camp’s temporary conditions, endeavours to provide the children with safety, security, and an adaptive learning experience. It examines hope among the refugee children by means of the Children’s Hope Scale (Snyder, 1997), which was administered to 132 children aged 6-16 who attend the school. The general hope scores among the refugee children were similar to those found in other children’s populations. Hope scores in the Adolescent group (aged 12-16) were lower than in the other groups, and highest in the Intermediate group (aged 9-12). Additionally, differences were found between groups of children from different countries of origin. The findings indicate that the Adolescent children are more aware of the difficulties and dangers entailed in fleeing, and of the price they have paid for leaving their homes and being cut off from their extended family and community. The findings highlight the school’s contribution as a space, albeit temporary, where the children can function normatively as students in a safe environment that enables new growth in cognitive, emotional, and social realms.

Investigation of the Mediator Role of Hope in the Relationship Between Self-Compassion and Resilience in Adolescents

“…Furthermore, in the research carried out by Aydın-Sünbül and Arslan-Gördesli (2020), The study found a significant positive relationship between self-compassion and hope in guardians with special needs children, and between hope and psychological resilience. It is among the results obtained from the studies (Ai et al, 2007;Ben-Asher et al, 2020;Cortes-Buchanan, 2007;Çiltaş, 2019;Eggerman and Panter-Brick, 2010;Erarslan, 2014;Eseoğlu, 2021;Goodman, 2004;Sleijpen et al, 2016) The study indicates a significant positive correlation between hope and psychological resilience. Based on theoretical explanations and these studies, it can be said that psychological resilience, hope, and self-compassion can be concepts that come into contact with each other, and therefore it is important to examine them together.…”

The Lives of Unaccompanied Refugee Minors during their Transit Stay in Greece

“…A study among 132 URMs aged six to sixteen in a temporary transit camp International Journal of Social Quality on Lesvos revealed that they experienced afternoon schoolwork as a "hopeful" space. Here children function as normal students in a safe environment, enabling growth in cognitive, emotional, and interpersonal realms (Asher et al 2021). Group work and community meetings in shelters and SILs are held to promote the sense of belonging and solidarity.…”

Encountering the Other

“…Hope indicates that we recognise and act on a tendency existing in the present reality that has the capacity to change which leads us towards a potential future (Anderson & Holden, 2008;Anderson & Fenton, 2008). Hope, however, is not utopian but better conceived as action-directed and a temporal vector that points from the present into the future from a specific location with specific direction and force (Anderson, 2002;Ben Asher et al, 2020;Shaker & Ahmadi, forthcoming). As a component of resilience or a mediator of resilience, hope and 'doing hope' improve capacities to manage changes through enhancing coping skills (Collins, 2015;Ben Asher et al, 2020).…”

“…Hope, however, is not utopian but better conceived as action-directed and a temporal vector that points from the present into the future from a specific location with specific direction and force (Anderson, 2002;Ben Asher et al, 2020;Shaker & Ahmadi, forthcoming). As a component of resilience or a mediator of resilience, hope and 'doing hope' improve capacities to manage changes through enhancing coping skills (Collins, 2015;Ben Asher et al, 2020). In this regard, Appadurai (2013) has called for 'politics of hope,' a politics of possibilities to come.…”