Supported Playgroups for Newly Arrived African immgrants in Australia - Term Paper Example

Supported Playgroups & African Immigrants in Australia Large-scale or extensive immigration from Africa to Australia is a recent occurrence. In 2006-2007, immigrants from Africa to Australia were almost 8,000 coming from different African nations, but mostly in Eastern and Southern African nations (Lewig, Arney & Salveron 2009, p. 2). This group of immigrants comprises of people who are normally referred to as African Australians and are of different cultural, racial, linguistic, religious, educational, as well as employment backgrounds (Hatoss, O’Neill & Eacersall 2012, p. 16). Australia’s Bureau of Statistics categorizes each and every resident into ethnic and cultural clusters in line with their geographical origin (New 2012, p. 6). African immigrants are considered to move to Australia because of their exceptional skills needed in the country or as refugees. Some move to Australia for family reunions, as well as secondary immigrants from other nations aside from Africa (Elliott & Yusuf 2014, p. 103). These immigrants are also considered to be experiencing a lot of difficulties when it comes to settling in Africa (Parliament of Australia n.d, p. 1). Some go through the normal racism due to skin color; others have difficulties settling such as finding a job, school, friends or simply starting their lives a fresh. This comes with the different cultures and languages to find in Australia. For immigrants who have migrated with their children, they would want them to settle as fast as possible and find friends who can help them develop well and children and not miss out on the great learning opportunities of this important stage of life (Pennycook 2015, p. 187). There are many ways to have been developed to help immigrants settle in Australia including being enrolled in schools with many locals, religious centers welcoming immigrants who share similar religious backgrounds, being invited to live in areas where locals are more and also joining local playgroups for children (Oke, Stanley & Theobald 2007, p. 3). This essay will discuss benefits of implementing supported playgroups for newly arrived African immigrants in Australia. The essay will specifically discuss immigrants from East Africa e.g. Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia and their difficulties in resettling in Australia especially women and child, and the challenges they face parenting in a new country. It will also look at the benefits as well as the limitations of integrating into the mainstream Australian society and the need for this supported playgroup for this particular group and finally how the playgroup helps the parents of CALD backgrounds. Supported Playgroups for African Immigrants A playgroup is basically an information setting where carers, parents, babies and children aged from 0 to school age join together in an overly relaxed and friendly surrounding (Playgroup NSW Inc. 2006, p. 5). Supported playgroups are endeavors that offer chances for both parents and children who cannot access a playgroup to improve their relationship in a supportive atmosphere, enhance their confidence and skills, as well as develop valuable family and support networks. Supported playgroups mainly seek to empower households to endorse their young ones’ development by providing for them and taking part in a lot of developmentally correct play activities and experience (VICSEG 2014, p. 2). The groups offer children a chance to have fun and make new friends and also develop their skills through informal play. Playgroups offer parents and carers the chance to meet parents of their children’s friends, build relationships with them and also share experiences and ideas. These playgroups as well allow carers and patents to spend a lot of time with their children granting them the opportunity to encourage them by helping them in their play or simply watch them as they develop (Brand, Loh, & Guilfoyle 2014, p. 56). To top it all up, they are for non-profit plus are run by parents who attend the playgroups. They are flexible because they can be held in many venues such as churches and community halls. Most of them are usually held once or twice a week allowing parents to work and also focus of their children, and most of the families assisted by these playgroups include: (1) indigenous families; (2) families from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds; (3) families with disability or mental health issues (either the child or parent); (4) young and teenage parent families; and (5) families who are socially disadvantaged or isolated, among others (Renzaho, & Oldroyd 2014, p. 1391). For the above reasons is why African immigrant in Australia should be seriously considered when it comes to utilizing a supported playgroup (Renzaho, & Oldroyd 2014, p. 1391). Background of Africans Migration Africans, also counting those of Black African heritage, initially migrated to Australia with the First Fleet. Immigrants from East African countries have been arriving in Australia before the 1901 federation (Mclaughlin & Guilfoyle 2013, p. 66). They travelled as convicts, prospectors who sought Victoria's gold mines or skilled sugar workers who extensively aided in the development of Queensland's sugar industry. The SCAAP - Special Commonwealth African Assistance Plan - assisted scholars from Commonwealth African nations, including from West Africa to East Africa, to travel to Australia in the mid-60s (Pugh, Every & Hattam 2012, p. 125). Over 70% of those from East and West African nations remained in Australia following extensive military coup d'états in their nations of birth. However, in the end, immigration from Africa to Australia basically remained limited till the 90s (Pugh, Every & Hattam 2012, p. 125). In the fiscal year of 2011-2012, these immigrants were mainly from Ethiopia (412/802), Sudan (313/513), Somalia (164/420), Uganda (37/67), Kenya (188/415), Ghana (152/202), Liberia (82/129), Guinea (33/62) and Sierra Leone (106/140), Egypt (417/773), Mauritius (228/303), South Africa (4,239/6,307), Nigeria (126/250), Zimbabwe (467/848) and Zambia (35/115) (Pugh, Every & Hattam 2012, p. 125). Immigrants from East Africa and their difficulties in resettling in Australia Immigrants, particularly women and their children, go through a lot of challenges when it to comes to settling in another country. Some examples of these challenges comprise of developing work skills, adapting to new languages and cultural differences, taking advantage of resources, continuing education, particularly learning English, or the national language of the country, as a second language and also fighting for their rights (Riggs et al. 2014, p. 10). In Australia, women and children go through gender and racial discrimination, childcare issues, cultural and language barriers, educational achievement, lack of social capital and networks, and unavailability of work. Unemployment rates of African women have remained constantly higher compared to those of other women since the early 80s (Riggs et al. 2014, p. 10). In spite of the frequent attention granted to the unemployment rates of racial minority men, the general unemployment rate of racial minority women is, in reality, higher, 14.3% in contrast to 13.2% (Riggs et al. 2014, p. 10). When looking at African women, these women are far more likely to be jobless compared to both white women and white men. 17.7% percent of African immigrant women are unemployed. African women face discrimination at every step of the recruitment process – when analyzing applications, throughout the interviews, at recruitment agencies, as well as in the workplace, itself. Sadly enough, it was estimated that 25% of the racial minority unemployment rate for both women and men could be explained by racial discrimination and prejudice (Riggs et al. 2014, p. 11). Discrimination derived from someone’s accent and name is also widespread in Australia when it comes to African women. Muslim women mostly from Somalia migrating to Australia and those who put on the hijab also report extensive discrimination and needless questions about intentions concerning marriage and children (Riggs et al. 2014, p. 11). Low language skills specifically English are a significant barrier for Somali women in finding a place to settle and also employment. These women are further discriminated upon when they have children (Hopkins et al. 2014, p. 14). Most of them will miss the chance of landing a good job or settling in a nice neighborhood because they have children. People regard them as a baggage that might push them behind. Religious and cultural practices are a drawback in the workplace for all African women, making them much more helpless to joblessness (Hopkins et al. 2014, p. 14). For Muslim women from East African, convincing businesses to grant just a short period during the day for Muslim prayer is hard. Some Muslim children who also attend schools in this region are denied permission to say their daily prayers during school hours (Hopkins et al. 2014, p. 14). This is a disadvantage to them because most of them work under a timetable where they are to be saying their prayers all at the same time. Women from African backgrounds normally seek consent of their spouses before taking a job or even searching for one. Furthermore, it is argued that a large percentage of women from these African backgrounds consider that their main task is to take care for her husband, as well as her offspring (Hopkins et al. 2014, p. 15). Even if culture might only be part of the story for challenges faced by African women, there is still a great amount of pressure on girls from these clusters from schools and parents to pursue just certain types of careers like culturally acceptable tasks in childcare, social and health care (McLaughlin 2012, p. 77). Concerns around access to and take up of childcare are significant barriers to employment (Yelland et al. 2014, p. 348). Particularly, high childcare expenses are a problem and a lot of African women are not aware of the free childcare provision. Most of the African immigrants in Australia do not take up tax credit endorsement for childcare, which might be because of the density of the system, lack of flexibility, language barriers or off-putting past incident of tax credit over-payment (Yelland et al. 2014, p. 348). African immigrants are also much less expected to utilize informal childcare when they are compared to white women. All of these challenges are prone to have an effect on both inactivity and unemployment rates of African women, with most women likely to feel that employment is impractical provided their lack of knowledge on free childcare, as well as lack of wider family support. Children, on the other hand, suffer more due to inactivity issues. In addition, the restricted hours of free childcare together with the less flexible working hours might further close a lot of opportunities for women and their children (Yelland et al. 2014, p. 348). Finally, lack social capital and networks is stressed as a likely cause of slow settlement of African women. Informal recruitment like through ‘word of mouth’ destroys opportunities for a lot of these women who might not have the networks and links to inform them about opportunities. Having limited networks is a reason why African women are more likely to utilize recruitment agencies to find jobs because they lack a large network to send them job vacancies and opportunities (Yelland et al. 2014, p. 348). Benefits and the Limitations of Integrating into the Mainstream Australian Society and the need for this Supported Playgroup for Women and Children Integrating into a society normally means immigrants and the receiving society basically work in union to build a much safer and more vibrant, as well as cohesive society than was before. With immigration integration, there comes a stress on the two-way process of change by both members of the receiving community and the immigrants. When it comes to immigrant integration success, Nicol et al. (2014, p. 69) argues that whereas some the Australian government selects a route towards enforcement-only, as well as restrictive immigration regulations, other nations choose to form immigrant integration regulations channeled towards endorsing newcomers. In a lot of cases, such attempts are basically private-public partnerships with local Non-Governmental Organizations and other groups that aid in the implementation of integration policies (Nicol et al. 2014, p. 69). After a while, these restrictive regulations cause a much higher, economic and social costs for a whole community, while encouraging and easing immigrant integration benefits for both the receiving community and the newcomers. Some of the benefits that come with this group of immigrants are economic gains, rise in standard of living for immigrants, rise in cultural diversity, and a slightly younger labor force and also rise in skilled workers (Nicol et al. 2014, p. 69). Immigrants normally undertake on jobs that other members of society regard as low. What people fail to realize is that these immigrants are filling up the jobs that lighten the load of consumers and producers, and, therefore, create more gain in the economic welfare. Immigrants are basically considered as a source of less expensive labor, but these reductions of cost are, in the end, passed on to the final consumer; therefore, citizens of the host nation benefit from this Endeavour, as well. The products produced through the immigrant workers can as well generate extra profits since they can be sold at slightly lower prices. 57% of all women immigrants from East Africa are employed with these kinds of jobs in Australia, unlike 40% of all men from East Africa (Nicol et al. 2014, p. 69). These shows that women are more likely to be employed rather than men when it comes to these jobs that the locals do not want to undertake. For the both women and children, they encourage cultural diversity in Australia. This helps to enhance product diversity, which a lot of people enjoy these days. Immigrants coming to settle in Australia implies more unique restaurants to dine in, new hair styles brought in by women, new friends for children to interact with and learn from them, more cultural centers to enjoy, as well as more culturally diverse playgroup for children and their parents (Nicol et al. 2014, p. 69). For immigrant children, they require a safe and nurturing surrounding where they can play and learn at the same time. This tender age of their life also requires them to be with their parents. A supported playgroup can assure this and more (New & Guilfoyle 2013, p. 66). It allows children the time to play and develop under the watch of their parents. Immigrant children also require great opportunities that help them develop their brains early enough, but also in a healthy manner. With the kinds of games they play in supported playgroups, this is a guarantee as they are mainly brainstorming, which can lead to this healthy development. Playgroup grant children the opportunities to create, reason, invent and solve problems (New & Guilfoyle 2013, p. 66). It also grants them the opportunities to develop attachment between children and adults as they play together, and share experiences and time. Furthermore, learn social skills when they negotiate with other children, resolve conflict share, take turns, as well as make friends. When it comes to the mothers of these children, playgroups create a space for then where they can develop their own locally based social networks and friends (New & Guilfoyle 2013, p. 66). It is of advantage to them because they can observe how other caregivers give care to their children and learn from that. They can, as well, support each other and share ideas, concerns, parenting experiences and vital information. Supported playgroups help mothers build family capacity through support of their peers and it is a place where mothers can develop long-term friendships with their children as they grow and transition to school (New & Guilfoyle 2013, p. 66). This is especially after migrating into a new country when they need to see familiar faces all the time like their family members and as well build relationships with the new faces. Playgroups also offer regular and affordable chance for families to benefit from a shared outing. They, as well, build resilience to allow them to deal with new situations and stress along with adapting to change (New & Guilfoyle 2013, p. 66). This paragraph will look at the limitations that immigrant women and children face when it comes to integrating themselves into the mainstream society and how supported playgroups can assist them. Women from African nations, mostly those from East African, are known to be controlled by their husbands (Sims et al. 2014, p. 44). These women still experience buttering, lack of employment in order to take care of their children and also being commanded to carry out everything. Therefore, women who migrate with their husbands who still follow this conventional African way of dealing with their wives might have difficulties in settling in Australia. Their husbands might deny them a chance of looking for employment of making friends or even leaving the house. This happens to most Islamic and Muslim communities. Therefore, once they settle in Australia, the work of the wife might only be to take their child to school and go back home to look after the house while the husband is away at work (Sims et al. 2014, p. 44). This places the women only as a tool for assisting others instead of a human who also has a life of her own to live and look after. For children, coming to a new environment with totally different people than you are used to presents a great challenge for developing. You require at least the guidance of your parents and teachers and friends in order to settle well in the foreign land. This means that no discrimination in whatever form ever. However, locals still discriminate on them in form of child to child bullying and/or referring to them as outsiders (Sims et al. 2014, p. 44). Because supported playgroups normally meet once or twice in a week, it will not consumer a lot of time for the mother and the child plus they are also integrated in curriculums of most institutions (Pennycook 2015, p. 187). These playgroups will help women and children elevate these problems causing them to derail in integrating to the mainstream society and settle well. Maintaining harmony of the family through self-sacrifice and cooperation in these traditional roles are the foundations of a lot of immigrant families from Africa. Women particularly find their identities in their roles as wives mothers, and daughters and live with the hope that they will forfeit themselves only for their families. However, this should not be the case as it will continue making matter worse (Pennycook 2015, p. 187). Parents and their children need to continue endorsing these supported playgroups in order for them to settle well and also integrate into the mainstream society (Pennycook 2015, p. 187). How the Playgroups helps the Parents of CALD Backgrounds Parents from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds require effective methods of empowering their families and help them make good choices, which positively affect the entire family’s development whereas also fostering the skills required to successfully take part in and add to the growth of their local community (Elliott & Yusuf 2014, p. 101). Supported playgroups provide this positive effect and vitality of communities across Australia’s local government areas. Antenatal classes offer support to deprive mothers from CALD backgrounds who have resided in Australia for 1-2 years. This has been attained simply through maintaining positive and helpful communication channels between CALD women and health providers. Parents from CALD backgrounds are normally taken through the Readiness to School Program to helping prepare their children for school and promote their development of skills which are significant for their children to possess prior to starting school. Such a program creates a sense of belonging in the school community for both the parents and their children. It is intended at achieving a smooth change for all children from playgroup into elementary school. Supported playgroups also offer a forum called the Perinatal Forum mainly for service providers (Elliott & Yusuf 2014, p. 101). The goal of the forum is to recognize issues and needs of mothers from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds who have basically given birth in Australia. This forum studies a number of aspects of maternity as well as cross cultural perspectives of newly mothers and their babies (Elliott & Yusuf 2014, p. 101). Conclusion and Recommendations This essay has discussed the benefits of implementing supported playgroups for newly arrived African immigrants in Australia, basing its finding on immigrants from East Africa e.g. Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia and their difficulties in resettling in Australia especially women and child, as well as the challenges they face parenting in a new country. The paper also looked at the benefits as well as the limitations of integrating into the mainstream Australian society and the need for this supported playgroup for this particular group and finally how the playgroup helps the parents of CALD backgrounds. Some of the important things that could be noted were that playgroups are a nice way of helping these groups of immigrants settle well in Australia. Supported playgroups mainly seek to empower households to endorse their young ones’ development by providing for them and taking part in a lot of developmentally correct play activities and experience. Playgroups offer parents and carers the chance to meet parents of their children’s friends, build relationships with them and also share experiences and ideas. To top it all up, they are for non-profit plus are run by parents who attend the playgroups. As a recommendation, I would advise more research into these matter because not many scholarly sources have dwelt with the issue that is why it is not spread widely as expected. 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