Helping young former refugees thrive

When young people from refugee backgrounds arrive in Aotearoa, there’s a lot of things to get used to. There are new schools, unfamiliar people, different ways of doing things and, for many, even learning a whole new language.

Uzma is part of the Red Cross team that supports former refugees in Nelson. She’s one of our people employed in a specialised settlement youth worker role. She serves as a friendly guide, a listening ear, and someone who provides community connection for rangatahi who are getting used to calling New Zealand home.

Building confidence and connection

Uzma and her fellow settlement youth workers in other locations help build a sense of community with group activities. These can be simple get-togethers like nature walks, craft activities, and game nights, or setting up experiences that help young people better understand their new home – such as trying a popular Kiwi sport, visiting a marae, or checking out special local attractions for the first time.

For Uzma, seeing a young person’s confidence blossom is extremely rewarding. She recently organised swimming lessons for some of her clients. “They’re from backgrounds where they have never learned to swim. They were so scared, but by the third day they didn’t want to get out of the water. I felt so proud, and knew my work had been valuable – in New Zealand, knowing how to swim is really important!”

Navigating systems

Settlement youth workers may also help their rangatahi clients figure out applying for university or training courses, navigating support options like StudyLink, and connecting to other local youth services. 

“English is not their first language, so this is the main barrier,” says Uzma. 

The work she and her fellow settlement youth workers do to help young former refugees work through our education and social support systems is vital. The grown-ups in our clients’ families are also learning about the way things work here. Many young former refugees have had significant gaps in their education, or missed out on formal study altogether. Having someone that helps them find opportunities and solutions that work for their circumstances can make all the difference as they make plans for their future. 

Someone who knows what it is like

All our settlement youth workers also have personal lived experience of being a former refugee – so they really understand what this is like and how to help. 

Uzma is from Pakistan. She and her family came to New Zealand two years ago, and since then she’s been studying her way through Youth Worker qualifications. 

“Because I’m also a refugee, I know the traumas and how to deal with them. I’ve been through this process. I know how hard it is to engage, and I understand when kids are shy and don’t want to talk much and hide. I know how to give them the motivation and confidence to try,” she says. 

Young volunteers as peer support

Our settlement youth workers also get volunteers involved to help out with community activities for former refugee rangatahi. 

Diksha is a Year 12 student. She moved from India to Nelson as a teenager, and has been involved with Red Cross in several ways over the last couple of years – volunteering in a Red Cross shop, joining local Disaster Welfare and Support team, taking part in our young humanitarians training, and also helping Uzma set up youth-focused activities. “I think I've grown a lot with Red Cross,” she says. 

Diksha says she’s learned a lot while connecting with other young people who are from refugee backgrounds, including reflecting on the struggles they had on their journey to New Zealand and hearing different viewpoints on things. “It’s made me really grateful,” she says. 

Through volunteering, she’s now found community with the group of clients that Uzma supports as well. Some of them go to her school, but she didn’t know them very well before meeting them through Red Cross. “We’re a really tight group now,” Diksha says, “It can be scary meeting people for the first time, but Uzma makes it very calm and chill. She’s very welcoming.” 
 
A special thank you to the Simplicity Foundation for their generosity, which helps us provide this life-changing support for young former refugees. 

Lead image: Young former refugees in Nelson take a walk together with their settlement youth worker.  

More information 

Read more about how we help former refugees as they settle in New Zealand. 
What we do to support refugees 

Learn more about ways that young people can volunteer and get involved with us. 
Volunteer opportunities for youth 

Find out how individuals and organisations can donate to support the work that we do. 
About donating

Take a look at our volunteer roles that support our refugee resettlement work. 
Find a volunteer role: supporting refugees