With changes in the source of origin of immigrants, a new cohort of new generation youth from vis... more With changes in the source of origin of immigrants, a new cohort of new generation youth from visible minority immigrant families has begun to be established and become the key replacement of the aging Canadian labour force. Based on existing research, being young, being visible, and coming from an immigrant family are possible disadvantages in the labour market. Research on this new generation youth, however, is limited. This paper reports findings of two qualitative studies examining how this new generation youth, with or without a university degree, found work and what kinds of resources they used in their job search. The economic boom in British Columbia has offered easy access to the labour market. Coming from an immigrant family, however, visible minority youth benefit very little from their social ties and those of their family.
The concept of multiculturalism has become a fixture in Canadian society as part of a nation-buil... more The concept of multiculturalism has become a fixture in Canadian society as part of a nation-building mechanism. In many ways, this suggests a perception that public policies promoting multiculturalism are working. However, this perception is based on assumptions that there is a coherent and shared definition and understanding of the implementation of multiculturalism policies. This paper reports the findings of an exploratory study that examined how multiculturalism policies are actualized at the grassroots level through community organizations. This study involved key informant interviews and focus groups of government staff responsible for the delivery of multiculturalism at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels, as well as discussions with service users and service providers of multiculturalism. Findings of this study show that, first, there is a difference in the understanding of the meaning of the policies among these research participants. Second, there has been a subtle shift of governmental interpretation of multiculturalism policies to an antiracist perspective. Third, although both federal and provincial governments have positioned community organizations as key partners in actualizing multiculturalism policies at the grassroots level, their relationship has been strained, i.e., in order to attain their goals for multiculturalism, community organizations have had to adapt to changing rules and to learn how to maneuver through the funding process. Some policy implications are suggested at the end of the paper.
It is argued that the contemporary urban community may have lost its capacity to deal with all ki... more It is argued that the contemporary urban community may have lost its capacity to deal with all kinds of challenges due to weakened solidarity among residents. Community practitioners have innovatively developed many new community development approaches in revitalizing communities by nurturing the solidarity and capacity of local residents. In this paper, based on the findings of a study of neighborhood
Social work education in China has expanded rapidly since it was reintroduced in 1988. This has l... more Social work education in China has expanded rapidly since it was reintroduced in 1988. This has led to a growing body of English language literature on the development of social work education in China. However, thus far, this literature lacks an empirical foundation and little research on students' perspectives has been done. To fill this gap, this paper reports on
With changes in the source of origin of immigrants, a new cohort of new generation youth from vis... more With changes in the source of origin of immigrants, a new cohort of new generation youth from visible minority immigrant families has begun to be established and become the key replacement of the aging Canadian labour force. Based on existing research, being young, being visible, and coming from an immigrant family are possible disadvantages in the labour market. Research on this new generation youth, however, is limited. This paper reports findings of two qualitative studies examining how this new generation youth, with or without a university degree, found work and what kinds of resources they used in their job search. The economic boom in British Columbia has offered easy access to the labour market. Coming from an immigrant family, however, visible minority youth benefit very little from their social ties and those of their family.
Nurturing new, competent social work professionals requires multilevel preparation extending from... more Nurturing new, competent social work professionals requires multilevel preparation extending from school to the workplace. However, not much has been done to understand this school-to-work transition process in countries where the social work profession is still in an early stage of development. This paper reports the findings of an exploratory qualitative study of 28 new social workers in China, where
This article examines the nature and limits of the existing cross-cultural counseling discourses ... more This article examines the nature and limits of the existing cross-cultural counseling discourses in order to search for a more culturally sensitive cross-cultural counseling approach. The authors pinpoint the inherent cultural deficiencies of the existing modification-based cross-cultural counseling approaches and advocate that the cross-cultural counseling process should be an inter-subjective interaction between the counselors and counselees, both of whom are
This article reports the findings of an online survey and 16 in-depth interviews that show family... more This article reports the findings of an online survey and 16 in-depth interviews that show family and friends are neither the predominant nor most useful social resource for young jobseekers from immigrant families. Instead, they tend to use more formal job-search strategies. In our sample, the employment outcomes of ethno-racial minority immigrant youth were less desirable than those of their
ABSTRACT Social work education in China has now been reinstated for almost two decades, after it ... more ABSTRACT Social work education in China has now been reinstated for almost two decades, after it was discontinued in the early 1950s. Due to various reasons, so far, there has not been a standardised social work curriculum in China. This article reports on the first empirical study finished in late 2001. Employing a Delphi technique, 47 social work scholars were invited to provide their opinions on the nature of social work in China, the requirements of social work graduates and the social work curriculum at the undergraduate level. The findings indicate that despite the influence of the Western model induced mainly by social work scholars in Hong Kong, social work education in China is moving towards an indigenised model within its unique social–political–cultural context. Respondents tended to adopt an expert model and the ‘helping people to help themselves' principle. Social work is understood as being instrumental to enhancing the rapid economic changes by employing scientific knowledge and skills to resolve social and personal problems, stabilise society, and enhance social participation. To nurture its graduates with the competence to fulfil these social assignments, a broad‐base of social science knowledge, generic social work skills, special personal qualities and political sensitivity is included in the curriculum.
While China's economic progress and social transformation demand an urgent refurbishm... more While China's economic progress and social transformation demand an urgent refurbishment of its social welfare system, after a decade of development community centers have gradually become the major infrastructure of service delivery in urban China. In this article, the authors examine the social and historical context of the development of community services in urban China, and then focus on the
... The Chinese government has never shied away from this practical intention. The [2000] 23 rd D... more ... The Chinese government has never shied away from this practical intention. The [2000] 23 rd Document clearly and plainly spells out that community service is the 'dragon head' (or spearhead) of community construction. ... Cambridge: Polity; 1998. Yan MC,; Gao JG. He LP. . ...
In the mid‐1980s, social work, which had been practised in China in the years before 1949, was re... more In the mid‐1980s, social work, which had been practised in China in the years before 1949, was reintroduced as a newly imported social discipline. Like many other imported social ideas and practices, such as the free market, it was not well‐adapted to the socialist ideology of China and, therefore, was required to exhibit ‘Chinese characteristics’, (a term proposed by Deng Xiaoping to justify the economic reform in the early 1980s). In this paper, we first examine the discourse relating to Chinese characteristics in selected social work literature published in China. Then we report the findings of a qualitative study of 32 social work graduating students to gain an empirical understanding of these students' perception of the Chinese characteristics of social work. The implications of social work development in China and international social work are also discussed.在20世纪80年代中期，社会工作在中国再度恢复了在社会科学中的学科地位。正如许多其它外来的思想和实践方法，如自由市场等概念一样，都没有被调整以适应“中国特色”的社会主义意识形态（(此概念在20世纪80年代初由邓小平提出)。在本文中，作者首先根据一些在中国出版的中文文献，研究有关中国社会工作特色的论述。然后，作者通过对32名社会工作毕业生的定质研究去了解这些学生对中国社会工作特色的看法。本文也讨论了中国社会工作发展对国际社会工作的影响与含义。
The magnitude and speed of social work's development in mainland China is unprecedented in h... more The magnitude and speed of social work's development in mainland China is unprecedented in human history. This inevitably gives rise to multiple perspectives on its nature and future development, particularly as part of the international social work discourse. Some of these perspectives are based on unexamined assumptions about China. In the present paper, we examine three of these assumptions, namely the homogeneity of Chinese culture, the global–indigenous dichotomy, and social work as an academic discipline and practice profession. We argue that in order to understand the development of social work in China we need to locate our discussion at the discursive intersection among different competitive articulations in both local and international arenas. Based on this critical examination, a brief discussion on the future development of social work in mainland China is offered.
Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work and Development, 2007
While benefiting from the wealth generated by economic reform, China has also faced increasing so... more While benefiting from the wealth generated by economic reform, China has also faced increasing social and environmental problems. With the restructuring of state enterprises, the previous occupational-based welfare system has been abolished. To decentralize the state's role in social protection while tackling social problems, the Chinese government has tried to experiment with different social measures to diversify welfare financing and
ABSTRACT Over half of all migrants to Canada are under 29 years of age and one quarter arrive as ... more ABSTRACT Over half of all migrants to Canada are under 29 years of age and one quarter arrive as refugees. Studies on occupational achievements and labour market status have been largely ignored in favour of studies on adult migrants rather than on youth. This paper uses data collected from two sources: a national study of newly-arrived newcomer youth living in Toronto, Hamilton, Winnipeg and Vancouver using qualitative interviews, and a quantitative analysis of the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC). The focus of this paper is to use these datasets to better understand the high school trajectory of recently arrived newcomer youth and compare their experiences. We are particularly interested in the influence of education attained in Canada compared to education attained outside of Canada and the differences, if any, in labour market outcomes. The findings reveal distinctly slower trajectories through high school among those arriving as refugees, those lacking English or French language instruction prior to arrival, and issues with grade placement. These are identified as significant barriers to entering post-secondary education and to subsequent labour market success. Résumé: Parmi les immigrants au Canada, plus de la moitié ont moins de 29 ans et un quart sont des réfugiés. Les études sur ce qu’ils ont réalisé sur le plan professionnel et sur leur statut dans le marché du travail ont été largement laissées pour compte en faveur de celles portant sur les émigrés adultes plutôt que sur les jeunes. Cet article s’appuie sur une collecte de données provenant de deux sources : une étude nationale sur les jeunes nouveaux arrivants qui vivent à Toronto, Hamilton, Winnipeg et Vancouver et reposant sur des entrevues qualitatives, et une analyse quantitative de l’Enquête longitudinale sur les immigrants au Canada (ELIC). Notre objectif est de se servir de ces données pour mieux comprendre la trajectoire scolaire au niveau secondaire de jeunes récemment arrivés et de comparer leurs expériences. Nous nous intéressons particulièrement à l’influence de l’éducation acquise au Canada par rapport à celle reçue à l’étranger et les différences, s’il y en a, pour les possibilités d’emploi. Ce qui se révèle nettement, c’est une scolarité secondaire à un rythme plus lent parmi les réfugiés et ceux qui n’ont pas eu d’enseignement en anglais ou en français avant de venir ici, et des problèmes de niveau scolaire. Ce sont là des obstacles significatifs pour le passage au niveau post-secondaire et pour des chances de succès sur le marché du travail.
With changes in the source of origin of immigrants, a new cohort of new generation youth from vis... more With changes in the source of origin of immigrants, a new cohort of new generation youth from visible minority immigrant families has begun to be established and become the key replacement of the aging Canadian labour force. Based on existing research, being young, being visible, and coming from an immigrant family are possible disadvantages in the labour market. Research on this new generation youth, however, is limited. This paper reports findings of two qualitative studies examining how this new generation youth, with or without a university degree, found work and what kinds of resources they used in their job search. The economic boom in British Columbia has offered easy access to the labour market. Coming from an immigrant family, however, visible minority youth benefit very little from their social ties and those of their family.
The concept of multiculturalism has become a fixture in Canadian society as part of a nation-buil... more The concept of multiculturalism has become a fixture in Canadian society as part of a nation-building mechanism. In many ways, this suggests a perception that public policies promoting multiculturalism are working. However, this perception is based on assumptions that there is a coherent and shared definition and understanding of the implementation of multiculturalism policies. This paper reports the findings of an exploratory study that examined how multiculturalism policies are actualized at the grassroots level through community organizations. This study involved key informant interviews and focus groups of government staff responsible for the delivery of multiculturalism at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels, as well as discussions with service users and service providers of multiculturalism. Findings of this study show that, first, there is a difference in the understanding of the meaning of the policies among these research participants. Second, there has been a subtle shift of governmental interpretation of multiculturalism policies to an antiracist perspective. Third, although both federal and provincial governments have positioned community organizations as key partners in actualizing multiculturalism policies at the grassroots level, their relationship has been strained, i.e., in order to attain their goals for multiculturalism, community organizations have had to adapt to changing rules and to learn how to maneuver through the funding process. Some policy implications are suggested at the end of the paper.
It is argued that the contemporary urban community may have lost its capacity to deal with all ki... more It is argued that the contemporary urban community may have lost its capacity to deal with all kinds of challenges due to weakened solidarity among residents. Community practitioners have innovatively developed many new community development approaches in revitalizing communities by nurturing the solidarity and capacity of local residents. In this paper, based on the findings of a study of neighborhood
Social work education in China has expanded rapidly since it was reintroduced in 1988. This has l... more Social work education in China has expanded rapidly since it was reintroduced in 1988. This has led to a growing body of English language literature on the development of social work education in China. However, thus far, this literature lacks an empirical foundation and little research on students' perspectives has been done. To fill this gap, this paper reports on
With changes in the source of origin of immigrants, a new cohort of new generation youth from vis... more With changes in the source of origin of immigrants, a new cohort of new generation youth from visible minority immigrant families has begun to be established and become the key replacement of the aging Canadian labour force. Based on existing research, being young, being visible, and coming from an immigrant family are possible disadvantages in the labour market. Research on this new generation youth, however, is limited. This paper reports findings of two qualitative studies examining how this new generation youth, with or without a university degree, found work and what kinds of resources they used in their job search. The economic boom in British Columbia has offered easy access to the labour market. Coming from an immigrant family, however, visible minority youth benefit very little from their social ties and those of their family.
Nurturing new, competent social work professionals requires multilevel preparation extending from... more Nurturing new, competent social work professionals requires multilevel preparation extending from school to the workplace. However, not much has been done to understand this school-to-work transition process in countries where the social work profession is still in an early stage of development. This paper reports the findings of an exploratory qualitative study of 28 new social workers in China, where
This article examines the nature and limits of the existing cross-cultural counseling discourses ... more This article examines the nature and limits of the existing cross-cultural counseling discourses in order to search for a more culturally sensitive cross-cultural counseling approach. The authors pinpoint the inherent cultural deficiencies of the existing modification-based cross-cultural counseling approaches and advocate that the cross-cultural counseling process should be an inter-subjective interaction between the counselors and counselees, both of whom are
This article reports the findings of an online survey and 16 in-depth interviews that show family... more This article reports the findings of an online survey and 16 in-depth interviews that show family and friends are neither the predominant nor most useful social resource for young jobseekers from immigrant families. Instead, they tend to use more formal job-search strategies. In our sample, the employment outcomes of ethno-racial minority immigrant youth were less desirable than those of their
ABSTRACT Social work education in China has now been reinstated for almost two decades, after it ... more ABSTRACT Social work education in China has now been reinstated for almost two decades, after it was discontinued in the early 1950s. Due to various reasons, so far, there has not been a standardised social work curriculum in China. This article reports on the first empirical study finished in late 2001. Employing a Delphi technique, 47 social work scholars were invited to provide their opinions on the nature of social work in China, the requirements of social work graduates and the social work curriculum at the undergraduate level. The findings indicate that despite the influence of the Western model induced mainly by social work scholars in Hong Kong, social work education in China is moving towards an indigenised model within its unique social–political–cultural context. Respondents tended to adopt an expert model and the ‘helping people to help themselves' principle. Social work is understood as being instrumental to enhancing the rapid economic changes by employing scientific knowledge and skills to resolve social and personal problems, stabilise society, and enhance social participation. To nurture its graduates with the competence to fulfil these social assignments, a broad‐base of social science knowledge, generic social work skills, special personal qualities and political sensitivity is included in the curriculum.
While China's economic progress and social transformation demand an urgent refurbishm... more While China's economic progress and social transformation demand an urgent refurbishment of its social welfare system, after a decade of development community centers have gradually become the major infrastructure of service delivery in urban China. In this article, the authors examine the social and historical context of the development of community services in urban China, and then focus on the
... The Chinese government has never shied away from this practical intention. The [2000] 23 rd D... more ... The Chinese government has never shied away from this practical intention. The [2000] 23 rd Document clearly and plainly spells out that community service is the 'dragon head' (or spearhead) of community construction. ... Cambridge: Polity; 1998. Yan MC,; Gao JG. He LP. . ...
In the mid‐1980s, social work, which had been practised in China in the years before 1949, was re... more In the mid‐1980s, social work, which had been practised in China in the years before 1949, was reintroduced as a newly imported social discipline. Like many other imported social ideas and practices, such as the free market, it was not well‐adapted to the socialist ideology of China and, therefore, was required to exhibit ‘Chinese characteristics’, (a term proposed by Deng Xiaoping to justify the economic reform in the early 1980s). In this paper, we first examine the discourse relating to Chinese characteristics in selected social work literature published in China. Then we report the findings of a qualitative study of 32 social work graduating students to gain an empirical understanding of these students' perception of the Chinese characteristics of social work. The implications of social work development in China and international social work are also discussed.在20世纪80年代中期，社会工作在中国再度恢复了在社会科学中的学科地位。正如许多其它外来的思想和实践方法，如自由市场等概念一样，都没有被调整以适应“中国特色”的社会主义意识形态（(此概念在20世纪80年代初由邓小平提出)。在本文中，作者首先根据一些在中国出版的中文文献，研究有关中国社会工作特色的论述。然后，作者通过对32名社会工作毕业生的定质研究去了解这些学生对中国社会工作特色的看法。本文也讨论了中国社会工作发展对国际社会工作的影响与含义。
The magnitude and speed of social work's development in mainland China is unprecedented in h... more The magnitude and speed of social work's development in mainland China is unprecedented in human history. This inevitably gives rise to multiple perspectives on its nature and future development, particularly as part of the international social work discourse. Some of these perspectives are based on unexamined assumptions about China. In the present paper, we examine three of these assumptions, namely the homogeneity of Chinese culture, the global–indigenous dichotomy, and social work as an academic discipline and practice profession. We argue that in order to understand the development of social work in China we need to locate our discussion at the discursive intersection among different competitive articulations in both local and international arenas. Based on this critical examination, a brief discussion on the future development of social work in mainland China is offered.
Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work and Development, 2007
While benefiting from the wealth generated by economic reform, China has also faced increasing so... more While benefiting from the wealth generated by economic reform, China has also faced increasing social and environmental problems. With the restructuring of state enterprises, the previous occupational-based welfare system has been abolished. To decentralize the state's role in social protection while tackling social problems, the Chinese government has tried to experiment with different social measures to diversify welfare financing and
ABSTRACT Over half of all migrants to Canada are under 29 years of age and one quarter arrive as ... more ABSTRACT Over half of all migrants to Canada are under 29 years of age and one quarter arrive as refugees. Studies on occupational achievements and labour market status have been largely ignored in favour of studies on adult migrants rather than on youth. This paper uses data collected from two sources: a national study of newly-arrived newcomer youth living in Toronto, Hamilton, Winnipeg and Vancouver using qualitative interviews, and a quantitative analysis of the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC). The focus of this paper is to use these datasets to better understand the high school trajectory of recently arrived newcomer youth and compare their experiences. We are particularly interested in the influence of education attained in Canada compared to education attained outside of Canada and the differences, if any, in labour market outcomes. The findings reveal distinctly slower trajectories through high school among those arriving as refugees, those lacking English or French language instruction prior to arrival, and issues with grade placement. These are identified as significant barriers to entering post-secondary education and to subsequent labour market success. Résumé: Parmi les immigrants au Canada, plus de la moitié ont moins de 29 ans et un quart sont des réfugiés. Les études sur ce qu’ils ont réalisé sur le plan professionnel et sur leur statut dans le marché du travail ont été largement laissées pour compte en faveur de celles portant sur les émigrés adultes plutôt que sur les jeunes. Cet article s’appuie sur une collecte de données provenant de deux sources : une étude nationale sur les jeunes nouveaux arrivants qui vivent à Toronto, Hamilton, Winnipeg et Vancouver et reposant sur des entrevues qualitatives, et une analyse quantitative de l’Enquête longitudinale sur les immigrants au Canada (ELIC). Notre objectif est de se servir de ces données pour mieux comprendre la trajectoire scolaire au niveau secondaire de jeunes récemment arrivés et de comparer leurs expériences. Nous nous intéressons particulièrement à l’influence de l’éducation acquise au Canada par rapport à celle reçue à l’étranger et les différences, s’il y en a, pour les possibilités d’emploi. Ce qui se révèle nettement, c’est une scolarité secondaire à un rythme plus lent parmi les réfugiés et ceux qui n’ont pas eu d’enseignement en anglais ou en français avant de venir ici, et des problèmes de niveau scolaire. Ce sont là des obstacles significatifs pour le passage au niveau post-secondaire et pour des chances de succès sur le marché du travail.
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