Marieke
Bivar-Wikhammer
The issue
of educational integration for immigrant youth in Quebec is a complicated one.
To best explore the subject, I have chosen two articles that examine the
problem through studies. The first is Who's
in and who's out? Language and the integration of new immigrant youth in Quebec
by Dawn Allen, which focuses on the government of Quebec's definition of
integration and argues for more inclusive policy. She argues that "...in
Quebec's current policy documents, integration is conceptualized in such a way
that immigrants are the objects rather than the subjects of integration."
(Allen, 2). The second article is by Marilyn Steinbach and is based on findings
from a study drawing on interviews with a number of immigrant youth navigating
Quebec's "Accueil" system. Its title Quand je sors d'accueil: linguistic integration of immigrant
adolescents in Quebec secondary schools refers to the isolation experienced
by immigrant youth both socially and academically due to their status. As the
issue is a complex one and both papers are quite long, I have chosen to focus
on outlining the Accueil (meaning
"welcome") system that immigrant youth are required to go through in Quebec
before joining regular classes.

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