I tried to write this memo in a way that it could be applied for either Fugees Family or Clarkson High School cross country team. I will settle on one of those routes next week after I talk to the coaches and see what type of access I could get.
Broad topic: The intersection between sports and refugee resettlement
Key questions to consider and how to answer them:
- What is it like to acclimate to a new country as a refugee child?
- Talk to high-school aged students and their families
- Ask athletic coaches how sports affect the process of a student adjusting to a new place
- What is it like to become a part of a public high school? Is it comforting to be at a high school that has a high population of refugees?
- How do refugee children get involved with sports?
- Do parents see it as something that will help them be part of the community? Is it the child that initiates the desire to play?
- What challenges arise if the sport the child plays is not a sport that was present in their home country?
- How much does it cost a family to pay for a kid to be involved with sports? Are refugee children ever kept from sports due to the financial burden?
- What is the team dynamic like and what messages does it send to the athletes and observers?
- How many different home countries are represented on the team?
- Are there ever language barriers?
- Were the coaches refugees or immigrants? How do they lead a diverse team of students adjusting to a new life?
- How do coaches and teammates help throughout the acclimating process in ways apart from sports?
- What makes the cross country team successful, especially since many might not have run cross country prior to moving to the U.S.?
- How did Clarkston become a hub for refugee resettlement?
- What are other similar refugee resettlement towns in the United States?
- What made Clarkston a good fit for immigrants?
Sources:
- Coaches
- Athletes
- Families
- Teachers who have knowledge of the adjusting process outside of sports
- Someone unaffiliated with the team or school who has knowledge of Clarkston’s history as a refugee resettlement town
Possible multimedia ideas:
- Maybe a graph that shows the demographic makeup of Clarkson High School
- Timeline or maps that show where the athletes come from and how and when they got to the U.S.
This sounds great, and definitely you should explore all these questions. I think the main thing, though, is to go in with your radar tuned to listen for personal stories of what sports has meant for these particular students–has it helped them assimilate, has it provided a refuge from other stresses, has it given them an identity as they navigate teenagerdom, has it led to problems for those who are successful (i.e. dealing with xenophobia from other teams). The movie “McFarland USA” might be worth watching not to look for imitations, but for themes.