A rocky start for Iraqi refugees :an action research project in Tampa Bay, Florida

Abstract

This project concerns itself with the acculturation and resulting acculturative stress of Iraqi refugees being resettled by a particular refugee resettlement agency in Tampa Bay, Florida. While volunteering with the resettlement agency from 2010 until 2012, I noticed a distinct void in the acculturation process; ease of access to information on resources available to increase acculturation. By employing action research methods, I sought to develop a contribution toward resolving that problem for the benefit of the refugees and the employees of the resettlement agency. The project I have created is aimed particularly at Iraqi refugees in Tampa Bay, due to their increasing presence in the area and the unique struggles they face. I compared my own opinions with the data obtained from academic literature and similar existing resource guides for immigrants and refugees in order to determine the types of local resources and institutions that I should include in the guidebook. The final product is a guidebook containing relevant local information in an easy to use format that is designed to provide some assistance to Iraqi refugees in Tampa Bay as they go through the process of acculturation.