This chapter examines higher education opportunities and inequalities encountered by recently arrived immigrants in the United States. Through the portrait of one recently arrived Syrian youth in the United States, the chapter examines experiences of public education, particularly within the context of community college, an important social institution for newly arrived newcomer youth to the United States. The authors develop a conceptual framework that situates newcomers’ educational and life experiences at the intersections of a sense of self, belonging and purpose. Rarely do educational institutions recognise the confluences of these different factors, address newcomer youth’s pre-arrival experiences and educational trajectories or provide explicit support to navigate the socio-cultural scripts young people experiencing forced migration confront in unfamiliar host societies. The chapter argues that the obligation for building caring, inclusive and welcoming communities rests not only on newcomers but equally on long-time residents, particularly those within higher educational institutions. With community colleges and other higher education institutions in the United States poised to educate increasingly diverse student populations in the near future, this chapter begins filling gaps in understandings to enable higher education programmes that develop newcomer youths’ sense of self, belonging and purpose in connection with their academic institutions.

In this chapter, we explore the use of text and instant messaging among refugee teachers to understand how the use of mobile phones and social networks supports more gender-sensitive and equitable teaching and learning environments both in and outside of the classroom. Our data include surveys and group interviews with refugee teachers, as well as semi-structured interviews with instructors of teacher training programmes with origins in Kenyan and Canadian iNGOs and universities. The use of technology, and in particular mobile platforms like SMS and WhatsApp chat groups, has become a common complement to these teacher training programmes. We have documented this practice as being part of both formal and informal training, as pedagogical tools used by instructors to support the delivery of courses and by student-teachers during and following their training. Group chats and SMS have translated gender-equity training beyond the temporal and physical space of the classroom, as teachers-in-training continued to discuss pedagogical tools and learning strategies during and after their training. We also share how mobile phones and social networks have extended these ideas to the surrounding communities, including parents and community leaders, to support education for girls and women.