Situational Transitions

In life people constantly experience changes. Whether the change is bad, good, expected or unexpected, it always occurs. Similarly, people also go through transitions. However, unlike change, which is a shift in what a person is used to, a transition is a turning point that often causes a major reshaping in a person’s life (Transitions Class Notes, 2010). There are five types of transitions that a person can experience. The transitions include developmental, health illness, organizational, situational, and multiple (Situational Transitions Class Notes, 2012). A situational transition in particular is when a person experiences a reshaping in their lifestyle (Hampton, 2010). That being said, immigration is considered to be a situational transition. Today in western cultures, immigration is commonly seen. Although many of us may not realize, immigrating is difficult for an immigrant to endure because it is a complete shift from the life they are used to. However, immigrating can be particularly overwhelming for youth. In the following paper, “A Cultural-Ecological Model of Migration and Development: Focusing on Latino Immigrant Youth” (Perreira, and Smith, 2007), “Understanding and Responding to the Needs of Newcomer Immigrant Youth and Families” (Gaytan, M.S.W, E.M, Carhill, M.A, Suarez-Orozco, 2007), and “Immigrant Youth in U.S. Schools: Opportunities for Prevention” (Birman, Weinstein, M.A., Chan, and Beehler, 2007), will be compared and contrasted. Two common themes amongst the three articles will then be identified and then discussed in relation to how they relate to powerlessness and despair. Finally, a current community resource will be identified which is available for immigrant youth today that can help address the common themes that are identified within the three articles.
Discussion of Articles In the three articles mentioned above, it is evident that they all suggest that there is a lack of community resources available to help immigrant youth adjust