Research programs, projects & activities

REACH has evolved from an initial international partnership focused on the educational experiences of refugee children with disabilities into a broader transnational research consortium. Our work now includes multiple interconnected and independent streams of traditional, comparative, participatory, community-engaged, and action research. The projects below illustrate the development of this research portfolio and the diverse ways in which REACH partners investigate inclusion, belonging, education, wellbeing, relationships, and valued futures across contexts of displacement and complexity.

Partnership & Research Foundations

• REACH: Pathways to Education: (COMPLETED) This inaugural research project established the REACH partnership while examining the educational experiences of refugee children with dis/abilities. The project was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) through a Partnership Development Grant and concluded in March 2025. Core institutional partners included Simon Fraser University, Canada; Atyrau State University, Kazakhstan; and Yarmouk University, Jordan.
• REACH: Transformative Education for Refugee Children and Youth: (COMPLETED) Funded through a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Knowledge Synthesis Grant, this project examined the international literature on educational programs intended to support the psychosocial wellbeing of refugee children and youth, including those experiencing cognitive, physical, emotional, or other complexities. The findings informed subsequent REACH research and contributed to the development of relational, strength-based, community-oriented, and contextually responsive approaches that continue to be explored through current projects.
• REACH: Building Solutions: (COMPLETED) This investigator-initiated, community engaged exploratory project brought together university faculty and students, refugee and newcomer support practitioners, and secondary students with displacement experiences to collaboratively identify support needs, explore research-informed responses, and envision a sustainable, student-informed approach to future support. Completed in 2024, the project provided an important foundation for the development of the first funded Woven Futures pilot in 2025. Core partners included Simon Fraser University, MOSAIC of BC, and New Westminster School District.

Community-Engaged Research & Woven Futures

• REACH: Woven Futures - Pilot Project: (COMPLETED) This community-engaged research-to-practice project supported secondary students with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and support needs to envision individual and collective futures while developing pathways toward their goals. The 2025 project was funded through the Simon Fraser University Community Engagement Initiative and implemented in partnership with MOSAIC of BC, New Westminster School District, and Simon Fraser University's Faculty of Education.
• Woven Futures - Catapult Canada: (ONGOING) Led by MOSAIC-BC in collaboration with REACH and community partners, Catapult Canada examines the expansion, sustainability, and community-led implementation of Woven Futures across Metro Vancouver. The project extends earlier Canadian pilot work through additional youth cohorts, facilitator development, collaborative art, community engagement, and ongoing program refinement. This project is funded by the Rideau Hall Foundation through its Catapult Canada program.
• Woven Futures - Afghanistan: (ONGOING) Supported through a New Frontiers in Research Fund Re-Storying Community sub-grant, Woven Futures Afghanistan piloted the first phase of the Woven Futures approach with Afghan youth. Through guided art, storytelling, and individual Dream MAPs, participants explored their identities, strengths, and future aspirations while contributing to the contextual development of Woven Futures in Afghanistan. The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2026.
• Woven Futures - Türkiye: (ONGOING) Supported through a New Frontiers in Research Fund Re-Storying Community sub-grant, Woven Futures Türkiye launches in Fall 2026 in partnership with Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University and local schools. Youth with varied backgrounds, experiences, and support needs will participate together through art and storytelling to explore belonging, strengthen social connections, and create collaborative artwork while contributing to the continued contextual development of Woven Futures in Türkiye. The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2026.

Additional Research Streams

• REACHing All Children: Perceptions of Teachers Towards Students with Physical or Mental Dis/abilities Under Temporary Protection Status in Türkiye: (COMPLETED) This independently conducted research project, led by founding REACH partner Dr. Barış Çetin of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, examined educators' attitudes and inclusive practices concerning students with diverse support needs who are living under temporary protection status in Türkiye. The resulting academic article is currently under review.
• REACH: Evidence Synthesis and Meta-Analysis: (ONGOING) Building on REACH's SSHRC-funded Transformative Education for Refugee Children and Youth Knowledge Synthesis project, this study extends the original scoping review through a quantitative meta-analysis of non-clinical, program-based supports for the wellbeing and resilience of refugee and displaced children and youth. Led by founding REACH researchers Robert Williamson and Nia Pazoki, the project also provides research training and mentorship for graduate and undergraduate students contributing to evidence screening, data extraction, analysis, and synthesis.

Research in Development

• Woven Futures: Tethering Threads: REACH partners are collaboratively developing a proposed international research project involving sites in Canada, Kazakhstan, Türkiye, Jordan, and Afghanistan. The project will examine how an established transnational research partnership can work inclusively and reciprocally across substantially different cultural, linguistic, institutional, political, and resource contexts while collaboratively developing, implementing, and studying locally meaningful research-informed approaches. Woven Futures will provide a shared practical research context through which these partnership processes can be developed, tested, and refined across participating sites. The project is currently being developed for external research funding and has not yet been funded.