Refugees: Recommended Resources

The following resources provide a wealth of information about refugees: who they are, where they come from, and what individuals and organizations can do to help them successfully integrate into their new communities.

For more information about refugees in schools, see our related resource section, as well as our page on Syrian refugees.

Background Information

Who Are Refugees?

United Nations Resources

• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
• Child Refugees
• Figures at a glance
• Resettlement
• United Nations: World Refugee Day

Refugee Resettlement and Support

• U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement
• U.S. Refugee Admissions Program
• Women’s Refugee Commission
• Cultural Orientation Resource Center: Archived Website (COR Center)
• International Rescue Committee

Refugee Stories & Experiences

• The Refugee Experience Series
• Vermont Folklife Center: Refugee Experiences
• PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Lab: Refugee Videos
• Forced From Home: Traveling Refugee Camp Exhibit
• Rusul Alrubail: I was a refugee. I’m haunted by today’s images of child refugees (PBS NewsHour)

Video Games

• UNHCR: Against All Odds video game
• COR Center: Choosing My Way video game

COR Center (Archived resources)

• Refugee Information by Country: Resource Pages
• Refugee Information by Country: Brief Summaries
• Refugee Videos

Welcoming & Intergrating Refugees into a New Community

Guides, Toolkits, Videos, and More

• Early Childhood Resources for Refugee Families (BRYCS)
• Strategies for Engaging Immigrant and Refugee Families (EDC)
• Welcoming Refugees (Welcoming America)
• Technical Assistance for Refugee Resettlement (Cultural Orientation Resource Exchange)
• Refugee and Immigrant Integration (Center for Applied Linguistics)
• Welcoming Resources, Videos, and Outreach Plans (COR Center)

Serving Refugee Families in Schools

• Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services (BRYCS)
• School Resources for Welcoming Refugees (BRYCS)
• U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants

Resources on Trauma

• The National Child Tramautic Stress Network: Resources for Refugees
• Center for Victims of Torture
• Summary on post-traumatic stress from "How to Support Refugee Students in the ELL Classroom"

Classroom Resources & Booklists

Lesson Plans

• Refugee Stories: Mapping a Crisis (The Choices Program at Brown University)
• 8 educational resources to better understand the refugee crisis (Amnesty International)
• Teaching About Refugees (UNHCR)
• Lesson Plans: Teach Syria (PBS NewsHour)
• Understanding the Global Refugee Crisis (Facing History and Ourselves)
• Syria: A Children’s Crisis? (Oxfam)
• UNHCR Resources on Share My Lesson

Booklists for Children

• The Refugee Experience: Books for Children
• Syrian Stories: Books for Children
• Refugees: Books for Middle Grades

Booklists for Teens & Adults

• Refugee Stories from Africa
• Refugee Stories from Asia
• Refugee Stories from Europe
• Refugee Stories from Iraq and Afghanistan
• Guides for Teachers and Professionals to Supporting Refugee Students