Overview

"She walked on roads, fields, deserts…”
Understanding the Push and Pull of International Migration

Overview

At Jolie Coiffure salon, the charismatic owner Sabine offers much more than the intricate hairstyles advertised in her window displays. Her small shop serves as a community hub where local West African immigrants like herself talk about their experiences, dish romantic advice, reminisce about home, and swap critical information on government policies and actions that impact their precarious lives as immigrants.

Years ago, Sabine left her home in Cameroon when recruited by a Lebanese maid service. As soon as she arrived in Lebanon, her passport was taken and she was trapped in domestic servitude with no rights or freedoms. After two years of abuse, Sabine escaped, travelling mostly on foot through Greece and Syria before seeking asylum in Belgium. She settled in Matonge, the city’s African quarter, where she manages her beauty salon Jolie Coiffure and waits to hear if she will finally be granted asylum or abruptly arrested and deported back to Cameroon.

Filmed entirely inside the tiny salon by director, Rosine Mbakam, Chez Jolie Coiffure captures an intimate look at a year in the lives of Sabine and her community as they navigate legal obstacles and confront personal traumas on their quest for a safe and lasting home in their new country.

In this lesson, students will share and examine their perceptions of and experience with immigration and sometimes vague language of international human migration. Through Sabine’s story and collaborative activities, students will identify “push/pull” factors that that lead individuals and families to leave their countries despite the complex hurdles and personal risks they face. They will then connect the factors that motivated each stage of Sabine’s journey to fundamental human rights as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The lesson will culminate with students identifying current media stories of international migration and collaborate in small groups to develop multimedia presentations integrating their understanding of Push/Pull Factors, international human rights, and evaluating if/how these rights are applicable under U.S. policies.

A Note from Curriculum Creator, Allison Milewski

I have a confession to make: my love of teaching is deeply rooted in my own joy for learning. For the past 20 years, I’ve been incredibly privileged to work and live in both New York City and Southeast Asia where every day has presented an opportunity to learn about my students, my craft, our societies, and my own privileges and blind-spots. I have collaborated with diverse and inspiring communities of educators and students and taught across cultures, institutions, and age groups (from six to 60 -- sometimes in the same classroom!) Although every community, every classroom, and every student I’ve encountered is unique, the common thread that connects me to every person I’ve encountered, is the ability to learn from each other and the desire to expand our knowledge and experience by sharing our stories.

Director Rosine Mbakam’s documentary, Chez Jolie Coiffure, beautifully illustrates the revelatory power of storytelling - and the importance of considering who is telling the story about whom. Through the daily life and intimate stories of Cameroonian stylist, Sabine, Mbakam deftly brings into focus complex issues of mass migration, the global refugee crisis, worker exploitation, gender-based violence, and universal human rights as well as the ability of stories to build community and bear witness.

As an educator, I was especially drawn to the opportunity to introduce students to Sabine, an engaging, moving, and charismatic woman whose experiences demonstrate the human impact of academic concepts such as Push/Pull actors and the language of migration. Even as the lesson shifts to broader discussions of universal human rights and social responsibility, students’ activities and discussions can remain firmly grounded in Sabine’s personal story as a migrant, refugee, asylum seeker, and survivor.

A Note to Teachers

This lesson, and the accompanying film, address a range of challenging issues that may be sensitive for some students. I encourage teachers and facilitators to screen the film clips and review all of the related materials in advance of the lesson. Some (or many) of your students may have personal experience with issues such as immigration law, asylum seekers, migrant and refugee rights, labor exploitation, racism, xenophobia, and gender-based violence. Their perspectives and sensitivities should inform how the lesson is presented. It might also be helpful to connect with a school social worker for resources specific to your school’s guidelines and your students’ needs.

Before the lesson, remind the class that this is a supportive environment and make time to review your classroom’s tools for creating a safe-space, including class agreements. These might include guidelines like “no interrupting,” “listen without judgment,” “use respectful language,” “share to your level of comfort,” “you have the right to pass,” etc. And remind students that when they talk about groups of people, they should be careful to use the word “some,” not “all.”

Visit Teaching Tolerance for excellent resources and strategies for tackling challenging topics in the classroom:

• Teaching Tolerance: Let's Talk! Discussing Race, Racism and Other Difficult Topics with Students:
  https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/publications/lets-talk
• Social Justice Standards | The Teaching Tolerance Anti-bias Framework:
  https://www.tolerance.org/professional-development/social-justice-standards-the-teaching-tolerance-antibias-framework
• Teaching at the Intersections: Honor and teach about your students’ multiple identities:
  https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/summer-2016/teaching-at-the-intersections

Subject Areas:

• Social Studies
• Political Science
• International Relations
• Global History/Global Studies
• Current Events
• Media Studies
• English Language Arts

Grade Levels: [9-12]

Objectives:

Students will

• Examine their perceptions of immigration and immigrants and interrogate implicit biases they may have
• Compare/contrast the different forms of international human migration and define key terms
• Identify “push/pull” factors that lead individuals like Sabine in Chez Jolie Coiffure to migrate to a new country
• Relate the factors that drive international migration to the protections in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• Create a multimedia presentation on a current immigration story that illustrates an understanding of migration push/pull factors and Universal Human Rights and assesses if/how the subjects of the story are protected under U.S. immigration, refugee and/or asylum policies

Materials:

• Chez Jolie Coiffure film clips and equipment on which to show them
• Student Handouts
  • Student Handout A: The Push and Pull of Migration
  • Student Handout B: Push/Pull Factors in Chez Jolie
  • Student Handout C: Understanding Sabine’s Story
  • Student Handout D: Migration and Universal Human Rights
• Teacher Handouts
  • Teacher Handout A: Film Summary
  • Teacher Handout B: Key Terms Cut-Outs
  • Teacher Handout C: What are Universal Human Rights?
• White board/markers
• Large chart paper (2 sheets for each group of four students)
• Pens and writing paper
• Tape

Time Needed:

Two 50-minute class periods with homework