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This paper uses lived experiences to critically examine the orientation of international graduate students at research-intensive Canadian universities. We, five co-authors, embody diverse ethnic, racial, sexual, religious, national, and gender identities, yet are all (or have been) international graduate students in Canada. Through collaborative autoethnography, we destabilize the notion of "orientation." We argue that international student orientation should be understood as a fluid, ongoing process rather than one with rigid boundaries and timelines. Furthermore, orientation programming should more deeply consider the intersecting identities and positionalities of international students as multifaced individuals, as well as the implicit expectations of one-way "integration" into settler-colonial Canadian society. We suggest a different approach to orientation and offer a conceptual framework to guide future practice, highlighting the role universities play in not only supporting students academically but also in (im)migrant settlement.

International labor migration impacts gender relations between migrant workers and their families. Social workers need a more nuanced understanding of the gendered aspects of international migration for developing ethical social work practices and research. This article discusses morphing gender relations of power within the family context. The data presented in this paper originated from conversational interviews that were conducted in Tajikistan and Russia. Using social constructivism and intersectionality as the main theoretical approaches, this paper illustrates how male–male, male–female, and female–female gender relations are constantly negotiated and renegotiated within the family in the midst of labor mobility. This distinct understanding is critical for social workers who work with migrant workers and their families both locally and globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within Peru, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer/questioning (LGBTIQ) groups experience significant levels of violence, particularly LGBTIQ youth. This study explored youth responses to violence in two cities: Lima and Ayacucho. We sought to formulate key factors facilitating LGBTIQ youth resilience to inform local practice and policy. Focus groups were conducted with youth that self-identified as gay and transgender. We used thematic analysis to identify both inductive and deductive themes. Deductive themes were driven from resilience and structural violence theories. Structural and direct violence was reported by all youth with differences regarding the role of self, place and people in their resilience pathways. Despite experiencing everyday violence, LGBTIQ youth participants displayed remarkable resilience, though the resilience strategies and experiences of violence were distinctive for each group. Transgender youth relied more on their collective rather than individual resilience. In contrast, gay youth revealed a high level of individual resilience. Overall, the participants exhibited a fluidity of resilient and resistant behaviours toward violence. The use of place theory and a social resistance framework is suggested for interventions that effectively honour and foster the courageous resilience of LGBTIQ youth and effectively equalize their opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]