Nermin Vehabovic and Duke University collaborator Jennifer C. Mann explore how three girls from refugee backgrounds build relationships that foster care for themselves and their community.
Nermin Vehabovic, assistant professor of education, and Jennifer C. Mann, research scientist at Duke Center for Child and Family Policy, published the article, titled, “’Dreamgirls’ Freedom Dreaming: Girls From Refugee Backgrounds Fostering Relationships of Care,” in the “Journal of Research in Childhood Education,” a peer-reviewed journal publishing international empirical research and case studies for advancing education.
The journal publishes global research aimed at helping education leaders shape policies and practices that impact children’s learning and well-being from early childhood through adolescence. By sharing evidence that informs educational reform, it supports efforts to enhance quality, equity, and access in schools and across communities. The publication serves as a valuable resource for professionals in education management who are looking for peer-reviewed studies to inform and strengthen culturally responsive teaching and programming.
This article presents a qualitative case study stemming from a broader one year inquiry, drawing on ethnographic observations and impromptu interviews, which considered the languages and literacy practices that children, youth and their tutors relied upon in an afterschool program. The focus is on the ways in which three girls from refugee backgrounds, calling themselves “Dreamgirls,” fostered relationships of care. Informed by feminisms, as well as the notions of freedom dreaming and an ethic of care, the researchers asked: “In an afterschool program, in what ways do three girls from refugee backgrounds build relationships that care for themselves and their community?” Findings illuminate the ways in which Divine, Gloria and Ayonna care about their culturally and linguistically diverse community, as well as their immediate and extended family, and resist patriarchal and xenophobic experiences.
This research highlights the significance of centering the voices and agency of girls from refugee backgrounds, emphasizing the transformative potential of nurturing supportive relationships. The study suggests that educational programs and communities can learn from the practices of the Dreamgirls by fostering environments that prioritize care, recognize students’ diverse literacies and actively challenge deficit-based narratives. By valuing the resilience and everyday expertise of girls like Divine, Gloria and Ayonna, educators and policymakers can contribute to more equitable and inclusive learning spaces.
To cite this article: Nermin Vehabovic & Jennifer C. Mann (27 Aug 2025): “Dreamgirls” Freedom Dreaming: Girls from Refugee Backgrounds Fostering Relationships of Care, Journal of Research in Childhood Education, DOI: 10.1080/02568543.2025.2545419
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/02568543.2025.2545419