Puppetry to educate social work practitioners: Telling the refugee story.

This article focuses on the development and evaluation of a research-based educational puppet show designed to enhance understanding of refugee resettlement in the United States (US). Through interviews with eleven refugees from five countries, five key themes emerged: economic concerns, language barriers, socio-cultural differences, misperceptions, and altered family dynamics. These themes informed the creation of a 40-minute puppet play, "We Came as Refugees: An American Story," which was live-streamed to 107 viewers who completed pre- and post-show surveys. Results indicated that viewers reported increased knowledge about refugee status, arrival processes, economic challenges, adaptation issues, and perceptions of opportunities in the US, with puppetry found to be an engaging and effective educational tool. The study suggests that puppetry can serve as a supplementary training medium for social workers and service providers to foster empathy and improve support for refugees during resettlement.