*2.3. Data Collection*

This study was conducted in Winnipeg (population: over 828,000), Manitoba (population: 1.336 million), in mid-Western Canada [32]. Refugee youth (between ages 15 and 29) who migrated to Canada in the preceding six years were recruited through purposive and snowballing sampling [31]. Purposive sampling was used to allow for selection of information rich participants to take part in the study. Snowballing sampling was used to allow youth to refer other African refugee youth who met the recruitment criteria to take part in the study. Similar to Statistics Canada, we describe youth in our study as people between the ages of 15 and 29 [33]. Youth were recruited using posters, information sessions at immigrant and refugee centres and through word of mouth (participating youth referring their peers to the study). Youth took part in semi-structured interviews which created them the space to share what was important to them as well as helping us to arrive at a deeper understanding of their experiences. The interviews which were between an hour to an hour and a half long, were digitally recorded. The interviews were conducted by three research assistants trained and supervised by the first author. Youth were interviewed in English, French, or Kiswahili. In those situations where youth chose to communicate in French or Kiswahili, a certified translator was present to provide translation and back interpretation. At the end of every interview, the research assistants completed field notes about the interview settings, non-verbal communication, and their reflections. In the interviews, we asked youth questions such as "Can you please tell me about yourself?" "What was life like for you and your family before coming to Canada?" "Could you please tell me what it was like for you and your family to come to Canada?" and "What did it feel like when you first got here?" These questions led to youth talking about their life in their countries of origin, their cultural backgrounds, identity, and comparisons between their backgrounds and Canadian culture. Further probing took place to gather more understanding on their adaptation experiences.

#### *2.4. Data analysis*

Interviews and field notes data from youth informed data analysis. Digitally recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim. The interview scripts and field notes were read multiple times to get a sense of the data. Then, using careful line-by-line coding, chucks of sentences on the transcripts were assigned codes. The codes were compared, contrasted, and combined to form categories. Continuing with the process of comparing and contrasting, categories were clustered together to form themes [31].

Several measures were taken to ensure that the study was rigorous. We spent a prolonged period of time with the data and utilized reflexivity whereby our reflections and preconceptions were documented on field notes. During data analysis, we revisited our reflections and compared them with study findings. The researchers came from different backgrounds (Caucasian and African descent with expertise in nursing, political studies, and community health) which provided room for approaching the study phenomena from different perspectives [34,35].
