Describes a model for teaching community problem solving and cross-cultural leadership skills to immigrant and refugee youth. Project participants included adult college students from the University of Massachusetts and a group of 15- to 19-year-old youths from agencies serving the Cape Verdian, Haitian, and Somalian populations. The service learning collaborative project had 3 objectives: to bring adult students and newcomer teens together to design a civil education workshop addressing an identified need; to teach teens the skills of political participation and community organizing; and to provide a cross-cultural model for adults and youth to work as partners. The model relied on an inter-generational, cross-cultural partnership to develop collective teen leadership and build communities, and it emphasized the sharing of ideas and information among partners. The collaborative project was guided by 3 premises: that teens work best in a cohort; that the process of deconstructing attitudes and stereotypes about age, race, and class is necessary to establish mutual respect and open communication; and that strengthening communities requires building on existing assets while sharing skills and technical resources. The project’s success was attributed in part to a clear understanding among all participants about roles and expectations.
