The activities of Amherst CIRCLE are grounded and integrated in the academic world of students through community-oriented course offerings for graduate and undergraduate students. Students experience community life of immigrants and refugees and become engaged in community-based learning projects. In turn, newcomer youth and leaders participate in our leadership training and education for community development.

Amherst CIRCLE has developed three metaphors useful in describing CIRCLE's main components: The Learning Cart, The Giving Seed, and The Helping Road. The first component focuses on established community leaders; the second links newcomer youth with undergraduate students; and the third fosters university-community collaboration. All three programs are interrelated and interdependent: older community leaders nurture the young; younger leaders bring new vision to their communities; and community and university learn from each other.

The Learning Cart

The Learning CART (Communities Acting and Reflecting Together) carries the knowledge of older, established leaders who have worked together to mobilize their communities.

CART:

• engages Vietnamese, Cambodian, Tibetan, Hmong, Somali, and Russian leaders in a collective leadership experience
• encourages established leaders to share knowledge with emerging leaders
• prepares established leaders as facilitators for the next group of leaders
• builds coalitions between leaders and communities through the Regional Concil Network (RCN), a group which encourages community participation through cultural events, training sessions, and statewide forums
• provides formal and informal support to leaders through training workshops, community development projects, and coalition building initiatives

The Giving Seed

The Giving SEED (Students for Education, Empowerment, and Development) develops the potential of young leaders who learn to advocate for and give back to their community. SEED cultivates indigenous knowledge and cultural identity as a way to promote community growth.

SEED:

• links refugee and immigrant undergraduate students with local newcomer youth in a community service program
• prepares youth to be effective community educators and leaders
• trains undergraduate students in mentoring skills through courses on cultural identity, community dynamics, training skills, and community activism
• provides students with experience in CIRCLE's participatory, collaborative methods through the Student Advisory Council (SAC), a group active in developing community action initiatives.

The Helping Road

The Helping ROAD (Researchers and Organizers Assisting in Development) creates a pathway that crosses the boundary between academic and newcomer worlds. ROAD fosters the exchange of knowledge between university facilitators sharing research and theory, and community leaders responding with practical experience.

ROAD:

• promotes participatory action research in leadership and community development
• puts academic knowledge to work in the community through UMass students
• prepares undergraduate students for local fieldwork through community leadership classes
• offers opportunities for graduate-level field-based research, as well as seminars and independent studies drawing on student community involvement
• provides forums for community leaders and students to discuss community building
• shares new knowledge and experience through Amherst CIRCLE publications