…They have a different culture, a different life at home. As soon as they step outside, they are faced with a different world. When you go through two worlds in one day, it's [very] difficult… When I think of some of the most difficult moments in my life – the moments when I wish I had made better, more informed decisions – my adolescence immediately comes to mind. Adolescence is a difficult time, for anyone. Because adolescence is a tumultuous time in the lives of so many people, there is a lot of research into it. A research group writes: “young people… are in the midst of a process of restructuring social relationships, searching for their place in society and making important choices for their future life”. (Beyers and Cok 2008, 147). However, for immigrant youth attempting to navigate these processes, the challenges are compounded by the potential for numerous contradictions between their parents' culture and that of their homeland, and a variety of cultures that exist within American society . The challenges these processes present to young Ethiopian-Americans are of particular interest to me. Over the course of several weeks, I had the opportunity to get to know Metasebiya “Meti” Mulugeta, the director of youth programs for the Ethiopian Mutual Community Association (ECMA), which operates the Ethiopian Community Center in Seattle. During this time, I learned how ECMA, in concert with the larger Seattle Ethiopian community, is creating spaces where its youth can be empowered to succeed and providing essential services for parents within the Ethiopian community that enable them to make the transition successfully. from their homeland to their new home in Seattle. The Ethiopian Community Center (ECC) is located on Rainier Avenue South, on the border of the Dunlap and Rainier Beach neighborhoods in south Seattle. The building - formerly home to a church - is well maintained, but not elegant. The property, including the large car park, is fenced and gated and the building's windows are boarded up, presumably for security reasons. The interior of the building has a very professional and professional look, but at the same time shows the identity of its Ethiopian occupants. The walls are painted off-white and adorned with framed posters of various sizes, showing maps of Ethiopia and an assortment of historical and cultural facts.