High school can be stressful for any student. For resettled refugee youth, there are often the additional demands of a new language and customs, the challenge of fitting into a new community and culture, and the need to support their family emotionally, logistically, and even financially. Many of the newcomer youth arrived in Durham, North Carolina with either no formal education or significant gaps in their education. This confluence of factors created serious academic and psychosocial challenges for newcomers of high school age. The Citizenship Lab of the Kenan Institute for Ethics has addressed the twin challenges of school success and stress reduction through a research-focused, supplemental civic engagement program. This program has aimed at creating a strong sense of community for the newcomer youth that can support them both in their initial transition to life in Durham and in the longer term as they embark on adult lives of work and/or further education.