Budding Multiculturalism or Veiled Indifference? Inter-Group Contact Among Immigrant and Native-Born Adolescents in Small-Town Canada

Abstract

Drawing on qualitative research examining the integration experiences of immigrant adolescents in a small city (Fredericton population 50,535) and rural town (Florenceville-Bristol population 1,500) in New Brunswick, Canada, this article presents daily encounters between young immigrants and their native-born peers. It argues the citizens of Florenceville-Bristol are able to compensate for the absence of formal programming for immigrant youth by finding creative ways to communicate with the immigrant adolescents, recognizing their strengths and abilities, and including them in activities and structures where they would have the best fit. It concludes that cross-cultural interaction in our daily lives brings a more positive multicultural experience to communities when Allport’s (1954) four necessary conditions for contact to result in the reduction of prejudice are met.