CONFERENCE ON DRUG USE AND OUTCOMES IN MIXED RACE YOUTH

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The growing number of mixed race people in the U.S. is in stark contrast to the dearth of information linking mixed heritage to life outcomes. Because of the high level of alcohol and other drug (AOD) involvement in mixed heritage youth, it will become a research and policy priority to investigate health-promoting and health-compromising correlates for this population. The goal of the proposed conference is to bring together researchers, scholars, practitioners, and others to discuss ways of investigating the possible relationship between mixed heritage and risky behaviors, such as drug involvement and violence. This will be a two-day conference, slated for March 1999 at the WestEd San Francisco, California office. The format of this conference will be a series of symposia on topical issues interspersed with break-out discussion groups on these topics. Through discussions with practitioners, the needs and experiences of mixed heritage youth will be highlighted, allowing the data collection process to improve. Through this conference we hope to: (1) investigate whether a particular ethnic "mix" (e.g., Black-Latino vs. Chinese-Vietnamese) is a significant or practical concern, (2) investigate if a biologically mixed heritage always leads to self perception of being ethnically mixed, (3) discuss major factors that may account for the relatively higher risk for involvement in drugs and violence in mixed heritage youth, (4) explore the methodological issues involved in identifying and studying youth and mixed ethnicity, (5) discuss the different risk potentials for involvement in problem behaviors among various types of mixed-heritage youth, and (6) brainstorm about the practical implications at the school level of differences between mixed heritage youth and those with strong identification with only one racial or ethnic group.