Conference offers advice and help for Indiana�s ethnic families

�� INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. � What are some of the unique challenges facing Indiana�s ethnic families? What is the family�s impact on a child�s ability to learn and achieve? What are the obstacles in educating urban students from various ethnic groups? What programs does Indiana offer to enhance multicultural and intergenerational relations? These and many other issues facing Indiana�s ethnic families will be addressed at the 2001 Annual Conference of the Indiana Council on Family Relations.

�� The program �Ethnic Families: Strengths, Challenges, and Services� will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday, October 20, in Good Hall at the University of Indianapolis. The conference will provide a variety of presentations, round table discussions, experiential workshops and breakout sessions including �Working with Muslim Families: The Islamic Perspective on Cultural Diversity� by John Sullivan, coordinator of St. Vincent Health and Hospital Stress Center, and �Partners for Academic and Social Success: The Challenge of Serving Underachieving Youth and Their Families� by Greg Thornton, from the Maya Angelou Institute for the Improvement of Child and Family Education of Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina.

�� The major purpose of this conference is to address the challenges that families of various ethnic origins and social classes experience, and promote understanding of the ethnic strengths of all families,� said conference chair Phylis Lan Lin, director of Asian Programs for the University of Indianapolis. �It is also a timely topic because Indiana, like most other states, is becoming more and more diverse, and we need to offer ways we can pool our community recourses to enrich the community in which we live. We�re very excited because we so have many nationally renowned speakers for this year�s conference.�

�� Keynote speakers are Caterina (Cathy) Cregor Blitzer, who will present �A Profile of Ethnic Families in Indiana: Strengths, Challenges, and Resources� and Mary E. Busch, who will present �Challenges in Educating Urban Students from Various Ethnic Groups.� Blitzer is a native of Trieste, Italy, and is the executive director of the International Center of Indianapolis and a consultant to the Lilly Endowment. Busch is a native of Hopkinsville, Ky. and serves on the Indianapolis Board of School Commissioners. She has also served as chair of the National Council of Urban Boards of Education in Washington D.C. and on the Board of Directors of the National School Boards Association.

�� We have such a diverse community, and we should address their needs and concerns,� said Busch. �I plan to talk about the challenges different minorities face in an urban district. We have seen tremendous growth in the Hispanic population, and we have a lot of African Americans. We also have families moving here from ravaged countries like Somalia, many with children 15 to 18 years of age who have never attended a school. But I have seen a common thread with these minorities, and that is many of them live in poverty.��

�� Lorraine C. Blackman, president of the Indiana Council on Family Relations, said this is the first time the conference has been held in Indianapolis.

�� This is one of the most salient topics for families in our state right now because of the dramatic increase of ethnic families in Indiana,� said Blackman, who is an associate professor at the Indiana University School of Social Work at IUPUI. �The program provides families, and those who work in the agencies that help families, with valuable information.�

�� The conference program includes:

� �A Matter of Balance,� Vera Maass, president of Living Skills Inc. in Indianapolis.

� �The Old Country and the New Environment: Families, Culture, and Globalization,� Judith A. Myers-Walls, professor of child development and family studies at Purdue University.

� �Family�s Impact on Children�s Educational Aspiration and Achievement,� Carol Israel, professor of education at the University of Indianapolis.

� �How Chinese Children Learn Their Social Behaviors in Their Families During Their Childhood,� Linda H. Chiang, professor of education at Anderson College.

� �Cross Cultural Adoption: Challenges and Gratifications,� Pat Lau of Indiana University and Keith Wallace of Families Through International Adoption.

� �Community Health Care with Immigrant Families,� Kathy Koval, associate professor of nursing at the University of Indianapolis.

In addition, the following awards will be presented during the conference: The Betty Ruth Jackson Outstanding Student Award, the Reuben Behlmer Family Life Professional Award and the T. Quentin Evans Family Advocacy Award.

The conference is co-sponsored by the Indiana Council on Family Relations and the University of Indianapolis, Asian Programs. Registration deadline is October 17. Cost to attend is $40 for NCFR members and includes membership renewal, $20 for students or emeritus members, and $50 for non-members. Lunch and morning refreshments are included. To register or for more information contact Phylis Lan Lin, Ph.D., at (317) 788-3288 (or [email protected]).��

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