Ethnic Young Gangs in Australia, Do They Exist? Report No. 6, Anglo Australian People

• NCJ Number: 190040
• Author(s): Rob White; Santina Perrone; Carmel Guerra; Rosario Lampugnani
• Date Published: 1999
• Length: 42 pages
• Sale Source: Australian Multicultural Foundation
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: Australia
• Note: Downloaded August 29, 2001; for other papers in the series, see NCJ-190039 and NCJ-190041-45.

Annotation

This report -- one of six that present findings of a study of "ethnic youth gangs" in the Melbourne (Australia) metropolitan area over the period 1996-98 -- focuses on Anglo Australian youth.

Abstract

Study methods included a review of relevant literature, the collection of existing relevant information and statistical data, interviews with 20 youth across 5 different areas of Melbourne (total of 100 youth) that had a high incidence of ethnic youth gang activity, interviews with 20 youth with an Anglo Australian background, and the use of youth and community workers to contact youth and conduct the interviews. The interviews with 20 youth from an Anglo Australian background found that they lived in stable homes and residential environments. In most cases both parents were in paid employment. These youth were members of the dominant ethnic grouping in Australia. Generally, these youth had reasonable access to social and recreational facilities and had few problems with authority figures, whether in the school or on the streets. They hung around in groups, most of which shared interests, musical preferences, neighborhood ties, and recreational activities. Few of these youth were in gangs or had contact with gangs either inside or outside school. The youth perceived, however, that gang formation was closely tied to both socioeconomic and ethnic background. They tended to view gang activity as a problem in minority ethnic communities. Study recommendations pertained to the nature of inter-ethnic relations between minority groups and Anglo Australian youth. Recommendations included education in cross-cultural issues so as to reduce racist attitudes; the development of a series of youth reconciliation projects at the local, regional, and State levels; media review of program and reporting content to ensure balanced reporting on the activities of ethnic-minority youth; and the development of campaigns that conveyed the positive realities and strengths of cultural diversity. 10 tables and 49 references