The Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture (ISPRC) at Boston College will hold its seventh annual Diversity Challenge - a national conference held at BC that features speakers who will provide presentations and workshops. This year's conference, to be held Friday and Saturday, will focus on the theme "Race and Culture Intersections in Scientific Research and Mental Health Service Delivery for Children, Adolescents, and Families."
The ISPRC was founded in 2000 by Dr. Janet E. Helms who is a noted professor of counseling psychology, a renowned scholar, who has written over 60 empirical and theoretical articles and books on the topics of racial identity and cultural influences on counseling practice.
Each year, the ISPRC aspires to raise awareness of racial and cultural issues that are occurring throughout society. "Race and culture is an important subject because it influences every aspect of life. ISPRC wants not only to change the negative effects of race but to enhance its positive effects to promote education in race and culture so that people are willing to talk and think about it," Helms said.
The Diversity Challenge places its emphasis on five areas: mental health, treatment, service delivery, education, and policy. Each area will be included in presentations that are explained by researchers, educators, service providers, and community agencies that are recognized for their work. One presentation included in the conference this year titled "The Implications of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender for Treating Youths and Families of Color" will address "how AHANA men with mental health disorders experience not only racial discrimination but also masculinity pressures from society to be the economic provider for the family," Dr. James R. Mahalik said.
The two-day conference will also allow participants to exchange their recent developments in research and reflect upon their firsthand experiences in their roles to promote cultural diversity in mental health care, specifically the important role of culture and race in the treatment of minority children with mental health concerns.
"This year's theme is unique because it emphasizes the importance of race and culture in children and adolescents and their families, and there has not been much research in these populations, particularly with respect to mental health care," Helms said.
Over the past 40 years, there have been rising concerns regarding the mental health of children. According to the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP), one in 10 children in 2006 had mental health concerns that severely impaired their ability to function at home and at school. Among children with mental disorders, 75-80 percent of children in need of treatment do not receive it.
In addition, NCCP's 2006 report of Children's Mental Health states that only 13 percent of children from an ethnic group receive mental health services versus 31 percent of white children. The discrepancy can be attributed to the mistrust of treatment, discrimination, and communication differences.
Furthermore, "the cumulative impact of lack of access to mental health services, and historical and current societal discriminatory attitudes place these children on a dangerous trajectory that can lead to more serious emotional or behavioral problems later in life," according to a 1998 study published in Children and Society, a science journal.
The Diversity Challenge conference will allow speakers and participants to discuss solutions or methods that can be implemented so that every child has access to education and health services. "Hopefully, one of the outcomes will be action reports to promote better mental health success," Helms said.
"BC students do not get much exposure to race and culture issues in the classroom. Therefore, BC students will be able to, through the Diversity Challenge Conference, for two days have the opportunity to see a diverse group of successful professionals and ask questions about their fields and careers," Helms said.
BC students can also enjoy a performance by the Roxbury Center of Performing Arts on Saturday at the Yawkey Center. The event features a high school dancing troupe that will perform a Caribbean folk dance. There will also be an art exhibit, which promotes the idea that children can also make a positive contribution.
The ISPRC aspires to continue its efforts to promote further understanding of the racial and cultural issues in the United States. The Diversity Challenge is one step that will address issues at "BC that aren't as visible … and will also be a place where people from across the world will be able to share new ideas and experiences," Mahalik said.
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