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Posted December 28, 2005


Contact: Alfredo Padilla, Education Projects Manager

MAVIN FOUNDATION LAUNCHES NEW EDUCATION PROJECT TO SUPPORT 2.5 MILLION MIXED HERITAGE STUDENTS IN THE U.S.

(Seattle) MAVIN Foundation has unveiled a new Education Project to ensure the full inclusion of mixed race and transracially adopted students in the U.S. from Kindergarten through college. The new project adds bold new initiatives to existing MAVIN programming to create a comprehensive pipeline to support the millions of mixed heritage students in classrooms and on campuses across the U.S.

Today, in cities like Seattle, Sacramento and San Antonio, 1 in 6 babies is mixed race. Census 2000 counted over 2.5 million mixed race students, yet most schools still classify mixed heritage students monoracially and lack culturally competent curriculum that is inclusive of their unique needs.

In 2004, MAVIN Foundation partnered with the Level Playing Field Institute to launch the first-ever pilot project to support mixed race college students. Over 18 months, the project published a groundbreaking report on how U.S. institutions of higher education classify multiracial students, produced a 120-page online “tool-kit” for mixed heritage college students, successfully defeated an attempt by former University of California Regent Ward Connerly, delivered over 3,000 comment cards to the U.S. Department of Education and organized two national mixed heritage student leadership retreats.

MAVIN Foundation’s new Education Project combines these higher education milestones with an impressive track record of producing groundbreaking resources like the Multiracial Child Resource Book, MAVIN magazine, and the Chasing Daybreak documentary film. These elements will be further complemented by bold new efforts, including a youth mentorship program and extensive training and consulting opportunities for educational institutions.

The Education Program is comprised of five intiatives:

* The Education Partnership Initiative: This initiative provides schools and educational institutions with training, consulting, resources and support to meet the needs of their mixed race and transracially adopted students.

* The Safe Spaces Initiative: This mentorship initiative partners with similar programs to recruit mixed heritage mentors and mentees, and supports the development of culturally appropriate mentorship programming for mixed race and transracially adopted youth.

* The Leadership Development Initiative: This initiative continues our high school and college student advocacy programming with leadership opportunities, including internships and our national mixed race student leadership retreat.

* Research and Advocacy Initiative: This initiative will continue to produce groundbreaking research into the educational experiences of mixed heritage students, and will be complemented by local and national advocacy efforts.

* Resource Development and Dissemination: This initiative will continue to develop groundbreaking print, online and video resources, and will distribute them to the people who need them.

MAVIN Foundation builds healthy communities that celebrate and empower mixed heritage people and families. Since 1998, MAVIN has invested over $2.5 million into innovative and award-winning projects focused on mixed heritage people, transracial adoptees and multiracial families. For more information, visit www.mavinfoundation.org.

For more information, email Alfredo or call 206 622 7101.