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 a Turkish background, and the use of youth and community workers to contact youth and conduct the interviews. The interviews with 20 youth associated with the Turkish community in the northern suburbs of Melbourne found that they did not have much money, and few had paid employment. Most came from families that were similarly financially disadvantaged. They lived in an area that apparently lacked adequate services, employment opportunities, and leisure facilities for youth. The youth perceived that various groups of youth hung out together, but they were reluctant to call them gangs, although conflict between different ethnic groups was evident. Gang behavior in the minds of the youth interviewed was generally associated with those groups that engaged in illegal activity, such as property crime and aggressive, violent behavior. School gangs were identified; these consisted of groups of youth who physically intimidated other students. Most of the youth were associated with a larger group, but they did not view this as gang membership, since most of the group activities were social rather than criminal. Study recommendations focused on the nature of group formations that involved youth from distinctive ethnic minority backgrounds, the tensions between various groups of youth in schools and on the streets, and the socioeconomic circumstances of specific ethnic minority youth. The study recommended that specific spaces and facilities be reserved, perhaps at designated times, exclusively for certain youth, so that particular religious and cultural practices were acknowledged; the provision of youth 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; education in conflict resolution for youth; employment services for youth; an increase in the level and types of income support for youth; and media review of program and reporting content to ensure balanced coverage of the activities of specific ethnic minority groups. 11 tables and 52 references