Addressing Social Justice: A Positive Youth Development Approach

is a professor of developmental psychology at the University of Bergen, Norway. She holds a PhD in Health Promotion from the University of Bergen. Her research interests relate to factors in the ecology of young people and their role in health behaviors and positive development. As the principal investigator for The Cross-National Project on Positive Youth Development (CN-PYD), she has led and organized collaborations with research partners from over 40 countries across Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America. Wiium has co-edited Special Issues on topics related to PYD in diverse youth in Child & Youth Care Forum and Frontiers. She is also a co-editor of a Handbook of Positive Youth Development published by Springer.

holds a PhD in Educational Sciences (KULeuven, Belgium). She is a professor at the Psychological Department of Universidad Científica del Sur, Lima, Peru. She leads the Research Group on Development, Health and Psychological Evaluation (GIDS-EP) and collaborates as official partner representing Peru in The Cross-National Project on Positive Youth Development (CN-PYD). Her main research interests concern positive development, parenting studies, psychological assessment, cross-cultural communication, and well-being.

PhD, is a clinical psychologist and assistant professor at the Department of Educational Psychology and Adult Education at the University of Montreal, Canada. She holds a PhD in developmental psychology from the University of Padova, Italy, and was awarded the 2017 Best Doctoral Thesis by the Italian Association of Psychologists. Her research interests are at the intersection of developmental, clinical, and cultural psychology and share as a common feature the adoption of a resilience and positive youth development approach. Presently, she investigates vulnerability and resilience factors associated with well-being, social polarization, and violent radicalization among adolescents, with a specific focus on the school context.

PhD, coordinates the International Relations Office of “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, Romania. Currently, she is a lecturer at the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences of “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu. Stefenel has been a guest professor at the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences, the University of Applied Sciences Wurzburg-Schweinfurt, Germany and Społeczna Akademia Nauk, University of Social Sciences, Poland, and a lecturer at the Western Macedonia University and the Democritus University of Thrace. Among her main research interests are positive youth development, international migration, cross-cultural communication, and resilience. Her research profile is available at https:// www.researchgate.net/profile/Delia-Stefenel.

PhD, is vice-chancellor of Research Affairs – Health Promotion Research Centre, and a faculty member at the Department of Health Psychology, School of Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health (Tehran Psychiatric Institute), Iran University of Medical Sciences Tehran, Iran. He is a health psychologist with quantitative and qualitative orientations. His current research focuses on resilience during the transition to adulthood, family- and school-based interventions, promotion of healthy behavior, and prevention of risk behaviors.

holds an MA in Family Therapy from the Shahid Beheshti University of Tehran. She is a research and teaching assistant at Iran University of Medical Sciences. Her research is focused on youth’s identity, personal growth initiative, attachment, positive development, and implementation of school-based positive youth development interventions.

is an Assistant Professor in Health Policy at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. He holds a PhD in Health Policy and an Evidence-Based Clinical fellowship from JBI, University of Adelaide. With over 15 years of research experience in diverse health sciences, he has authored nearly 180 articles, primarily in Evidence-Based Medicine.

is a PhD Candidate at Texas Tech University. Rula’s interests and expertise center around positive youth development and cross-cultural research. She’s passionate about utilizing research to elevate the voices of underserved communities, youth of color, immigrant youth, and those dually involved in the foster care and juvenile justice systems.

has a PhD in Educational Psychology at Texas Tech University. She is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Human Development and Family Sciences at Texas Tech University. Her research interests are in positive youth development, cross-cultural studies, and parent-child relationships.

is Vice Provost for International Affairs & C.R. Hutcheson Professor in Human Development & Family Studies at Texas Tech University. Her research focuses on positive youth development, toxic-stress, trauma and resilience in ethnic/racial minorities and underserved populations using a cross-cultural/cross-national mixed methods comparative approach.

is a PhD student in Human Development & Family Sciences at Texas Tech University. Her research focuses on positive youth development, mentoring, intervention strategies, and cross-cultural studies.

has a PhD in Cross-Cultural Psychology. She is a lecturer at the Faculty of Psychology at Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia, Indonesia. She is interested in cross-cultural psychology, psychological measurements, and positive psychology.

holds a BSc in Psychology from Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia, Indonesia. He is interested in human positive development and its relation to the fintech user experience.

has an MA in Psychology. She is a lecturer at the Faculty of Psychology at Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia, Indonesia. She is interested in positive youth and adulthood development, positive psychology, psychometrics, and psychological test construction.

PhD, is an Assistant professor at the Department of psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Croatia. Her main research interests are in the field of educational psychology, especially socio-emotional learning and positive youth development in school context.

PhD, is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Split, Croatia. Maglica is also a researcher involved in the scientific project “Testing the 5C Framework of Positive Youth Development: Traditional and Digital Mobile Assessment,” funded by the Croatian Science Foundation. His research is primarily focused on addressing behavioral issues in children of various age groups, with a particular emphasis on prevention within the family environment.

holds a master’s degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate in the postgraduate program in Prevention Sciences at the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Zagreb, Croatia. Šutić has a master’s degree in psychology. She is also a research assistant at the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Zagreb, Croatia. Her scientific interest is in the field of positive youth development, focusing on the role of peer relationships. She is also interested in the application of the experience sampling method in research.

PhD, is an associate professor of prevention science at the Laboratory for Prevention Research, Department of Behavioral Disorders, Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Zagreb, Croatia. Her main research interests include adolescent mental health, mental health promotion, prevention of internalized disorders and implementation of preventative interventions. Her baseline research assumptions stem from positive development and thriving that is enabled by supportive context.

PhD, is an assistant professor at the Teaching Institute of Public Health of Primorsko-Goranska County, Croatia, Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Health Studies, both at the University of Rijeka, Croatia. Roviš is the Head of the Department of Mental Health Promotion and Protection at the Teaching Institute for Public Health of the Primrosko-Goranska County. His research interests are in prevention science and mental health promotion specially aimed at children and adolescents.

PhD, is an associate professor at the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Zagreb, Croatia. Her research interest focuses on the promotion of socio-emotional learning and mental health of children and adults in education, prevention of behavioral problems, effects of mindfulness and contemplative practices on positive development of individuals, positive youth development, and the role of compassion and self-compassion in preventing behavioral problems and mental health promotion.

is a PhD candidate in the postgraduate doctoral study of Prevention Science at the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Zagreb, Croatia. Gačal is currently employed on the project Testing the 5C Framework of Positive Youth Development: Traditional and Digital Mobile Assessment. Her research interests include self-compassion, stress, physiology, and substance ab(use).

PhD, is an associate professor at the Department of Social, Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Huelva (Spain). He is director of the master’s degree in Educational Psychology, and president of the Advisory Council for Childhood and Adolescence of the Junta de Andalucía (Spain). His research interests regard the promotion of psychological well-being and healthy lifestyles in adolescence and youth, and the study of gender differences in risk and protective factors in developmental transitions. He leads the project “Positive Youth Development in Spanish Undergraduates: Analysis of Developmental Assets Related to Health, Psychological Well-Being and Social Contribution.” 

PhD, is an associate professor at the Department of Social, Developmental and Educational Psychology of the University of Huelva (Spain). Her teaching is related to social psychology, intergroup relations, political psychology, citizen participation and empowerment, and psychological aspects of gender and violence prevention. Her research interests focus on political psychology, stereotypes and discrimination, and gender.

is a PhD candidate at the University of Huelva (Spain). Her main research interests are Positive Youth Development and its associations with developmental contexts, as well as family support. She is a member of the European Family Support Network (https://eurofamnet. eu/).

is a teacher in Primary Education with a specialization in Physical Education and holds a master’s degree in Research in Physical Education and Sports Sciences. She was a scholarship assistant at the department of Social, Developmental and Educational Psychology at the University of Huelva (Spain).

PhD, is full professor of developmental and educational psychology at the University of Huelva (Spain). He has been Head of the Health Education Unit of the Andalusian Health Department, coordinator in Spain of the WHO study “Health Behaviour among School-aged Children” (HBSC) (1983–2000), lecturer on health promotion at the Andalusian School of Public Health (Granada) and short-term consultant of the WHO Regional Office for Europe.

is an undergraduate and postgraduate professor of Quantitative Methodology, Psychometrics and Applied Statistics at Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas, Lima, Peru. His interests lie in quantitative methodology, validation of psychometric instruments, as well as the application of advanced statistical methods of psychological data.

is a graduate student from the Psychology Department of Universidad Científica del Sur, Lima, Perú. His vision focuses on contributing significantly to the improvement of inclusion and mental health in society. His main research interests include positive youth development, coping strategies, (cyber)bullying and parenting styles.

is a lecturer at the Department of Home Science and Management, College of Food Science and Human Ecology at the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Nigeria. She recently completed her PhD in Human Development and Family Studies and was a visiting researcher at the Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, Norway. Her teaching and research activities regard adolescent development, child abuse, family life education, resilience, vulnerable youth, institutionalized youth, mental health and leaving care.

is a professor at the Department of Home Science and Management (HSM) Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. She has a background in nursing but with keen interest in Intellectual Disability. Tolulope’s research interest is in teaching strategies for children with developmental disabilities and, recently, exploring their sexuality. She was the former national chair (Nigeria) for the International Association for Special Education, and now the chair for HSM department and head of unit – Child Development and Family Studies.

is currently an associate professor of Counselling Psychology at the Department of Home Science and Management, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta. Her research focus is targeted towards addressing the behavioural needs of children and adolescents. Currently, her research interest is in the quality of life and social support among elderly people.

is a Research Assistant at the Department of Psychosocial Science, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Norway. Her research interests are mainly focused on social justice issues, diversity, and the lives of LGBT+ persons. She has investigated the outcomes of discrimination in the workplace and how leaders might affect these outcomes, and currently, she is examining protective factors for LGBT+ women who have experienced sexual assault.

MS, has a master’s in social and cognitive psychology from the Department of Psychosocial Science, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Norway, and currently works as a human factors engineer in the energy industry. Her research interests include positive youth development, as well as organizational and work psychology.

PhD, is an associate professor at the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, J. J. Strossmayer University of Osijek, Croatia. She is a counsellor and the head of the Psychological Counselling Centre for Students at the J. J. Strossmayer University of Osijek. Most of her scientific work is in the area of protective and risk factors for mental health in youth and young adulthood.

PhD, is an assistant professor at the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Croatia. Her main research interests are in the field of developmental psychology, especially development of emotional intelligence and positive youth development.

PhD, is an Associate Professor at the Department of Psychosocial Science, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Norway, where she is responsible for the module Motivation Psychology, and leads the Faculty’s Learning Design Group, and the Committee for Academic Integrity. Her research covers topics related to school and educational psychology, including positive youth development, youth mental health, cognitive training and motivational processes in learning and performance, motivation interventions, technology-enhanced learning, and mathematical problem-solving.

PhD, is an assistant professor at Allameh Tabatabai University in Tehran, Iran. He holds a PhD in Curriculum Studies. Higher education curricula, adult education, virtual curricula and technical and professional training are among his areas of interest. He is a member of the working group for the study and compilation of Iran’s national professional qualification framework (NQF) and currently is the executive of the national plan to evaluate the effectiveness of technical and professional education in Iranian schools. Department of Curriculum Development, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran.

is a PhD candidate in clinical psychology at Koç University in Istanbul, Turkey. As a dedicated clinical researcher, his primary interest lies in the investigation of transdiagnostic factors, particularly the nuanced nature of emotion regulation and the various elements of third-wave cognitive therapies (i.e., acceptance and commitment therapy) as they pertain to psychological disorders, most notably depression and anxiety. In addition, Hamed’s scholarly endeavors include thorough research into the complicated realm of suicidal behavior.

is a PhD candidate in Curriculum Studies at Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch of Tehran. She is a TVET expert at the Technical and Vocational Education Textbooks Publication Office, Organization of Educational Research and Planning (OERP), Ministry of Education, Tehran, Iran. She provides leadership, planning, and guidance on technical and vocational training curricula. She has published books and articles about hard and soft skills for technical and vocational students and teachers in the field of industry. Her current research is on designing and validating the technical and vocational education and training curriculum framework in a master’s degree course.

holds a PhD in Curriculum Studies from the Allameh Tabatabai University of Iran. He is a TVET expert at the Technical and Vocational Education Textbooks Publication Office, Organization of Educational Research and Planning (OERP), Ministry of Education, Tehran, Iran. He has been the head of the non-technical and basic skills group in Iran’s Organization of Educational Research and Planning (OERP) and has given many lectures and courses in the field of soft-skills training in Iran. He is a member of the group of authors of non-technical skills books of the Ministry of Education of Iran. His current activities are the design of a needs assessment model for the curriculum planning of technical and vocational education in Iran and cooperation in the national plan to investigate the effectiveness of technical and vocational education in Iran.

PhD, is an assistant professor at the Department of Statistics at Sanandaj branch, Islamic Azad University, located in Sanandaj, Iran. With a keen interest in various fields of statistics and data science, he specializes in entropy, fuzzy logic, image processing, and statistical programming. Having a foundation in these areas, he strives to contribute to the advancement of knowledge and application of statistical methods in various domains. Driven by a passion for research and teaching, Fatemi actively engages in academic activities to promote the understanding and utilization of statistical techniques in real-world scenarios.

PhD, is a professor in Educational Science at University of Bergen, Norway. She holds a PhD in Health Promotion and Professional Teacher Education. Her research interests concern children’s rights, education, motivation, well-being, and psychosocial and cultural learning environments.

has a PhD in Health Promotion and Health Psychology from the Department of Health Promotion and Development, University of Bergen, Norway, and is currently a postdoc at the Department of Pedagogy, Religion and Social Studies, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway. Her research interests include psychological health, motivation, adolescent development, and psychosocial learning environments.

PhD, is a professor at the Department for Health Promotion and Development, University of Bergen, Norway. Her primary research interests are children and adolescents’ development and health, positive youth development, implementation of health promotion efforts in schools, implementation and evaluation research. She has led a major project on school drop-out in upper secondary schools on behalf of the Ministry of Education (www.complete.uib.no).

PhD, is an Associate Professor of Health Promotion at the Department for Health Promotion and Development, University of Bergen, Norway. Her scholarship focuses on early childcare, and child and adolescent health and development. The socioecological and resource perspectives dominate her work, with particular emphasis on the school as an important health-promoting setting.

PhD, is an associate professor of Psychology at the Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Sweden. FerrerWerder’s research is at the intersection of the study of human development, culture, and intervention science. She has particular interest in the well-being and health of children, adolescents, and emerging adults. She conducts research on how human development progresses in interaction with contexts like schools and in communities. Laura has published widely, including two authored books and one recent book entitled Roma Minority Youth Across Cultural Contexts edited by R. Dimitrova, D. Sam, and L. Ferrer-Wreder, published by Oxford University Press.

PhD, is a guest researcher in Applied Developmental Science (ADS) at the Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Sweden. She is a child rights practitioner and researcher with over 10 years of international experience working with multilateral and non-governmental organizations on child-focused social policies. Her research interests are centered on understanding individual and group differences in children’s development and learning with a view to assessing the impact of social interventions on children and young people. Nardos has a particular interest in educational and psychological measurement, specifically issues surrounding the use of such measures with children and young people, cross-nationally and within multicultural contexts.