Biography

Anne Petersen is Research Professor UMichigan, CHGD, and ASC/STEM and Founder/President, Global Philanthropy Alliance (making grants in Africa). She leads/serves on several voluntary boards/committees.
Petersen was (reverse chronologically): (1) Deputy Director, CASBS/Psychology Professor, StanfordU; (2) Senior VP Programs/Corporate Officer, WK Kellogg Foundation; (3) US President-nominated/Senate-confirmed NSF Deputy Director/COO; (4) first VP Research, UMinnesota, Graduate Dean, Professor (ICD & Peds); (5) PSU Department Head & founding Dean, CHHD, Professor Health & HD; (6) UChicago faculty; (7) AssocDir, MacArthur Foundation Health Program.
Petersen has authored 12 books, >300 articles, on adolescent and gender issues (health and development, cognition), evaluation and research methods, youth and science policy. Her honors include election to: IOM (National Academies), Fellow in several scientific societies including AAAS, APA (three divisions), and founding Fellow of APS. She co-founded the SRA and was President of several scientific societies including ISSBD.
Petersen earned all degrees at UChicago: BA mathematics, MS statistics, PhD measurement, evaluation, and statistical analysis.

2-001 - Advancing Global Research into Positive Youth Development

Session Type: Invited Symposium

Integrative Statement

This symposium will highlight some of the research presented at the SRCD Special Topic Meeting in October 2014 in Prague, CZ, the first SRCD meeting outside North America. The meeting featured global research on youth development in the context of economic changes over the last decade. Of special interest were interventions intended to support positive development in the context of social change as well as policy that has or could make a difference.
This topic was important because youth have been particularly hard hit by the global economic recession. Many young people are trapped in endless cycles of unemployment or underemployment, and often returning to education because of lack of job opportunities. Alarmingly, increasing numbers of skilled young graduates migrate for a better future to wealthier countries. The “brain drain” from less wealthy societies is one of the deep wounds of the current crisis. However, the economic crisis may also have long-lasting and pervasive consequences for youth’s adaptation and development. It thwarts the aspirations and goals for the future of young people, and presents serious obstacles to their professional and personal adaptation. For example, in Europe, the current cohort of young people is referred to as “the lost generation”.
The first three presenters in this session will highlight key issues in the global research, using their own data. The last presentation will summarize key findings from the Prague meeting, including conclusions about needed future research opportunities.

Sub Unit

• SRCD Biennial Meeting

Chair

• Anne C Petersen, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Individual Presentations

• Positive Youth Development and Social Change: Insights and Research Needs - Presenting Author: Rainer K Silbereisen, University of Jena

• PYD during the Greek Economic Crisis: A Multilevel, Cohort, Cross-sectional Study of Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Adolescents - Presenting Author: Frosso Motti, University of Athens

• Positive Youth Development in Latin America - Presenting Author: Silvia Helena Koller, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

• Global Perspectives on Positive Youth Development: Challenges and Opportunities - Presenting Author: Anne C Petersen, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor