December 9, 2024 (Washington, DC, United States of America and Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) and the International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development (ISSBD) were recently awarded 200,000 Swiss Francs from the Jacobs Foundation to support initiatives related to mentoring early career scholars from Ghana and Colombia in the areas of grant writing, research methodology, peer reviewing, and scholarly publishing. The grants are part of a larger collaborative project called the Leverage Empower Advance Research Network (LEARN) spearheaded by Dr. Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Courtney Sale Ross University Professor of Globalization and Education at Steinhardt, Applied Psychology, New York University (NYU), Dr. Carolina Maldonado Carreño, Professor of Faculty of Education at the Universidad de los Andes, Colombia, and Dr. Christopher Yaw Kwaah, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana.
SRCD has specific plans for the grant, including facilitating high-level training for early career scholars from Ghana and Colombia, fostering networking and collaborative opportunities, building asynchronous courses, and pilot testing an international version of Reviewer Zero in conjunction with a research team at Indiana University led by Dr. Amanda Diekman, Associate Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs. Reviewer Zero is a program created to increase equity in peer reviewing in the psychological sciences.
“SRCD is honored to collaborate with ISSBD, NYU, the Universidad de los Andes, the University of Cape Coast, and the Jacobs Foundation on this important project. We look forward to fostering the professional development of early career scholars from Ghana and Colombia and expanding the Society’s initiatives to support early career researchers from the majority world,” said Dr. Vonnie C. McLoyd, President, SRCD.
SRCD plans to broaden its understanding of how to effectively engage and support underrepresented scholars from selected majority world countries in order to understand what sorts of experiences are important to scholars, such as networking; relationship building; and professional development capacity building; and to further develop its programs to serve and benefit scholars from the majority world more impactfully. SRCD aims to build out professional development experiences in the future, and the learnings from this project will be invaluable as they engender additional initiatives. Dr. Suzanne Le Menestrel, SRCD’s Director of Science Affairs, will be the project director and liaison to LEARN.
ISSBD will provide access to a variety of networking opportunities, including active participation in its Biennial Meetings and Regional Workshops, international professional development programs, regional mentoring opportunities, and collaborative knowledge-sharing activities. Additionally, ISSBD will foster alliances connecting research, practice, and policy on a global scale. Through this grant, ISSBD aims to support LEARN scholars from Ghana and Colombia, promoting equity, diversity, and inclusivity within the global scientific community.
“The ISSBD is extremely excited to work with the Universidad de los Andes, the University of Cape Coast, NYU, SRCD, and the Jacobs Foundation on this timely collaborative initiative. We look forward to building on our longstanding commitment to the promotion of professional development and personal growth for early career scholars in Ghana, Colombia, and the majority world by providing local and global mentoring and networking activities,” said Dr. Tina Malti, President, ISSBD.
The ISSBD’s vision is to unite developmentalists in a science that cares, both locally and globally. ISSBD fosters a limitless, caring science through people, places, and practices. By providing Ghanaian and Colombian LEARN Scholars with access to regional ISSBD mentors and international and regional networking opportunities, it aims to strengthen and expand their research capacities. This support will contribute to developing a global science focused on children's learning and development, with the potential to guide research-practice-policy collaborations. Ultimately, these efforts can inspire new practices and inform policy-making in this critical area. Dr. Tina Malti, ISSBD President, will be the project director and liaison to the LEARN Network.
About the Jacobs Foundation
The Jacobs Foundation was established in 1989 by Klaus J. Jacobs and his family, with the goal of improving the education and development of children around the world. The foundation’s vision is to improve children’s learning and education by promoting the generation and translation of evidence into policy and practice – connecting evidence to action, and action to systems.
About the Society for Research in Child Development
The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) is one of the world’s most prestigious and respected professional organizations in the field of child development. Founded by the National Academy of Sciences in 1933 as a multidisciplinary, not-for-profit, professional association, SRCD's membership consists of researchers, practitioners, and human development professionals from more than 60 countries. SRCD advances the developmental sciences and promotes the use of developmental research to improve human lives. This mission is achieved through a variety of programs, publications, and policy advocacy initiatives.
About the International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development
Established in 1969, the International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development (ISSBD) has been dedicated for over 55 years to advancing research that promotes a deeper understanding and enhancement of positive human development across the lifespan in diverse global contexts. With members from over 70 countries spanning six continents, ISSBD has a truly global reach. Since its founding, it has organized biennial meetings and regional workshops around the world, cultivating solidarity within a network of researchers that fosters both immediate and long-term growth. Through lasting, targeted support, ISSBD empowers early-career researchers, scholars from majority-world countries, and all its members to contribute to a science that makes a difference.
For additional information, please contact SRCD’s PR Consultant, Jessica Efstathiou: jefstathiou@srcd.org, or ISSBD’s Membership Manager: Dr. Karen Castillo, k.castillo@issbd.org.
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