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Today's youth
Research that focuses on youth is vital — the United Nations reports that half the world's population is under the age of 25. Youth are key actors in the evolving social, environmental, and technological changes that are shaping the world at an ever-increasing pace.
At the Centre for Youth & Society (CFYS), we design and conduct interdisciplinary research, promote collaboration with partners, and respond to emerging priorities affecting youth and their families. Our Centre unites researchers, students, and community partners (including youth-led initiatives) toward youth well-being.
The passing of Dr. Chris Lalonde
Dr. Christopher (Chris) Lalonde passed away on May 8th, 2023, at the age of 63. Dr. Lalonde joined the Centre as a Research Fellow in 2007. Dr. Lalonde’s research centered around social-cognitive development, Indigenous health, Indigenous epistemologies and post-secondary education and identity development. He had a passion for youth empowerment, and was a strong supporter of the Centre’s mission to promote the well-being of youth through community-engaged research.
Dr. Lalonde was the co-creator of the LE,NOṈET Project and collaborated on the CFYS project, Stronger Together. Dr. Lalonde was also widely recognized for his teaching and research efforts, and was the 2023 recipient of the University of Victoria’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
More information on In Memoriam: Dr. Chris Lalonde
The passing of Dr. Myer Horowitz
Dr. Myer Horowitz, Research Fellow and founding member of the Centre for Youth & Society, passed away peacefully on October 24th, 2022, at the age of 89. Dr. Horowitz joined the Centre for Youth & Society in 2002. He was a great supporter of the Centre and will be remembered as a strong advocate for interdisciplinary and community-engaged research, and as an established scholar in early childhood development, education, and policy.
Dr. Horowitz was the first Chair of the Centre for Youth and Society’s Advisory Board. The Centre has two Student Awards after his name for community-based research and conference presentations. The Myer Horowitz Student Awards have helped countless students to pursue community-engaged research.
More information on In Memoriam: Dr. Myer Horowitz
Donate to the Myer Horowitz Student Awards
Featured research fellow: Dr. Bonnie Leadbeater
Dr. Bonnie Leadbeater is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology, having recently retired from teaching. As the Centre for Youth & Society's founding Director, Dr. Leadbeater's career at the University of Victoria is heavily intertwined with the Centre's legacy. She continues to engage with CFYS as a Research Fellow to this day.
Meet our featured research fellows.
Featured student: Maeva Gauthier
Maeva Gauthier is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Geography at the University of Victoria where she is a part of the Community-Based Research Lab. Maeva's current research is based in Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, where she is engaging in a participatory video project, Nuna Tariuq Silalu (which means Land, Sea and Weather), to highlight the issues most salient to the youth in the community.
Meet our featured students.
We acknowledge and respect the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples on whose traditional territories the university stands and the Songhees, Esquimalt and the WSÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.
