Developmental Science and Sustainable Development Goals for Children and Youth

​Suman Verma is a Developmental Psychologist and former head of the Human Development & Family Relations Department, Government Home Science College, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. Her research with an advocacy component are in the areas of behavior settings of street/working children, daily ecology of adolescent family life, school stress, adolescent abuse, and intervention studies using life skills education approach. Other areas of published work include time use patterns among adolescents, academic stress, single parenting, positive youth development and social policy. A two time fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, her cross-cultural project sponsored by CASBS, Stanford and funded by Jacobs Foundation on ‘Pathways of Risk and Protection among Street Youth in India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and S. Africa’ is based on a comparative framework that is guided by theory on risk and protection and the ecological and contextual conditions in the lives of street kids in these countries. As an active member of various professional organizations such as ISSBD and SRCD, her interests are in (i) promoting greater visibility for the Asian region in professional societies; (ii) capacity building and mentoring initiatives for professional growth of young scholars in the region; and (iii) facilitating regional collaborations and creating opportunities for resource sharing. Anne Petersen is a developmental scientist who has been a researcher (more than 350 articles/chapters and 13 books), university administrator (department head and collegiate dean at Penn State University, graduate dean and vice president for research at University of Minnesota), federal government policy maker (Presidential appointee at National Science Foundation), and philanthropy leader (several roles including SrVP Kellogg Foundation, Founder/President Global Philanthropy Alliance). She was funded for a couple of decades for her research on adolescent development (puberty and psychosocial development) and has won many honors for her research and career, including election to the National Academy of Medicine (NASEM). Her current interests focus on global science and youth policy as well as developing Africa through S&T.

• Part 1. Introduction.- Chapter 1. Pathways to Sustainability: Developmental Science-Policy-Society interface (Suman Verma & Anne Petersen).- Chapter 2. Conceptual Framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.- Chapter 3. Role of Developmental Science for Sustainable Children and Youth Development in Low-and-Middle-Income Countries in the Context of Global challenges.- Part 2. Situation Analysis: The Development Challenges and Sustainable Development Goals.- Chapter 4. Enhancing the Health and Education of Deprived Children and Youths: Implications for Sustainable Development in Cameroon (Therese M.S. Tchombe, Lambert Wirdze & Asangha Ngufor Muki).- Chapter 5. Peacebuiliding through Early Childhood Development in the Context of Sustainable Development (Angelica Ponguta et al.).- Chapter 6. Transforming the world for Mozambican Youth: Perspectives on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development  (Clarissa Freitas, Silvia Koller, Fernando Niquice, and Alferes Singano Ribas).- Chapter 7. Achieving Positive Youth Development and Sustainable Development Goals: The Role of Development Research (Esther Akinsola).- Part 2. Measurement and Monitoring Development and Well-being Indicators in Sustainable Development Goals.- Chapter 8. Developmentally Informed Culturally Relevant Measurement and Methods (Alice Wuermli).- Chapter 9. The Value of Longitudinal Approaches to Measuring Sustainable Development (Prerna Banati).- Part 3. Capacity Building for Development Science,- Chapter 10. Capacity Building among Scholars from Low-and-Middle Income Countries (Hirokazu Yoshikawa & Paul Oburu).- Part 4. Emerging Issues and the Way Forward. Chapter 11. The interconnectedness and interdependence of Development Science and Sustainable Children and Youth Development in LMICs (Anne Petersen & Suman Verma).

“The book is a necessity for all researchers and stakeholders working with children, as it engenders a focus on conceptual, theoretical, empirical, methodological, and practical engagement that provides a valuable blueprint to assist nations in fulfilling the SDGs and improve the lives of every child and youth. … this edited collection to grassroots audiences will lead to a commitment by all to bring about positive outcomes for children, youth, and all citizens through the SDGs.” (Sabirah Adams, Applied Research in Quality of Life, Vol. 15, 2020)