Children Around the World

The Future of Our Earth

Edited by:
Niels P. Rygaard, Fairstart Foundation
Uwe Gielen, St. Francis College
Elaine P. Congress, Fordham University
Julia Larock, Fordham University

A volume in the series: International Psychology. Editor(s): Elaine P. Congress, Fordham University. Harold Takooshian, Fordham University.

Published 2024

The fourth book in the UN book series Behavioral Science in the Global Arena is entitled Children Around the World: The Future of Our Earth continues the focus on issues of major international importance. This book is based on these three principles 1) Focus on most important pressing issues, 2) is multidiscipline with authors who are psychologists, social workers, medical doctors, and NGO leaders, and 3) Chapters are co-authored by well-known experts and new professionals or graduate students.

Children were chosen as the focus as over 30% of the people in our world are children. This book looks at major macro trends affecting children as well as interventions that have been used to address problems that children face. Topics that are addressed include the UN Convention on Children, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that support children, and development issues like pre and post-natal health, family systems, gender roles, and puberty/adolescent issues. Attention is given to major risk factors and challenges such as sex trafficking, child labor, street children, protecting children in congregate care, and violence against children in the home, in institutions, and in the community. This book closes with a look at the most serious future challenges for children including literacy, migration, and mental health issues.

This book is designed for faculty and students, as well as professionals who want to learn more about the type and severity of problems affecting children as well as positive interventions that have been used to address these problems.

ENDORSEMENTS:

"At the core of any healthy society, there are healthy children and families that are not just fighting to survive, but truly thriving. Thank you to all the contributors in this series; this work will provide important insights for academics, practitioners, and everyday people as we design smarter, more evidence-based policies in order to bring about transformative change." — Anne Williams-Isom, New York City Health and Human Services

"This much needed, timely and powerful book, written with the contribution of renowned psychologists and experts in behavioral science, takes us on a provocative journey through stressors and solutions in today’s children’s lives. This book, aimed at a large audience, stresses the urgent need to protect the life of children at risk, and to improve their mental health in both industrialized and developing nations. A cross-cultural, cross-disciplinary approach is key to finding efficient and creative solutions to this global challenge." — Maria Pia Belloni, UN Committee on Migration; Subcommittee on Children in Migration

"This collection of 15 timely and superbly crafted chapters is the brainchild of three internationally renowned editors: Drs. Elaine Congress, Uwe Gielen, and Niels Peter Rygaard, and a rising star recent graduate Julia Larock. Offering a practical tool for researchers, professionals and organizations, the volume covers practically every urgent need. Many of the chapters include riveting case studies with clear guidelines and examples of proven evidence-based interventions. Children of the World may very well be one of the most important and impactful mental health books of the next two decades." — Joseph Ponterotto, Handbook of Multicultural Counseling

"This book will serve as a valuable resource not only to those working directly with children, but to all concerned about the future of the world." — Judy Gibbons, American Psychological Association Division 52

CONTENTS