Adolescents bear the burden of complex global challenges head, yet as recent events have shown, they are also drivers of change. Youth mindfulness programmes (YMPs), now increasingly prevalent in educational and juvenile justice settings, are thought to promote resilience and emotional skills, drawing on neuroscience to inform interventions. Moreover, neurobiological ideas are frequently incorporated into curriculums and subsequently inform students’ developing concepts of selfhood. Despite the cultural implications, the research landscape is currently dominated by neurological and psychological approaches. However, neuroscience is an interpretive discipline embedded with cultural values, that warrants reflection. Drawing on critical neuroscience, we will bring together scholars from social science, education and neuroscience to examine how neuroscientific ideas are conveyed within YMPs and analyse their social implications. We will contribute: 1) preliminary qualitative analysis of program materials; 2) a socially and ethically oriented guidance briefing for interventions; 3) supplementary educational materials, and directives for future research.
Organizers
Suparna Choudhury, PhD
McGill University
Suparna Choudhury is Assistant Professor and Co-Director of the Culture, Mind & Brain Program at the Division of Social & Transcultural Psychiatry, McGill University, where she works on the adolescent … MORE
