Where in the World is APF with Dr. Laura Taylor

Welcome to “Where in the World is APF”, our recipient highlight series where we catch up with our grant, scholarship, and award recipients all over the world!

Today, we’re speaking with Dr. Laura Taylor, who received a 2014 Visionary Grant for the project, “Daily Stressors and Positive Development among Immigrant and Refugee Youth.”

Can you give us an update on your career and research since being awarded the Visionary Grant in 2014?

Laura has become an Associate Professor, School of Psychology, University College Dublin, Ireland. Through her Helping Kids! lab, her research programs continue to apply innovative methods to understand how to promote more positive intergroup relations among children and young people, particularly those affected by conflict and forced displacement, to advance the Sustainable Development Goals.

In what aspects has your APF-funded research impacted your career as a researcher and your contributions to the area of child / youth mental health?

APF funding enabled Laura to apply Photo Voice in her research for the first time. Since then, she has been invited to teach the method for graduate students in Colombia, has co-led participatory projects in Colombia and Northern Ireland applying this method. Each of these projects takes an inclusive view of child and youth well-being, focused on strength-based assessments of the creative ways that they support each other and their communities.

Have you received subsequent funding, awards or other significant accomplishments since receiving your APF grant?

Since receiving APF funding, Laura has received numerous grants from national science foundations in the UK and Ireland, and the European Union. Most recently, that includes the Research Ireland Starting Laureate Award, GENERATION PEACE, to focus on youth peace building across four countries.

How has your research supported the mental health and well-being of children and youth?

Laura is a co-investigator on horizon Europe funded projects that focus on well-being in young people. ASPbelong is a smart phone, classroom based intervention to promote well-being and social belonging, and GUIDE aims to develop the research infrastructure for harmonized data collection on child well-being across Europe.

How can the field of psychology effectively support the mental health and well-being of children and youth and contribute to lasting, positive change in their lives and communities?

Laura‘s research aims to document the many ways that children and young people are already changing the world around them for good. For example, with colleagues in Colombia, we have documented how youth are creating safer communities through interactive arts-based programming (Taylor et al., 2021).

How have you used the outcomes, or how do you plan to use the outcomes from your APF-funded research to inform future projects, programs, or policies?

The research in Laura‘s Helping Kids lab aims to create social impact. To this end, the research has been covered by national media outlets, recognized with an impact case study award in 2023, and covered on academic podcast such as ReSearching Diversity.

Do you have any advice for future APF applicants and other aspiring researchers doing similar work in the field?

Keep at it! Facing global headlines documenting devastation, it can be hard to remember how our research can create a better world. As psychologists, we have the privilege position to work with individuals and communities to understand and create positive social change, even amidst adversity.

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