The Kinder & Braver World Project: Research Series
The Kinder & Braver World Project: Research Series (danah boyd and John Palfrey, editors), is presented by the Born This Way Foundation & the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, and supported by the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Objectives
This working paper series publishes short papers that synthesize existing peer-reviewed research or equivalent scholarship and provide research-grounded insight to the variety of stakeholders working on issues related to youth empowerment and action towards creating a kinder, braver world. The papers grow out of different types of research (e.g., social science, mental health, medical, legal) and are aimed at different audiences (e.g., youth, parents, teachers, school boards, religious leaders, policy makers). It will be developed in phases, and over time will cover a wide range of topics related to youth empowerment and the development of kindness and bravery. The first phase, intended to provide insights to the new foundation, involved topics related to Youth Meanness and Cruelty. The second phase focuses on Youth Movements for Social Change and The Role of Youth Organizations (see the call for papers).
We welcome feedback on these materials. Submissions, feedback, and other related queries can be sent to: kbw-series@cyber.harvard.edu.
Context
On February 29, 2012, Lady Gaga and her mother Cynthia Germanotta launched the Born This Way Foundation with a mission to empower youth and inspire bravery in order to make the world a kinder, braver place. The first papers in this series were developed to provide the new Foundation with grounded insights. At the launch event – held at Harvard in collaboration with the Graduate School of Education – Lady Gaga asked a room full of researchers to share scholarly insights in an accessible form with her, the public, and other advocates working to build a kinder, braver world. This series has been developed to do precisely that.
