Welcoming Remarks:

Brian Lewis, Professor, Concordia University and Co-director, QUESCREN

Opening Keynote Address:

Partnering with Young People to Forge a Better Path Forward: Intergenerational Generativity in Education and Beyond

Heather Lawford, Professor, Bishop's University and Canada Research Chair in Youth Development

Have you ever wanted to make things better for the next generation? Whether you are teaching, advocating for better policy, or recycling, you are connecting with generativity. Research in psychology suggests that generativity is key to thriving in adulthood. Teaching and mentorship has long been considered a shining example of generative pursuits. There are countless examples of teachers spending their time, talent, and treasure to ensure that their students have a safe and welcoming classroom experience, and are developing the skills they need to succeed. Teachers foster generativity in students when they support student-driven initiatives, such as climate action or social justice.

Generativity is central to teaching, but it is rarely discussed explicitly in education contexts, and we rarely discuss generativity in students.  In our work, we consider generativity prior to adulthood, namely youth. Using both empirical and community-engaged research approaches, our work has uncovered considerable benefits to considering generativity intergenerationally. 

In this talk, Dr. Lawford proposes considering an intergenerational approach to generativity. She will outline her research that examines the important role that generativity plays for adolescents and young adults, with respect to their well-being, community involvement, and relationships with friends and family.  Her studies include samples from English-speaking high schools and Cegeps. Further she will discuss new research examining generativity in two samples of pre-service teachers. Finally, she will discuss how generativity can help us build our mentorship and teaching practice as well as ways to partner with youth and students to include and support their own generative motivations. A healthy dose of generativity is an important factor in successful development in both youth and adults. When teachers engage and support students’ passion for a better world, we all benefit.