Background

Health promotion, as a strategy (a set of coordinated intersectoral actions) that aims to orient and support social change in order to improve health for all and reduce health inequalities, has been adopted in many countries. However there is not yet a structured field of research, based on a set of paradigms, approaches and methods that is recognised as health promotion research. Health promotion still needs a clear and widely adopted definition that would delineate a coherent body of disciplinary knowledge and methods.

It is timely to map and to understand the practices of health promotion research (in terms of paradigms, ethical framework, research strategies and methods) and their anchor in the ethical system of health promotion.

An ambitious collaborative project

Based on original contributions from leading experts in the field, this Handbook will explore the main theoretical, methodological, empirical and policy challenges and pressing social issues facing health promotion research today. The goal is to bring together experts from different “research traditions” that coexists in the field of health promotion. The ultimate aim is to contribute to the creation of a global community of knowledge production and sharing.

The Call

This call is open to all individuals and groups who conduct research on health promotion practices, and who want to advance health promotion research by reflecting on and sharing their own research practices.

As a first step, we want to receive structured detailed (2 pages) outlines of potential contributions based on how specific research projects or research programs were conducted. Deadline for submitting the outlines is April 15, 2020.

You will find all information and requirements for the outline in the call below :

Call Handbook of Health Promotion Research

The Handbook of Health Promotion Research will be published under the auspices of the UNESCO Chair and WHO Collaborating Centre “Global Health & Education” and the Canada Research Chair on Community Approaches and Health Inequalities, in partnership with the International Union for Health Promotion and Education. The editors are Didier Jourdan and Louise Potvin.

Accelerated climate change, the rise of artificial intelligence, the explosion of social movements around the globe … Despite differences, humanity faces common challenges. What will the world look like in 2050 and what role can education play in shaping the future? UNESCO’s new global initiative on the Futures of Education looks at 2050 and beyond and seeks to understand how education can shape the future of humanity and the planet. The initiative is catalysing a global debate on how knowledge, education and learning need to be reimagined in a world of increasing complexity, uncertainty, and precarity.

Futures of Education: UNESCO Chairs GHE input

As a first contribution to the global debate on the futures of education the UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN networks from all disciplines and scholarly fields were invited to prepare think pieces to help advance a shared vision for the future. We are proud that the contribution of the Chair hosted by University Clermont-Auvergne was accepted and included in the publication: Humanistic Futures of Learning: Perspectives from UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks (UNESCO, 2020) (published in English and French). The main findings were presented to the International Commission on the Futures of Education at their first meeting.

A humanistic approach to education and development is the common thread in all contributions. The approach is grounded in a vision of development that is economically inclusive, socially just, and environmentally sustainable. A vision that acknowledges the diversity of knowledge systems, of worldviews, and of conceptions of well-being, while reaffirming a common core of universally shared values. A vision which promotes an integrated approach learning, acknowledging the multiple personal, social, civic and economic purposes of education.

Plurality of knowledge to meet the challenges of tomorrow is the title of the publication by the Chair hosted by the University Clermont-Auvergne. “The authors suggest that knowledge for the future must be inherently plural. In essence, they propose the harnessing of a combination of different kinds of knowledge within an “educational pathways” framework to make education relevant and equip learners with the skills to tackle the societal challenges of the future.”[1]

Your contribution

The success of the Futures of Education initiative also rests on a broad, open consultation and engagement process that involves youth, educators, civil society, governments, business leaders and many other stakeholders. Therefore, you are invited to contribute to the global discussion and debate in 2020 through one or more of the following channels (available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish):

• Top 3 Challenges and Purposes of Education – Survey. A 2-minute online survey to offer views on the top three development challenges ahead in the future and top three ways education can address them.
• Your Vision of Education in 2050 – Submission of artwork. This platform invites people to share their original creative, artistic visions of what education might look like in 2050.
• Your View on the Futures of Education – Written contributions. This platform invites people to present their thoughts on what they see as the one major issue for the futures of education (max 1000 words).

[1] Jourdan, D., Faucher, C., Cury, Ph., Lamarre, M-C., Mebtoul, M., Matelot, D., Diagne, F. & Damus, O. (2020). Plurality of knowledge to meet the challenges of tomorrow. In S. Joseph (Ed.), Humanistic Futures of Learning: Perspectives from UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks (pp 172-176). Paris, France: UNESCO.