Colloquium Talk: From PhD candidate to NPO director – Lessons learned – Stellenbosch University Psychology Department

SU Psychology Department Colloquium Series 2021

Speaker

MR Daniel Page

Date & Time

Monday 11th October 2021
13:00 – 13:50

Presenter’s bio

Daniel Thomas Page is a PhD scholar within the UQ School of Psychology. his interests include youth development, public health, and disability research. Daniel is the founder and director of the Positive Youth Development Foundation (PYDF), a non-profit organisation based in South Africa (https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/lifematters/). Daniel has been awarded two international research grants to continue his work through the PYDF. Starting in 2018 Daniel has been a researcher at Stellenbosch University, mostly recently as a part of the Institute of Life Course Health Research, generating evidence about what improves outcomes across the lifespan in the South African setting, as well as other low-resource communities. On the international front Daniel is a key member of the Global Student Psychology Committee, linking students from around the world to share ideas and resources to bring about meaningful positive change.

Brief synopsis of talk

How can psychology researchers make a prolonged positive impact within communities? Connecting research tools and resources with the people who need them has always been a challenge for academia. Life Matters, a manualised program incorporating elements of cognitive behavioural theory and sport psychology, is one such evidence-based tool. Firstly I will speak about implementing Life Matters in South Africa, the outcomes of the research and how it led to the founding of a non-profit organisation. I will share lessons learned as a PhD student starting and running an NPO. I will speak about the barriers, facilitators, and opportunities of being involved in the NPO sector as a researcher. Lastly, I will offer guidance for students, clinicians, and researchers interested in collaborating with NPOs. To make a significant positive impact on society researchers need to engage with communities, conduct meaningful research, and connect scientific knowledge/tools with those attempting to bring about change.

For more information, please contact:

Dr R. Roomaney – rizwanaroomaney@sun.ac.za
Dr B. Coetzee – bronwyne@sun.ac.za

This talk is not CPD accredited