Why do we need the YMI?
Answer the surveyWe are living in the greatest paradox of our time. We have never had more opportunities in life. Yet, we have never been lonelier, nor more depressed, anxious and stressed.
Simultaneously, psychologists are increasingly recognizing the role of meaning in life for positive development, including in children and adolescents.
What Meaning Predicts
Psychologists increasingly recognize the role of meaning in life for positive youth development. A higher level of meaningfulness is directly associated with significant risk reductions and positive growth indicators in children and youth.
* Based on longitudinal psychological research on adolescent positive development.
Current indices and surveys focused on children and youth generally measure factors that are objective to young people such as access to basic knowledge, health, and wellness; access to information and communications; and environmental quality. Oftentimes, children and youth are not directly involved in the study.
Meanwhile, indices and surveys that do involve young people, tend to focus on measuring concepts such as happiness.
The YMI differs from other indices because:
Our research focuses solely on understanding the subjective experiences of children and youth.
Instead of focusing on emotions such as happiness, the YMI is interested in exploring how young people experience meaning in their lives.
The YMI gives a voice to the youth.
A strong focus of the YMI is to ensure that we are giving a voice to children and adolescents in all aspects of the project.
This is how:
The YMI project has a Youth Advisory Council
In Phase I we made sure that we directly asked children and adolescents what is meaningful to them.
In Phase II we are collecting data directly on children and adolescents to measure how much meaning they are experiencing in their lives.
In Developing the YMI, We Aim to Understand:
Our research focuses solely on understanding the subjective experiences of children and youth across six core dimensions.
Drivers
What are the drivers of meaningfulness in young people?
Impact
What impact does meaningfulness have on educational and socio-development outcomes?
Development
What role does meaning in life play in human development more broadly?
Global Perspectives
How is meaningfulness experienced across different countries, cultures, and socio-economic groups?
Education
How can education prepare young people for leading a meaningful life?
Educators
What role can educators play in encouraging and supporting meaning?