Lauren Kahn is a Senior Research Associate who works across a range of themes, including Youth Leadership, Education, Social Innovation and Health.

Lauren has played a key role in delivering a major research programme mapping international best practice in youth leadership as part of The Youth of Today programme, a two-year partnership of seven leading youth organisations to help young people be leaders of change. This has included co-authoring a series of publications (exploring youth leadership in theory and practice; digital technologies as tools for enabling young people to lead social change; and how to empower young people on their school to work transitions) and managing a youth-led research programme. She also helped to develop criteria for allocating a £1m The Youth of Today Leadership Fund, which is funding over 40 innovative youth leadership organisations across the country, and she is leading research evaluating its impact.

Her other work has included research geared at improving service delivery in urban contexts and patient health; policy advisory work for the European Commission, an international foundation and local government; and the development of First Political Memory a website geared at increasing political engagement.

Lauren joined the Young Foundation in September 2008. Previously, Lauren worked at the Centre for Social Science Research based at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Her work included research into childhood and adolescence in post-apartheid South Africa; the links between violence, poverty and social exclusion; and the social dynamics of HIV/AIDS. She also developed materials for use in HIV/AIDS peer education contexts. Lauren completed her MSSc in Psychology at the University of Cape Town in 2007. Her dissertation explored adolescent girls' sexual and reproductive health and decision-making.

Contact

lauren.kahn@youngfoundation.org or call 020 8980 6263