News & Events
Professor John Canavan | UNESCO Chair in Children, Youth, and Civic Engagement | Inaugural Lecture | November 28th 2025
Date Released: 3 November 2025
On behalf of the UNESCO Child & Family Research Centre (UCFRC), University of Galway, it is our pleasure to invite you to the Inaugural Lecture marking the formal commencement of the appointment of Professor John Canavan as UNESCO Chair in Children, Youth, and Civic Engagement.
Date: Friday, 28th November, 2025
Time: 5:00 pm – 6:00pm (GMT), followed by reception
Venue: Auditorium, UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre, Institute for Lifecourse and Society, University of Galway, Upper Newcastle Road, Galway, Ireland (H91 C7DK)
Advancing Knowledge and Practice to Improve the Lives of Children and Youth: The UNESCO Chair in Children, Youth and Civic Engagement at the University of Galway
The aim of the lecture is to showcase the work of the Chair Team, its underpinning thematic values and guiding principles and to demonstrate our contribution to the mission of UNESCO and the wider UN system.
Professor John Canavan
Appointed in July 2024, Professor John Canavan is the UNESCO Chair in Children, Youth, and Civic Engagement. Professor Canavan, a Personal Professor in Political Science and Sociology, is the Director of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre (UCFRC), which he co-founded in 2007. John’s career is defined by its focus on improving the lives of children, young people and their families through policy focused research and a sustained commitment to the education of professionals working with them. His research spans child protection and welfare, youth work, youth development, community development, educational disadvantage, and early years care and education. His teaching is orientated towards sociological perspectives and policy provision for children, youth and families, with an additional specialism in evaluation and programme planning. He has extensive experience in collaborative and interdisciplinary research partnerships, including with colleagues in the fields of education, health and psychology, both nationally and at international centres of excellence. In his role as Chairholder, John brings extensive experience in theorising and planning system change in complex contexts, a focus on policy implementation and evaluation and a strong commitment to bridging research and policy for societal impact.
