About IHDCYH
Strategic plan infographic
The CIHR Institute of Human Development, Child, and Youth Health (IHDCYH) promotes better beginnings, vibrant childhoods and empowered youth as outlined in our Strategic Plan 2022–2026. IHDCYH adopts a lifecycle approach that recognizes and values that age, life stages, and intergenerational factors impact the health of children, youth, and their families. IHDCYH’s goal is for children, youth and their families to experience the best possible health and well-being, informed by high-quality research that is interdisciplinary, built on strong partnerships and integrates their needs and voices.
Drawing on the extensive consultations with IHDCYH's research community to develop our Strategic Plan, IHDYCH will support research that advances knowledge in human development, child, and youth health and clearly articulates objectives and methods/approaches to promote better beginnings, vibrant childhoods, and empowered youth.
Vision
Better beginnings, vibrant childhoods, empowered youth.
Mission
Foster growth and equity across Canada's human development, child and youth health research community to advance science, promote knowledge and ways of knowing, and address the needs of children, youth and their families in Canada and globally.
Watch the 1-minute summary of our Strategic Plan 2022-2026!
Transcript
We believe that every child deserves the chance to live to their fullest potential. The Institute of Human Development, Child & Youth Health is proud to be one of 13 institutes that make up the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. It's our mission to foster growth and equity across our research community to advance science, promote knowledge and ways of knowing, and address the needs of children, youth and families in Canada and globally. We convene researchers and partners, champion research in areas of strength and need, and build capacity within our community - ensuring reconciliation, diversity, equity and inclusion across our activities. Our Strategic Plan focuses on research that promotes better beginnings, vibrant childhoods, and empowered youth, within a lifecycle context. It was developed in collaboration with many voices and builds on the momentum within our research community to shape a bold vision for the future that puts children, youth and families at the heart and centre of what we do.
Visit us online to find out more.
Our Commitment
We engage with and address the needs of children, youth and their families within a lifecycle context.
We embed reconciliation, equity, diversity and inclusion across our activities.
We ensure reliable communication and open dialogue about the work our Institute and our research community leads.
Areas of Focus (video summary)
Better Beginnings
We want to ensure the best start in life. We support the earliest years of life, from pre-conception through reproduction, pregnancy, infancy and early childhood, when we have the greatest ability to positively impact human development and trajectories.
Vibrant Childhoods
We want children to lead healthy, happy lives. We address the needs of children to improve health and help them thrive as they navigate the complex systems of our changing world.
Empowered Youth
We want to encourage youth to take charge of their lives. We engage youth and hear diverse perspectives to ensure health and equity continue from teenage years to maturity and adulthood.
These areas of focus exist within a complex and important context that includes families, communities and the systems that surround, support, impact and influence them.
IHDCYH views youth as a socially constructed category, rather than a defined age range. In a general sense, it reflects the time between childhood and adulthood that varies across societies and is impacted and shaped by intersecting factors such as socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender, race, immigration status, culture, age, Indigeneity, and/or disability.
Our Priorities
Convene (video summary)
Facilitate interdisciplinary collaborations and enable purposeful partnerships to strengthen research, mobilize knowledge and shape policy.
Champion (video summary)
Fuel existing strengths, catalyze emerging areas and embrace a lifecycle approach to advance knowledge, address health inequities and inspire support for science.
Capacity Build (video summary)
Support diverse career pathways and strengthen key infrastructure to improve efficiency, amplify impact and nurture a thriving health research environment.
To learn more about what we do and the impact we create, check out our Making a Difference reports:
To learn more about our current initiatives, visit the IHDCYH Initiatives page.
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