Biography

Kate Tilleczek is a Full Professor who holds the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Youth, Education & Global Good at York University.  She is the Director (and founder in 2009) of the Young Lives Research Laboratory (YLRL), a research, communication, training and connection hub co-developed alongside young people. The YLRL conducts unique youth-centre research to understand and record how youth navigate challenges to their wellbeing and how education could better support them on our emerging digital warming world (e.g. digital age with new algorithmic and AI tools, climate change, ecological degradation). Kate's team has co-developed youth-centered participatory research processes and findings on these topics and put them to use in re-imagining quality education with and for young people and their communities. She is currently leading the Partnership for Youth and Planetary Wellbeing to research overlapping climate and social crises alongside youth. Working across countries (Canada, Belize, Chile, Costa Rica and Jamaica) with a large team, partners and communities.  She is also leads her SSHRC funded Youth in the Digital Age a 10-year study of the influences on digital technology on the social and educational lives of young people in Canada and beyond.  In addition, her team is co-developing with youth the first Digital Wellbeing Hub for Canada with support from Heritage Canada's Digital Citizenship award.  In short, she diagnoses and redresses with youth the most pressing challenges to their wellbeing.  With her team of youth, scholars and community collaborators, they are reaching thousands of young people and decision makers across the Americas through collaborations such as the UNFCCC’s Youth Climate Report.  

Faculty & School/Dept

• -
• Faculty of Education -

• Faculty of Graduate Studies, Education -

Selected Publications

Professional Affiliations

• International Sociological Association: Member of Research Committees on Sociology of Youth and Sociology of Educaiton
• Rooted and Rising: Youth Climate Leadership Program
• Digital Futures for Children Centre: International Advisor
• CodeRed Alliance for Youth : One of a team of co-developers and an ongoing active member.

York University Affiliations/Cross Appointments

• Dahdeleh Institute of Global Health Research : Executive Committee and Faculty Fellow
• Lamarsh Centre for Child and Youth Research : Faculty Fellow
• Insitute for Technoscience and Society: Faculty Fellow

Service/Community Activities

• Bloomsbury Education & Childhood Studies Series: Editor-in-Chief (Youth)
• Journal of Youth Studies: Associate Editor
• UNICEF Canada : Collaborator
• Youth Climate Report (YCR) : The Young Lives Research Lab is a formal Collaborator with Dr Mark Terry and the UNFCCC