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Young Colombian social scientist wins 1st UNESCO/Juan Bosch Prize for research on youth violence
UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, has designated Karen Nathalia Cer贸n Steevens, 25, from Colombia, as the laureate of the first UNESCO/Juan Bosch Prize for the Promotion of Social Science Research in Latin America and the Caribbean. She was selected by international jury in recognition of her research into youth violence in Central America and its application to social policies and prevention plans in Guatemala.
The title of Ms Cer贸n Steevens research is: 驴Hijos de la Guerra o Hu茅rfanos del Estado? Un estudio de la violencia juvenil representada en las maras, bajo las caracter铆sticas particulares del Estado y del contexto guatemalteco (Sons of war or orphans of the state? A study of youth violence represented in 鈥淢aras鈥 gangs, within the characteristics of the state and the Guatemalan context). This is also the written thesis with which the laureate gained her magister in international and political studies from the 鈥淐olegio Mayor de Nuestra Seriora del Rosario鈥, a University in Bogot谩 (Colombia).
Established in 2009 by UNESCO鈥檚 Executive Board, the UNESCO/Juan Bosch Prize, consisting of US$10,000 and a diploma, will be awarded every two years. It is named after the eminent author, politician, social analyst and fervent advocate of democratic values and a culture of peace, whose work made a remarkable contribution to the study of social and political processes in the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean. In keeping with this legacy, the prize rewards young researchers, who contribute to reinforcing the links between social science research and public policies. It also seeks to motivate young researchers and encourage intellectual exchange and dialogue in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Candidates are proposed by the countries in which Professor Juan Bosch lived in exile and which have been historically linked to the experience of democracy in the Dominican Republic (Cuba, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Costa Rica). The jury members are Saskia Sassen (Netherlands), Rolando Cordera (Mexico) and Juan Luis Cebri谩n (Spain).
The award will be presented to Ms Cer贸n Steevens during an official ceremony to be held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, in the first semester of 2013.
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