Clinical child and adolescent psychologist Dr. Linda Dekker and political sociologist Dr. Kjell Noordzij of the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences have both been awarded a €320,000 Veni grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). The Veni grant is intended to fund innovative scientific research and thereby give these researchers the opportunity to develop as independent researchers.
Developing Digital Desire: Youth, Digital Sexuality and SexEd
Clinical child and adolescent psychologist Dr. Linda Dekker, assistent professor (Team Clinical Psychology)
Digital spaces play a major role in how young people (ages 16–25) explore sexuality, yet sex education often focuses on risks and does not reflect young people’s real online experiences. This project examines how youth navigate digital sexuality and which strategies help promote positive experiences while reducing risks, with special attention to neurodivergent and LGBTQI* youth.
In collaboration with youth as co-researchers and co-developers, the project combines interviews, online observation, and a large survey. The findings will be used to develop practical, inclusive advice to improve digital sexual education for diverse groups of young people.
What does democracy actually mean to citizens?
Political sociologist Dr. Kjell Noordzij, assistent professor (Team Governance & Pluralism)
Democracy is under pressure, and its support cannot be taken for granted. This project fills a critical knowledge lacuna in research on democratic support. It examines not only the extent to which citizens believe that democracy performs well, but also what democracy means to citizens themselves. Citizens can, in fact, have very different views on what democracy is.
This project, therefore, maps out how citizens think about democracy. This is done through in-depth group interviews and an advanced analysis of a large-scale survey. The project then conducts an experiment to investigate how these views influence how citizens participate in democracy and how they feel about democratic reforms. In collaboration with civil society partners, including the Province of South Holland, ProDemos and the Ministry of the Interior, new tools are developed to promote, enrich, and safeguard democracy.
About the Veni grant
The Veni-grant is part of the NWO-Talent Programme. The NWO Talent Programme gives researchers the freedom to conduct their own research based on creativity and passion. NWO selects researchers based on the scientific quality and innovative nature of the research proposal, the scientific and/or societal impact of the proposed project and the quality of the researcher. Free research contributes to and prepares us for tomorrow's society. This is why NWO focuses on a diversity of scientists, domains and backgrounds.
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Team Communication ESSB via: communications@essb.eur.nl
