Dr Vicky Johnson has over twenty years of experience as a researcher and consultant in social and community development, both in the UK and internationally.
She is Principal Investigator for Youth Uncertainty Rights (YOUR) World Research in Ethiopia and Nepal, funded by ESRC-DFID Poverty Fund (2016-2019). Recent research she has led includes: steps for engaging children in research (Bernard van Leer Foundation); Social protection and education for street connected girls in Nairobi (UNGEI); and Youth Sexual Rights (IPPF). Vicky has designed and led academic training on ‘Creating Impact in Social Sciences’ and has advised on the ethics on carrying out research with marginalised and vulnerable children and youth.
Vicky’s key focus of research and publication is in the field of children and young people’s participation. Monographs and books include: Listening to Smaller Voices (ActionAid 1995); Stepping Forward (IT Publications 1998) and with A. West, Children’s Participation in Global Contexts: Beyond Voice (Routledge 2018). Vicky has led research, and managed programmes and partnerships in Africa, Asia and Latin America for international organisations and provided expert advice for a range of UN and government departments. She has also developed programmes of community research with local authorities, NHS, government regeneration programmes and non-governmental organisations in the UK.
Vicky teaches in the following areas: social research methodology; childhood and youth including across disciplines of the anthropology of childhood, sociology of childhood and children’s geographies; child and human rights; international development; international education and inclusion. Currently she is lecturing on the MA programmes on Childhood, Youth and International Development at Brunel and Birkbeck, University of London. She is supervising masters students at Birkbeck and PhDs at Goldsmiths and the University of Brighton.
