Derek Peterson
Derek Peterson is the founder of Integrative Youth Development (IYD), a measurable, meaningful, and memorable method to show the developmental ecology of one child/youth and all children and youth. His work has been engaging and supporting individuals, families, schools, and communities for over 40 years.
While Derek has held big jobs with much responsibility, he has consistently built at least 20% of his work time into working directly with teens. Derek is one of the international consultants who still plans and delivers youth retreats and is comfortable in ANY and ALL youth settings. He quickly makes the shift to working alongside local, state, provincial, and national elected adults to shape and form policy around youth issues.
Derek's community engagement work was read across the floor of the US Senate and codified into law in the No Child Left Behind Legislation. The Harvard Education Review has featured his work, and he was recognized as the "Prevention Professional of the Year" and "Educator of the Year" in Alaska.
Today, Derek is the Principle Director of the Institute for Community and Adolescent Resilience (ICAR-US). ICAR-US does IYD work for numerous communities throughout the US, Canada, and the world. Most recently, Derek's work was the keystone to supporting Muncie, Indiana's All American City Award, and helped Purdue University to retain Underrepresented Minority students through a 5-year National Science Foundation Grant Funded Project.
Today he continues his work supporting the UN Declarations on the Rights of the Child through the International Institute for Children's Rights and Development in Victoria, Canada, and his school-based efforts through Brightways Learning in Montana.
He guides efforts to merge young development research with local communities' attitudes, cultures, and values.
You can read more about Derek Peterson's life here.