International Humanitarian Award: Garth Neufeld

Am Psychol. 2023 Dec;78(9):1146-1148. doi: 10.1037/amp0001273.ABSTRACTThis award recognizes extraordinary humanitarian service and activism by a psychologist or a team of psychologists, including professional and/or volunteer work conducted primarily in the field with underserved populations. "As president of Shared Space for All (SSFA), a nonprofit organization that educates and mentors impoverished youth in a village in the province of Isaan, Thailand, Mr. Garth Neufeld has successfully and strategically led the organization. SSFA promotes safer futures for youth in a context where poverty limits education and promotes migration to cities where a lack of skills translates into vulnerability to recruitment into sex work and trafficking. Over 200 at-risk school-aged children have received a range of services through SSFA, including supervised care before and after school, social services such as transportation, and full scholarships for higher education. The organization is exemplary in partnering with the local community and privileging the wisdom of those it serves. Mr. Neufeld has assembled a board of Thai and American members, mobilizing local commitment and engagement, harnessing the power of volunteers both local and overseas, underscoring contextually and culturally appropriate approaches, and balancing when to lead from the front or from behind. Mr. Neufeld is a tenured professor of psychology at Cascadia College, managing an active academic career and commitment to S...
Source: The American Psychologist - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research