Youth Well-being and Different Contexts Conference held in Varaždin; Varaždin, 27/04/2026
A one-day scientific and professional conference titled Youth Well-being and Different Contexts was held in Varaždin on April 27, 2026. The conference was based on scientific projects of the Pilar Institute, including projects of the Croatian Science Foundation, NextGenerationEU, and doctoral research. It was held at University North. The co-organizers of the conference were the Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences (Varaždin Regional Center), the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (Institute for Scientific Research in Varaždin), and University North. The year 2026 is of particular significance for the Institute Pilar due to the 35th anniversary of its establishment
In the first block of presentations, research was presented on the relationship between daily stress in young people and their everyday situations (Maja Ribar, Josip Razum, Goran Milas, project DISTRESS: Daily Stress in Late Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood), digital habits and cognitive functioning of adolescents (Maja Kućar, Tihana Brkljačić, Sanja Šimleša, doctoral research in progress), and the role of friends in adolescent well-being (Tamara Bolić, Marija Džida, Andreja Brajša-Žganec, project TEEN-WELL: Adolescent well-being in key contexts, NextGenerationEU).
The second block covered topics related to education, work, and social attitudes of young people. Presentations addressed the challenges of choosing vocational schools, satisfaction with that choice, and the role of teacher support (authors Eta Krpanec, Nensi Tomac, Toni Babarović, project VETFIT: Students’ Interests and Vocational High School Programs Fit: Measurement, Monitoring, Causes and Consequences of Congruence, NextGenerationEU), determinants of professional, personal, and national well-being of young workers (Marija Kostanić, Dora Popović, Iva Šverko, project WORKMOBIL: Intra-European Youth Labour Migrations in the Context of Contemporary Career Theories, NextGenerationEU), and young people’s attitudes towards climate change in Croatia (Marija Neralić, Marina Maglić, Renata Franc, project DISINFO Climate: The Role of Dispositions and Exposure to Information in the Context of Climate Change, NextGenerationEU).
In the final, third block, the focus was on social and academic aspects of youth well-being. Topics included social justice and collective action among young people (Iva Sušilović, Zoran Sušanj, Renata Franc, project MOTIKA: (Motivations and Barriers for Collective Action, Croatian Science Foundation), the well-being of young scientists in Croatia (Mirta Blažev, Divna Blažev, Maja Tadić Vujčić), and the role of mentoring support in the work of young researchers (Marko Turk, Maja Tadić Vujčić, Ivana Maurović). The last two presentations are part of the Croatian Science Foundation project ECR-WELL (Well-Being And Mental Health of Early Career Researchers in Croatia: A Longitudinal Study).
