René Clarijs

Prof. Dr. René Clarijs (public administration, Dutch language and literature, and business administration) is a professor at RANEPA University in Saint Petersburg, Russia. His work focuses on youth policy, youth work, youth care, and social work. He also serves as a guest lecturer at universities in Kyiv, Tallinn, Amsterdam, and Yaroslavl.

He is editor-in-chief of the journal Jeugdbeleid (Youth Policy). In addition, he runs a consultancy specializing in research and advisory services within the youth sector. His clients include governments, public and non-profit organizations, the Council of Europe, and the European Union.

For several years, he served as director of the youth care organization Jeugddorp De Glind. He subsequently became president of a European association headquartered in Vilnius, representing more than 25,000 youth leisure organizations across Europe. He later served as vice-president of the Lifelong Learning Platform of the European Union in Brussels.

He currently holds a number of international positions, including vice-president of the European umbrella organization for non-formal learning, member of the Committee of Recommendation of the Op Herme Foundation, ambassador of the Netherlands Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NeSPCAN), International Site Coordinator for LINC in Kansas City, United States, ambassador of the Amy Foundation in Cape Town, South Africa, member of the Advisory Board of SOS Children's Villages Netherlands, secretary of the Actie SAMEN Foundation (supporting local youth initiatives in developing countries), and chair of the Mina Children's Projects Foundation, which supports children in Nepal.

Over the past years, Prof. Clarijs has published approximately 200 columns and scholarly articles, as well as 23 books on youth, (international) youth policy, diversity, social cohesion, and youth care. Several of his books have been translated into other languages.