Prof. dr. René Clarijs MSc, MA, MMO is Professor Social Work and Youth Policy at the RANEPA University in Saint-Petersburg, Russia, and Visiting Professor in amongst others Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Kiev (Ukraine) and Tallinn (Estonia).

In addition to this, he is chief editor of the Dutch journal Youth Policy. Besides he is owner/director of a consultancy firm orientated on consultancy especially youth services.

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He has published over 200 articles and 24 books related to youth work, non-formal education, (international) youth policy, diversity, social cohesion and youth care, of which a number has been translated into different languages.

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Next to these activities he is among other things Vice-President of the European platform of non-formal education EAICY, chairman of the foundation Info-Expo (international exchange of knowledge and experiences related to children), secretary of ActieSAMEN (local initiatives for children in the Third World), ambassador of the Amy Foundation in Cape Town (South-Africa), International Site Coordinator at LINC, Kansas City (USA), ambassador of the Netherlands Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, member of the Advisory Board of SOS Children’s Villages Netherlands and chairman of Foundation Mina (for children in Nepal).