The project served the sustainable development of a research cooperation with universities in Latin America. In concrete terms, a research concept was developed which was initially implemented with one of the universities in Santiago de Chile, Chile and later with the university in Valdivia, Chile. The resulting collaborations are an important pillar of the international research network, which was established on the basis of the collaborations with Chile. In terms of content, the resulting research and publication projects are concerned with promoting positive development in adolescence.
What are the main prospects of our joint research on mindfulness and peer support across the life span? To discuss this, we first summarize what we know about mindfulness, peer support, and resilience. To make sure that individuals are able to follow their life goals and an intervention is sustainable it should meet basic needs of the individual and enhance his or her mindfulness. Peers can support any learning process and vice versa to make a difference in a learning process is an important experience for self-efficacy and self-worth and for this enhances resilience. Following the bio-psycho-social model of development we emphasize the impact of the social and physical environment. If we compare the effects of interventions across different cultures, we are able to line out the interrelatedness of different core variables and to better understand how to enhance mindfulness and peer support in childhood, in youth, and across the life span.