Yvonne holds a BA in Psychology and Management (cum laude) and an Honours degree in Psychology from the University of the Witwatersrand. She began her journey with PsySSA-SD as a mentee in the National Mentorship Programme and later served as a Student Representative in the Research & Methodology Division. Her research interests include understanding place attachment, climate crisis impact on mental health and the social dynamics influencing behavioural outcomes, including globalisation, pandemics, socioeconomic status or culture. As an African, it is hard to escape the consequences of our inherited social inequalities – many of which have resulted in unhealthy and unsustainable behaviours, further perpetuating the cycle of inequality. Therefore, interventions should be crafted with a deep understanding of the obstacles impeding communities, citizens and individuals from embracing positive behaviours. We can then create more just societies one behaviour shift at a time and contribute to real, lasting impact. As per the United Nations Innovative Network viewpoint, “Many policies and programmes designed to help achieve SDGs require people, communities or decision makers to change their behaviours to generate impact”.
Yvonne Katsukunya
