ALMEIDA, Lucas et al. Affecting change in different contexts: children's participation in social and public policy dialogues in Brazil, Canada and South Africa. In: PERCY-SMITH, Barry et al (ed.). A Handbook of Children and Young People’s Participation. Conversations for transformational change. Abingdon: Routledge, 2023. p. 179-185. 

The book “A Handbook of Children and Young People's Participation” by Routledge publishing house, with the participation of professor Irene Rizzini and Lucas Almeida, young research assistant and member of the Youth Forum South Fluminense in Action (FJSFA/VR). Lucas is part of the project  Participation and youth protagonism in Brazil: a study in the south of Rio de Janeiro. The chapter “Affecting change in different contexts. Children's participation in social and public policy dialogues in Brazil, Canada and South Africa” is also authored by Tara Collins, Danielle-Jamax Heynes, Lucy Jamieson and Samantha (Sam) Walsh. The text discusses how children, young people and adults can learn from their intergenerational experiences based on the premise that different age groups should have common spaces for dialogue, shared learning and experiences and joint efforts in formulating public policies. Adult participation is important to promote children's and youth rights but by learning how to share power and time with children and young people it can generate more fruitful results. The case studies from Brazil, Canada and South Africa explore valuable lessons and the potential for intergenerational spaces to contribute to international debates on the subject.

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RIZZINI, Irene; BUSH, Malcolm. Using early childhood research to inform and influence public policy: An example from Brazil. Sage publications. In: Early Childhood Research. Editors: Ann Farrell, Sharon L. Kagan, Kay M. Tisdal, 2015.

This handbook provides a comprehensive, wide-ranging and global overview of the intersection of research with practice and policy in early childhood development. Irene Rizzini e Malcolm Bush, from CIESPI/PUC-Rio are among the authors with the paper: Using early childhood research to inform and influence public policy: an example from Brazil (chapter 25, p. 419-431).

TORRES, Maria de Los Angeles; RIZZINI, Irene e DEL RIO, Norma. Citizens in the Present: Youth Civic Engagement in the Americas. University of Illinois Press: Chicago, 2013.
Although media coverage often portrays young people in urban areas as politically apathetic or disruptive, this book provides an antidote to such views through narratives of dedicated youth civic engagement and leadership in Chicago, Mexico City, and Rio de Janeiro. This innovative comparative study provides nuanced accounts of the personal experiences of young people who care deeply about their communities and are actively engaged in a variety of public issues. Examining the role--or absence--of youth in contemporary public and political discourse, the authors investigate what motivates young people in these cities, which forces influence them, and what their actions reveal about democratic practices in cities in the Americas today. Drawing from extensive interviews and personal narratives from the young activists themselves, Citizens in the Present provides a vibrant portrait of a new, politically involved generation.

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RIZZINI, Irene, LEITE, Aline Deus da Silva, MENEZES, Cristiane Diniz de. Cuidado Familiar e saúde mental: a atenção das famílias a seus filhos na infância e na adolescência. Rio de Janeiro, Editora PUC Rio/Editora Reflexão: 2013.
There are many remaining challenges to be met for children and adolescents with mental disabilities and for the families that look after them. While there are legal guarantees for providing help there is little implementation of those guarantees. The lack of public knowledge about the reality of the children's lives means that they are invisible and on the margins of society. This study begins to describe the suffering many families experience on a daily basis in their search for adequate care and treatment for their young people.

NAYAR, Usha (editor - Tatta Institute, Mumbay, India). Child and adolescent mental health. London: Sage Publications, 2012.
Title: RIZZINI, Irene e ALMEIDA, Neli C. A. From institutionalization to family settings: Rethinking practices for children and youth with mental disabilities in Brazil (pp. 187-203).
This book creates an opportunity for experts to use interdisciplinary approaches and perspectives, and provides evidence-based knowledge to deal with the stresses of children and adolescents living in poverty, difficult socioeconomic conditions, and varied cultures. It also indicates that shared understandings can promote useful and well-reasoned programs in similar contexts in different countries wherever children and adolescents are growing up in complex and risky environments.
The contributors who represent several disciplines apply their knowledge to the development of children in contemporary society. They highlight the conversations that schools, families, communities, individuals, and nation-states need to have and, most importantly, the responsibility for everyone to develop an understanding of the mental-health needs of the new generation. (descriptive text: SAGE Publications)

BUSH, Malcolm e RIZZINI, Irene. Closing the gap between rights and realities for children and youth in urban Brazil: reflections on a Brazilian project to improve policies for street children. Rio de Janeiro: CIESPI/ PUC-Rio; Geneva: OAK Foundation, 2011. 86p.

RIZZINI, Irene; BUTLER, Udi and STOECKLIN, Daniel (edits.). Life on the streets. Children and adolescents on the streets: inevitable trajectories? Sweden: IDE, 2007. 207p.

RIZZINI, Irene and CASSANIGA, Neide (orgs.).Researching Support for Families. An example from a low-income community in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Rio de Janeiro: CIESPI/PUC-Rio; A 4 Mãos Comunicação e Design, 2007. 72p.

From communities at risk to communities with potential. Strengthening community-based supports for children and youth in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Reflections and learnings. Rio de Janeiro: PROMUNDO Institute and CIESPI/PUC-Rio, 2006.