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Freechild Project Advisory Board
About The Freechild Project>
Advisory Board
The Freechild Project is committed to keeping our work as meaningful and deeply relevant to these times
as we possibly can. One way that we do this through our Advisory
Board. The Board is made of young people and adult allies from
around the world who guide us in the areas of information management,
fundraising, and promotion, as well as providing advice on different
topics. Members of our Advisory Board include:
2007 Advisory Board Members: Mishaela
Duran, Tara Fayter, Andrea Felix, Henry Giroux, Alex Koroknay-Palicz,
Wendy Lesko, Heather Manchester, LaNovia Meuse, Jason Puz, Joe Vavrus
Biographies
Mishaela Durán
Mishaela has extensive experience working with youth in
non-mainstream environments. Through her past work with the Arizona
Governor's office, the Points of Light Foundation, the National
Alliance to End Homelessness, and the National Network for Youth,
Mishaela has created programs, guided federal and state policy-making,
advocated for, and worked with young people across the country. Today
Mishaela is a special assistant to the director of the Department of
Youth Rehabilitation Services in Washington, DC, helping to lead
reform efforts to transform a juvenile justice system that buillds on
the strengths of youth and their families and provides meaningful
positive youth development opportunties.
Tara
Fayter
Tara has been the Service-Learning
Coordinator at the Richard Stockton College of NJ since 2001. In
addition to being very active in direct service, she has worked with
various nonprofits in promoting youth service. She currently serves on
several committees at Stockton, where she encourages college students
to become more involved in both campus and national politics and
service. She is also on the board of Quixote Quest, a small nonprofit
in New Jersey that encourages community service among high school
students.
Andrea Felix
Since becoming involved in community
activities as a teen, Andrea has maintained a high level of commitment to
community change in her personal and professional life. After serving two
terms as an AmeriCorps Member with America's Promise, Andrea became the
Youth Voice Initiative manager at Youth Service America in Washington, DC.
In that position she worked with youth across the US to promote youth
involvement in a variety of community and youth development activities.
Today Andrea is a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Eastern Caribbean with the
National Youth Council of Dominica through fall 2007.
Henry Giroux
Through his
critical scholarly examination of the roles of youth in schools, the media,
and popular culture, Henry has elevated the understanding of thousands of
young people, educators, youth workers, and others around the world over the
last 30 years. Today he has more than 300 scholarly articles, 20 books, and
countless other works to his name, and is the
Global Television Network Chair in Communications at McMaster University in
Hamilton, Ontario. To
learn more about him,
click here>.
Alex Koroknay-Palicz
Alex Koroknay-Palicz,
originally from Michigan, moved to the DC area after attending American
University. During his senior year in high school, Alex successfully changed
the policy of several age-discriminatory stores in his hometown of Holland,
MI. Since then Alex has become actively involved in all levels of the Youth
Rights Movement. In his capacity as NYRA's Executive Director, Alex has
appeared on CNN and Fox News several times and has spoken at numerous
conferences about youth rights and NYRA.
Wendy Lesko
The author of Youth: The 26% Solution,
Wendy is a nationally renowned expert in engaging young people in social
change. Her extensive history includes organizing with Cesar Chavez’s United
Farm Workers and founding the Youth Activism Project.
Heather Manchester
Community Advocate
LaNovia Meuse
Community advocate
Jason Puz
Jason is a community activist who was responsible for the
first-ever campaign to lower the voting age to 16 in the state of
Washington. As a founding member of Washington Youth Voting Age and Rights
Society (WAYVRS), Jason harnessed national attention for the movement to
lower the voting age nationally. Today he is a student at Washington State
University.
Joe Vavrus
After participating in a variety of local youth voice
activities as a young person in Olympia, Washington, Joe graduated
with a BA in International Studies from Portland State University in
2006, studying Spanish and Portuguese to examine the intellectual
history of and social and political consequences of economic
development. In summer 2006 he completed an internship with
CommonAction, providing vital insight and leadership for The Freechild
Project. Today he is working towards his Masters in Latin American
Studies at the University of Texas at Austin.
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