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.