We’ve got a multiracial intergenerational team.
Wendy Lesko
While the rhetoric promoting youth participation is not new, few researchers and institutions have mined the intergenerational partnership model illustrated by Wendy Lesko.
– Prof. Anthony Bernier, Editor, Transforming Young Adult Services
Wendy Lesko, co-author of Youth! The 26% Solution, United Way of America’s Youth as Equal Partners, and other books, has given hundreds of presentations from TEDxYouth to the US State Department International Visitors Leadership Program. Her experience as a community organizer with Cesar Chavez’s United Farmworkers Union and a reporter covering the US Congress contributes to her effectiveness as an advocate for deep youth civic leadership. She is co-founder of the Youth Activism Project and partnered with teens on more than a dozen campaigns that led to the passage of local ordinances, state legislation and other public policies. Wendy is the recipient of 2019 Dr. Gary M. Blau Rockstar Professional of the Year by Youth MOVE National. She wants more adults and organizations to experience the multi-faceted impact of radical collegiality with young people.
Adam F.C. Fletcher
“Adam Fletcher’s work is especially relevant in getting young people to participate in the realms of politics and critical education.”
– Henry Giroux, The Paulo Freire Distinguished Scholar in Critical Pedagogy at McMaster University
Adam F.C. Fletcher is an international thought leader who has consulted more than 300 organizations, including the CENPEC in São Paulo, Brazil; Community Organisers in London, UK; the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia; and many others. His books include Student Voice Revolution: The Meaningful Student Involvement Handbook (2017), as well as recent chapters in Empowering Our Students for the Future (2019, Rowman & Littlefield) and A Handbook for Student Engagement in Higher Education (2020, Routledge). Adam grew up in a low-income family in a depressed community but adult allies helped him overcome generational PTSD and he was the only child to graduate from college. He is the co-founder of the Freechild Institute for Youth Engagement based in Olympia, Washington.
Gen Z Speaker’s Bureau
Our Speaker’s Bureau includes teens and young adults from across the country who are working in different positions with adult-run organizations. These Gen Zers teach us so much and we all can learn together.
- Our Youth Infusion workshops and consulting services include experts who can offer solid advice on a breadth of issues from how adults interact with young people to recruitment strategies to increase diversity at your organization.
- If you are looking for a panelist or keynote speaker to spell out the Do’s and Don’ts for intergenerational collaboration, let us help. As you would expect, all these Gen Z experts will be compensated, including their preparation time.
Evelyn Monje: Fighting Racism
Evelyn Monje juggles full-time enrollment at the University of Vermont and works as the Youth Program Specialist at UP for Learning. A major responsibility with this statewide nonprofit is her coordinating the multi-stakeholder Winooski School District’s Antiracism Steering Committee that reflects an exceedingly diverse community with 60% students of color, many refugees. Across the state, Evelyn designs workshops accessible to both youth and adults to address different opportunities for growth within their communities. Evelyn says “Youth-adult partnerships is the answer. There is so much growth and creativity and adults value this experience.”
Milly Asherov: Loves Recruiting
Milly Asherov works at Providence Student Union as the Leadership Team Co-Director, serves as Chair of the Rhode Island Department of Education’s Student Advisory Council, and volunteers with several national organizations. Her schedule is filled with meetings, strategy sessions and forums with peers and policymakers from the local to state level. She played a lead role in convincing the largest school district in her state to change its grading policy to “Pass or Needs Support” to address the disparities exacerbated by remote learning and the digital divide. Other inequities that Milly has been fighting for several years is the removal of School Resource Officers and to provide comprehensive mental health resources and safety measures. Check out her op-ed here.
Maria Nuñez: Co-Piloting with “Experts”
Maria Nuñez puts her lived experience to work, building a career pathway for young people who are so often discarded as a society’s throwaways. She got her GED shortly after having her daughter and immediately completed the training and state exam to become a Certified Peer Counselor. She worked for a licensed Medicaid provider, became a Trainer, and then joined the SPARK Development Team as the Contract Manager. Her latest promotion is SPARK Project Director for the Washington Statewide Youth Leadership Network. She knows firsthand about working with highly credentialed adults including the Governor’s Behavioral Health Advisory Council. Read more about Maria.
Youth Infusion 