Leadership Team
The Leadership Team at Youth Empowered Action collectively has dozens of years of experience both as peaceful activists for various causes and as educators. We believe that young people are powerful now, but that they may not know it, and that being surrounded by a group of supportive youth and adults exploring ways of making a difference and working together is an investment in our future that will pay off for the rest of these young people's lives and beyond.
Nora Kramer has worked as an activist and with youth since 2001, focusing on political campaigns for progressive causes, as well as for peace, environmental, animal, and food justice issues. Nora's activism has included a wide variety of peaceful actions, including grassroots outreach, letter-writing, event-planning ... READ MORE |
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| Serge Bakalian is a San Francisco-based filmmaker, writer and theatre manager. He brings with him years of experience in nonprofit management, as well as a spirit of entrepreneurship. Trained as a chemist, Serge has worked for several major NGOs, including Greenpeace International and the F.A.O. of the United Nations. He's been a founding member of ... READ MORE | |
| Erin Fields is an advocate for social justice and youth empowerment. She was the co-chair of her college's Social Justice Coalition where she organized events and letter writing campaigns around issues such as AIDS in Africa, N. Korean political prisoners, the importance of buying fairly traded global goods, and more. One of the issues she is most passionate about ... READ MORE | |
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Luke Janes is a credentialed math and science teacher, and received his masters in education at UC-San Diego, where he did his thesis on social justice and outdoor education. Luke has extensive training in nonviolent communication, including co-counseling training; in theater of the oppressed; Challenging White Supremacy and anti-oppression; ... READ MORE |
| Sharon Smith is the Program Director for the New Leaders Initiative and Brower Youth Awards at Earth Island Institute. These programs honor young environmental leaders in North America for their outstanding activism and achievements. Sharon has worked extensively with student networks to achieve victories ... READ MORE | |
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Laura Carver has been involved with activism and working with youth starting at an early age, and in her high school and college years was active in support of animal and gay rights, the environment and peace. She majored in environmental studies/natural resources and worked for three summers at YMCA camp, as well as at the Boys and Girls Club ... READ MORE |
| Leanne Alaman has an extensive background supporting youth to empower themselves and find fun, freedom and passion. She facilitated art classes with homeless youth at Drawbridge Expressive Arts, was head Art Instructor at UC Berkeley’s Explorer Camp, supported the success of the Landmark Forum for Teens and The Landmark Forum for Young ... READ MORE | |
| Laine Forman is a San Francisco-based artist and educator who has worked with a variety of populations including at-risk youth, prison inmates, and immigrants. She is currently a preschool teacher and getting her masters in Drama Therapy. Laine is a skilled actor and has worked with a variety of theater companies including Bread and Puppet ... READ MORE |
