Ahrar is always curious and exploring the world around him. He loves diving into new experiences, whether it’s through books, music, or hanging out with friends. Passionate about sports, family, and always striving to grow, learn, and make a difference in his own way. "Just enjoying the journey!"

Yushan (she/her) is a youth activist in her freshman year of college. She joined ICI in hopes of expanding her community and aiding the underprivileged; her passion for connectivity motivates her active learning and participation.

Salimatou is an ICI researcher. She hopes that through the work that ICI does that New York can be a more inclusive, tolerating and enjoyable place for all the people that live there.

Juju is 21 and an ICI vet. He first joined ICI in 2019 and is happy to rejoin the ICI research collective this year after taking a pause. Juju values a sense of belonging and family and believes that ICI not only conducts research on topics that impact young people, it also provides a sense of community and connection that is just as important as the research.

Meftahul is a 17-year-old senior in high school who joined the ICI team in 2023 with the hopes of finally making a change in the underrepresented communities of NYC. She truly enjoys her time in ICI and hopes to continue a future centered around youth activism.

As a high-schooler coming into ICI, Aayan’s deep passion for history played a major role in his understanding of social changes throughout time. Through the examination of past events, Aayan hopes to attain valuable insight into the way society changes and the key drivers behind movements for progress.

Janet is passionate about amplifying the voices of people in their community. In her free time, she enjoys reading, sketching, collecting cute stickers, and spending time with friends and family. With ICI, they hope to use research as a tool to inform others of the experiences held by youth throughout New York City and advocate for the issues held most important by youth!

Jerry, a youth activist, takes initiatives in leadership to empower his peers inside and outside of school. He’s passionate about leaving an impact on others and about distance running! Jerry looks forward to expanding his leadership skills through engaging audiences in facilitations with his authenticity.

As a teenager living in NYC, Mariama finds interest in advocating for others and connecting the overall theme of mental health, with her dream and passion of becoming a psychologist.

Julianne is a third-year engineering student with a passion for inciting change in her community. She wishes to integrate her engineering coursework with transformative social justice through professional experiences. Julianne joined ICI to create scalable policies that address global challenges such as climate change and social inequality through innovative, culturally sensitive, and universally applicable approaches. Outside of her studies, Julianne enjoys crocheting, weightlifting, and spending time with her family

Mehenur is thrilled to be a part of ICI's youth-driven team! As a creative Muslim girl from Brooklyn with diverse perspectives, she's ready to lead, speak up, and make lasting changes for future generations.

Living in NYC as a student Stephanie has a passion for helping others in society. She joined ICI in hopes of making a difference in our community.

From Brooklyn, Samiha seeks change through education and advocacy. She’s delighted to be an ICI member where she address social issues with a research based and youth-driven approach!

Aaron is a fan of Queens, Coffee, and Food. He attends college at Baruch where he is majoring in Political Science. One of his main passions is equity, specifically in the social and political realm, ensuring that people get access to the tools they need to succeed. In his spare time he enjoys trying new restaurants and having good conversations.

Afsana is a college freshman with a passion for community engagement. As an ICI researcher, she hopes to be a voice for change in NYC.

Aissata is an 18 year-old college freshman and a proud Brooklynite. She is passionate about politics and hopes to continue using her voice to fight for New Yorkers.

Kennia is currently a sophmore at Hunter College. She plans on majoring in Medical laboratory sciences/technology at Hunter. Aside from that, she has been a co-researcher at ICI since the summer of 2021. She is an advocate for human rights, especially for the youth. One of the dreams that she envisions for the future is to build a hospital in her home country (Haiti). She wants to provide hope for her generation and future generations.

Siara is thrilled to be part of the ICI cohort and looks forward to conducting valuable research for her community.

As a young person growing into herself in NYC, Tina is excited to be with the ICI crew in interfacing with youth voices to envision NYC's future!

Waeza, an NYC-based writer and human rights advocate, emphasizes justice and equality. Committed to ICI's values and broader social justice, she strives for positive change.

Sarah Zeller-Berkman, PhD is the founder and Executive Director of the Intergenerational Change Initiative. Her work with ICI has taught her a tremendous amount about the challenges, joys and possibilities of using research to push for local action and city-wide policy change.

Rachel is ICI’s Program Director and adult co-researcher. She is also the NYC Youth Agenda Coalition coordinator. Rachel feels grateful to work alongside brilliant, powerful NYC youth researchers who are deeply committed to social justice.

LaTroya (she/her) is an educator, researcher, and writer from Harlem, New York, with 15 years of experience working with youth across NYC. Specializing in Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR) and Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR), LaTroya's lived experiences deeply inform her pedagogy and advocacy for youth empowerment, restorative justice, and the restructuring of minority communities.

Andrea is a scholar-activist, artist, and Ph.D. candidate in New York, documenting the experiences of immigrants through community-driven change, justice, and healing-centered praxis.

Jen is the Research Director of the Office of Neighborhood Safety's Youth Leadership Council for ICI. Dr. Jen is motivated by the right of young people to impact not only the conditions of their environments for social justice, but also to change the processes, mechanisms, and structures of decision-making to be more participatory and democratic.