Toronto Office Staff:
Erin Nesbitt - Interim Executive Director
Erin first became involved with YCI in 1996 as a volunteer in Guyana. She returned as a Group Leader in 2003 in Guyana and then returned to school to pursue her Masters in Adult Education with a focus on Development. Erin is now back as YCI’s Youth Engagement Manager, working to keep young Canadians engaged in important global youth development issues.
Laura Gourley - Volunteer Program Administrator
Laura traveled to Tanzania as a volunteer with YCI in the summer of 2005 and then returned to Canada to finish her studies in Political Science at the University of Waterloo. Now she is back working with the Volunteer Team and taking care of things around the office. She is passionate about development and is excited to be involved in the recruitment, selection and preparation of volunteers for overseas projects.
Rebecca Lee - Volunteer Program Manager
Rebecca started as YCI's Office Manager in 2002 and now works as the Volunteer Program Manager, responsible for the recruitment, selection and preparation of volunteers. She has traveled to Costa Rica to visit volunteers in the field, but can be found most often in the office living vicariously through the volunteers' experiences.
Steve Sloot - Volunteer Program Coordinator
Steve Sloot recently joined the YCI team this year. He has lived and worked overseas since 1996, primarily in Southeast Asia and Latin America. He graduated from the University of Guelph with a degree in International Development. Since then, he has worked with mostly with youth through an internship in Bolivia, as a project leader across Canada with Katimavik , as well as in Cuba with Canada World Youth. He is currently pursuing his Master of Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education with a focus on international development education and service learning.
Amanda Stephens - Volunteer Program Coordinator
Amanda Stephens joined YCI in May of 2004 as Office Administrator and now works as Volunteer Program Coordinator, responsible for the recruitment, selection and preparation of volunteers. Amanda has experience in administrative, customer service and training positions in both the corporate and non-profit sectors in Canada. After developing a sincere interest in community development in the rural Canadian context, Amanda shifted her focus on facilitating community development in a global context. Recently, Amanda travelled to Kenya with YCI's first group of volunteers to assist with implementation of a new project. Inspired by the involvement and drive of young Canadian volunteers as well as the energy and enthusiasm of youth overseas engaged in YCI programming, Amanda is proud to be working with Youth Challenge International.
Jane Connolly - International Programs Director
Jane has 11 years of professional experience in international development. She has lived and worked in Europe, North America and the Middle East, as well as Africa. Between 1996 and 2000 she was based out of Nairobi and involved with local and international aid projects in Kenya, Sudan and Uganda. During this time she accompanied many journalists, filmmakers and photographers into southern Sudan, and wrote materials to raise awareness among young people and agency supporters. She has hands-on experience in youth, food security, emergency aid, public health and gender programming from her time with CARE, Mercy Corps, Oxfam International and Action by Churches Together.
Ryan Tucker -International Programs Director
Ryan has worked across five continents and has extensive experience with YCI; having been a volunteer in Guyana, volunteer program coordinator in Toronto, co-founder of the central Australia program, and back to Guyana first as a group leader and later as HIV program coordinator. Ryan is now based at the Toronto office where he has managed YCI programs in eight countries, currently including Guyana, Grenada, Ghana, Guatemala, and Vanuatu.
Ben Gibson - International Program Coordinator
Ben joined YCI in October of 2006 to assist with Human Resources and Financial management in the Country Programs department. He gained experience in these fields operating his own franchise for two summers while pursuing his B.A. at the University of Waterloo. Ben also has a B.F.A. in Film Studies from Ryerson University, and spent most of 2005 and 2006 working on a music and video project in Europe.
Adrienne Knowlton - Finance Manager
Adrienne Knowlton has been YCI's Finance Manager since 1998 and has kept the organization's finances running smoothly. She works as well for a number of other Toronto based non-profits and has extensive experience in financial management for the non-profit sector.
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Our Mission
