Youth Advisory Council
Empowering the next generation to lead the way.
The Comic Relief US Youth Advisory Council is comprised of eight trail-blazing young leaders from across the globe who work alongside our CRUS grantmaking team to inform our portfolio of grants.
Each Council Member receives a stipend, access to learning opportunities, training and mentorship, and the opportunity to co-develop a seed funding program for youth-led organizations. Youth Advisory Council members also direct and administer The Juntanza Fund, a grantmaking initiative that supports youth-led organizations globally in their efforts to ignite change around the world.
This youth-led and participatory grantmaking strategy further enhances our commitment to supporting innovative approaches to achieve our mission of a just world free from poverty.
Bahía Gatti
Bahía Gatti, 24, is the Regional Coordinator for the Americas at the United Network of Young Peacebuilders and serves on the Board of Directors of the Argentine Youth Organization for the United Nations (OAJNU) as the Financing Secretariat. With a background in International Relations, Political Science, and Law, Bahía is passionate about non-formal education projects and creating an inclusive and rights-oriented society. She has experience in project management and has interned at the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the EU-LAC Foundation. Bahía is pursuing a second Master's Program at Columbia University in New York.
Julia Song
Julia Song, 22, is a student at NYU Tisch, studying Film & Television with a double major in Art History. Julia founded and is co-president of NYU’s first Korean filmmakers club, called KALH @ NYU (Korean American Leaders in Hollywood), where they work to create a platform and supportive network for Korean and Korean American storytellers in the entertainment industry. Through collaboration and creativity, Julia hopes to make an impact as a storyteller by enriching media representation with authentic, nuanced stories and voices.
Shamyah Williams
Shamyah Williams, 21, was born and raised in Harlem, New York. She is currently a rising junior at Howard University studying Mechanical Engineering, where she is working with colleagues to create the first Historically Black Collegiate Figure Skating team. In addition, she is an active member of Howard’s Caribbean Association Club and Natural Hair Club, outlets where she can share her passion for diverse representation and deepen her self-identity. Shamyah enjoys using her public speaking skills to represent the youth voice in marginalized urban communities and address global challenges like child poverty and world hunger.
*Member 8
* The eighth member has requested that their biographical information not be included due to privacy.