Comic Relief US raises money and awareness to address the needs of the most vulnerable communities here in America, and around the world. A donation to Comic Relief US fuels our Innovation and Growth Fund, making this critical work possible.
Through the power of entertainment, and thanks to the unwavering generosity of the public and our partners, together we are changing lives. Donate today to stand with us.
Your gift is 100% tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law
Comic Relief US raises money and awareness to address the needs of the most vulnerable communities here in America, and around the world.
A donation to Comic Relief US fuels our Innovation and Growth Fund, making this critical work possible. Through the power of entertainment, and thanks to the unwavering generosity of the public and our partners, together we are changing lives.
Donate today to stand with us.
Your gift is 100% tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Comic Relief US’s Youth Advisory Council is comprised of eight trail-blazing young leaders from across the US and around the world who work alongside our grantmaking team to inform the organization’s Red Nose Day grants portfolio.
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. This new, participatory grantmaking strategy further enhances Comic Relief US’s commitment to innovative approaches to achieve the organization’s mission of a just world free from poverty.
For more information about funding opportunities, click here
Learn more about our Youth Advisory Council members below.
Giuliana Bryan Alvarez is a 23-year-old Colombian political scientist and community leader who has represented African-descendent and Indigenous Colombian youth across a number of areas. She is currently an ambassador of the One Young World organization, and serves as a project coordinator for youth and community empowerment at Manos Visibles (Visible Hands), a non-profit organization in Colombia.
Olja Busbaher, 24, immigrated to the U.S. in 1997 with her family as a refugee following the ethnic genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This experience and her multi-cultural background inspired Olja to devote her career to the promotion of education access, refugee rights and gender equality in the U.S. and internationally. She is currently a Grants Associate at the Malala Fund.
Fardosa Hussein is a 25-year-old documentary photographer and filmmaker based in Somalia whose work ranges from covering humanitarian crises to everyday life in Kenya and Somalia. She is also a mentee at Women Photograph and is Action Against Hunger’s Communications Manager in Somalia.
Rattana Mai, a 23-year-old from Siem Reap, Cambodia, faced poverty and struggled to access quality education from a young age. Today, he serves as a Scholarship Project Officer at PEPY Empowering Youth, an organization helping young Cambodians from rural areas to continue their studies so that they can pursue careers, improve their quality of life, and uplift their communities.
Jordan Ott, an 18-year-old Native American of the Sac-n-Fox Tribe of Oklahoma, is currently enrolled at Haskell Indian Nations University. Jordan’s vision for the future is to help his community and other youth achieve their goals regardless of their circumstances. Jordan has focused his advocacy in his community on the issues of mental health and is passionate about de-stigmatizing it.
Alexis Ramon, raised in New York City, is a 16-year-old senior at the Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire where he leads two affinity groups for underrepresented communities. Inspired by the challenges he faced growing up in Queens, New York, Alexis feels it’s his duty to give back to his community and support children who, today, may face the same childhood hardships. Alexis is an alum of Prep for Prep.
Julia Song, a 19-year-old filmmaker and student from Los Angeles, began filmmaking in 2016 when she became a Ghetto Film School LA Fellow. Through filmmaking, Julia hopes to voice the narratives of underrepresented stories with authenticity. Julia will be attending NYU Tisch in 2021 to study film and art history.
Shamyah Williams, 18, is an established public speaker with a passion for creating change on a global scale. Growing up in the Figure Skating in Harlem program, she found her passion and purpose in being a voice and representation of girls of color like her in a sport that is predominantly white. Shamyah currently attends Howard University, where she studies Mechanical Engineering.
