San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
Two young leaders taking the reins of San Diego Youth Will nonprofit
The San Diego-based nonprofit Youth Will is changing its leadership from one executive director to a youth-led model that puts two 24-year-old policy coordinators at the helm.
Youth Will, which focuses on civic engagement and mobilizing youths, will be led by Warsan Artan and Safia Haidari. The two will be mentored while leading the nonprofit.
Youth Will serves San Diego County residents who are under age 25. It provides informational meetings, leadership sessions, ambassador programs and referrals to social programs.
As new co-leaders, Artan and Haidari said they plan to expand its programs for young, low-income residents and to enhance youth leadership opportunities across San Diego County.
“There’s a lack of youth voice in a lot of spaces,” said Artan, who has been head of operations and youth organizing at Youth Will since May 2019. “Our goal is not just to be youth-led but to make sure that we are centralizing, amplifying and valuing youth voices.”
Artan said the new leaders plan to enhance the organization’s Emergency Resources Ambassadors program, which connects people to health, housing and health resources. It was originally a summer program that will become a six-month initiative, she said.
They also want to advocate for youths as a priority in city and county budgets and policies, and they hope to expand programs to youths who are trans-border students and workers.
“I’m excited to make Youth Will a truly regional, youth-led organization with input from all communities,” Haidari said.
The leadership change comes after
Youth Will’s former executive director, Sean Elo-rivera, resigned after winning a seat on the San Diego City Council. Elo-rivera, 38, ran the organization for nearly two years.
Now he represents District 9, which includes the neighborhoods of City Heights, College Area, Kensington, Mountain View and Rolando.
Instead of one executive director, Artan and Haidari will both take the reins as “youth organizers.”
Artan moved from Kenya with her family at age 10 to Lemon Grove in 2006. While attending San Diego State University she volunteered for political campaigns and served as an advocate for San Diego’s Somali community.
She graduated in 2019 with a degree in political science and joined Youth Will as head of operations and youth organizing. She was responsible for developing programs and policy initiatives and fostering community relationships.
Haidari grew up in San Diego and graduated from SDSU in 2018 with a degree in social science. She volunteered as a tutor with the International Rescue Committee in San Diego because she was drawn to helping young people in underserved communities, she said.
She also volunteered with Mid-city Can, where she lead youth organizing and connected with other nonprofits. She joined Youth Will in February.
As new leaders, Artan and Haidari will be mentored by Khea Pollard, a program manager with the National Association of Counties in Washington, D.C., and Paul Watson, president of the Global Arc, a civic engagement organization in Clairemont.
andrea.lopezvillafana@sduniontribune.com