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Who We Are |
VYC's Intergenerational Board
VYC Board meetings are filled with food and fun!
VYC is managed by a group of youth and adults who are committed to youth power with adult support.
Sawyer Auer Co-President
Sawyer Auer was born on November 17, 1991 in Seattle and then was moved to Vashon at the age of 1 month. Ever since, he has been a member of the Vashon community serving it dilegently. He is currently attending Vashon High School and is in his senior year. Sawyer also has been involved in Waskowitz outdoor school and Amigos De Las Americas. Listening to music, reading and hanging out with friends are just a few of his hobbies.
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Meme Garcia Co-President
Meme Garcia is an outspoken youth of the Vashon community who enjoys long walks on beaches, virgin pina coladas and is not into yoga. She enjoys being seen in multiple island theaters including her most recent show, Urine Town. She participates in Vashon Youth Adult Dialogue, VIPIT, and works at the Monkey Tree. In a perfect world she would be called Alexandriovich Nicoli Sergeovich VI (Alexi for short). She also frequently can be found on streets interpretive dancing to songs by Marvin Gaye. Her favorite movie is The Breakfast Club. Her favorite quote is, “If you mess with the bull, you get the horns.”
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Klara Shepherd Vice President
Klara is a member of the Vashon High School class of 2011. She is also on the planning committee of Youth Adult Dialogues, a varsity member of the Vashon Debate Team, and a member of Amnesty Interact.
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Marisa Samuelson Secretary
I love poetry, playing the piano, flute, and cheering at football games. Besides volunteering my time at the Community Care Center, I enjoy engaging myself on the board of the Youth Council and helping out with various activities. I am a huge supporter of having a voice as a young adult. I am going to be a senior in the fall.
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Christopher Wiggin
Facilitator of meetings, witty High Schooler. What else?
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Yve Susskind, PhD Founding Director
Yve Susskind, Ph.D., has been researching, writing, consulting and practicing in the areas of youth-adult partnership, youth involvement and student-centered education since 1990. She was the founding director of Vashon Island Youth Council (VYC), an intergenerational community organization near Seattle. Yve is also the co-creator and co-director of StudentLink, an award-winning independent learning program of the Vashon Island School District, where high school students work with teacher/consultants to develop and carry out their own curricula. Susskind holds a doctorate from the University of Michigan's interdisciplinary Planning Program.
Stephen Bogan
Stephen Bogan is currently a counselor, consultant, and trainer in private practice on Vashon Island. He is an advocate for youth and adult prevention, treatment, and recovery from alcohol and other drug abuse. For 16 years he served as the Youth Treatment System Manager for the Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse in the State of Washington. He has worked in the field of adolescent mental health and chemical dependency for over 32 years. He has extensive experience with the design and implementation of residential chemical dependency treatment programs serving youth. He regularly provides training on the following topics: adolescent chemical dependency, adolescent development, counselor self-care, father/son relationships, sexual orientation issues for youth, marijuana, and co-occurring disorders. He is licensed by the State of Washington as a mental health counselor and a chemical dependency professional. He was the President of the Board of The Lambert House in Seattle, and has served on the DOIT Board for many years. He lives on Vashon Island with his sweet companion, Petey the wonderdog!
Stephen Bogan
Imperfect Healer Counseling
206-463-3050
imperfecthealer@netscape.com
13930 S.W. Pohl Road
Vashon, WA. 98070
Emma Lodes
Emma Lodes is a relatively recent addition to the VYC board as she just joined in January. She loves art, music and sports and works as a ski instructor during winters. Emma is co secretary/treasurer of VHS's Amnesty International Club and is a junior at the highschool. Last summer she spent 2 amazing months in rural Nicaragua with Amigos de las Americas and fell in love with traveling. Although not a resident of the island, Emma enjoys the tranquil ferry rides over and tries to get involved with the community!
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Amy Ezzo Program Director (aka Dream Coach)
Amy comes to Vashon Youth Council with over 14 years in youth program development. Her journey has included managing programs for organizations such as the Girl Scouts, American Red Cross, and Congressional Youth Leadership Council, as well as numerous community based non-profit organizations. Prior to settling in WA state, she traveled the US facilitating at youth leadership conferences. She continues to be inspired by the young leaders of the world and is optimistic about the future she sees through their eyes. Her arrival at VYC was a dream come true for Amy, whose goal was to find an organization that recognized and respected youth for their contributions to their community. Amy believes that everything you dream is possible and enjoys working with youth to help them achieve their own dreams.
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Emily Gripp Program Coordinator
Emily Gripp is a Vashon High School student, graduating in the year 2011. She is a member of the Varsity Debate team, class cabinet chairperson and spends her summers as a pirate. Emily is a dream project initiator and the founder of StarShine Art. Her favorite quote is "Don't let your dreams be dreams" by Jack Johnson. Emily enjoys time with her nephew, Odin, and loves to frolick in the rain.
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Tavi Black Resource Administrator (aka Dream Financer)
Tavi has been on the island for nearly 9 years, though she traveled often and knew nearly no one until joining VYC in 2007. She is loving getting to know the youth of Vashon and has learned more from them than they have from her. The hardest part of the job so far is saying good bye to the graduates each year.
In her other life she's a fiction writer and was the founding director of Undermind Arts Collective in Seattle. She's also an ex-roadie and owned a ballroom dance studio in Texas. Really.
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GET INVOLVED
If you would like to know more about serving on our VYC Board, please view the duties and responsibilities.
You can also attend one of our Board Meetings. We generally meet the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 6 to 8 pm at our office space at 17311 Vashon Hwy, behind AJ's Espresso stand. Check out our calendar for the next VYC Board meeting date.
If you are a youth who wants to learn and practice leadership and have a voice in an organization that values your input, contact us to find out more about joining the VYC Board!
If you’re an adult skilled in leadership and encouraging people’s personal and political empowerment, and if you can sit back and follow while also being able to offer your wisdom and knowledge, contact us!
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P.O. Box 143 • 17311 Vashon Hwy SW
Vashon • WA • 98070
206-463-7350
Office Hours:
Tues: 2-6pm
Wed: 1-6pm
Thurs: 11-6
Fri: by Appt.
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