Gargi: Glad to be with you, Spiffy! I work as a project manager with the Counter Wildlife Trafficking project of WCS-India. I broadly develop conservation interventions to address illegal wildlife trade (IWT) that happens at and through the northeast region of India. This region falls under the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot and is home to several commercially sought after species, many of which are endemic! IWT brings with itself several critical issues such as local extirpations of species, introduction of zoonosis, threat to national security, etc. I work in partnerships with relevant stakeholders such as enforcement agencies, local communities, and educators to raise the profile of IWT, to build their capacity to counter IWT, and develop research to better understand IWT.
Luciana: Glad to be with you, Spiffy! For starters, I realized that the Brazilian legislative branch operates far below its potential and systematically fails to address the needs of the population. Brazil has a 40% rate of political renewal in every election. However, simply changing elected officials is not enough to make politics work. In the last term, politicians scored—on a scale from zero to ten—an average of 2.8 in productivity. We believe that the key to unlock the potential of the legislative branch is by helping political cabinets deliver. To do that, we pull three leverages of systemic change: (i) diversify the talent of political staff, (ii) build capacity among current political advisors, (iii) promote accountability.
Raven: Glad to be with you, Spiffy! We believe in equitable literacy access for all! More than just encompassing the ability to read and write, literacy is essential for developing critical thinking skills, educational opportunities, and building sustainable communities. Since 2017, “The Zuri Reads Initiative,” (TZRI) has provided literacy access, events, and resources for children, students, and families across Metropolitan Detroit and beyond. Seeking to do our part in addressing the widening literacy gap(s) occurring across educative communities, our goal is to take literacy to the people!
