Youth Advocacy Network

Our Youth Advocacy Network is a collective of students and recent graduates from institutions across Atlantic Canada coming together to make change!

  • Niko Coady (she/her) is originally from Oyster Bed Bridge, PE. She graduated from the University of New Brunswick in May '22 with a BA double major in Psychology and Gender & Women’s Studies, alongside a certificate in Family Violence Issues. Niko is an intersectional feminist who is incredibly passionate about sexual violence prevention because of her education & volunteer work with survivors in Fredericton - she has seen how sexual violence on campus impacts not only survivors, but the entire campus. Outside of school & work, she loves to read romance novels, create incredibly long playlists, & go on road trips. Niko is looking forward to continuing the fight to end sexual violence on campus alongside this amazing team!

  • Grace Dakin (she/her/hers) is originally from Uxbridge, Ontario. She recently completed her BA with a joint major in political science and psychology at StFX University in May, and is currently pursuing her Masters of Counseling Psychology at Yorkville University! Her favourite music to listen to is dad rock or anything by the Bee Gees! She also loves the East Coast and living by the water. Grace joined the Youth Advocacy Network because she is passionate about seeing change within post-secondary communities in relation to stigma surrounding gender-based violence and creating a safe space for students in Atlantic Canada. She is so excited to work with this amazing group of people and see the change we can make for all students!

  • Isabelle is a graduate of St. Thomas's Bachelor of Social Work and is currently, a student of St. Thomas's Master of Social Work program. She recently joined Port City Counselling as an independent therapist. She is also currently a volunteer with Saint John's Sexual Assault Response Team.

  • Grace (she/her) is a recent honours psychology graduate from Acadia University. Her thesis focused on sexual and relational well-being and the differences between mixed-sex and same-sex/gender-diverse relationships. Her main area of interest includes examining the many intersections of sexual, reproductive, and gender-affirming health, specifically 2SLGBTQQIA+ health. Grace discovered her passion for inclusive sexual health while volunteering for the Sexual Health Resource Centre at Acadia and being on the board of directors for the South Shore Sexual Health Centre. She plans on continuing her research and work in sexual health by pursuing a career in social work.

    Grace is working with Action Now Atlantic as a member of the Youth Advocacy Network (YAN). As a YAN member, she wants to emphasize an anti-oppressive and feminist approach to sexualized violence reduction programming. She also plans on working towards the goal of creating a world where sexual health is sex-positive, pro-choice, accessible, non-judgemental, and free from violence.

  • Laura (she/her) is in her second year of university at Dalhousie studying political science and philosophy. She moved to Nova Scotia from Brazil a couple of years ago and outside of school she loves to read and watch bad movies with her friends. Laura is very excited about being part of the Action Now Atlantic campaign and to work towards a safer campus for everyone!

  • Sophie Landry (she/her) is from a small town up in northern New Brunswick called Charlo. She attended Mount Allison University and was a part of the Mounties Women’s Volleyball team for four years, and just graduated with an Honours degree in psychology, with a minor in biology. Sophie is super excited to work with Action Now Atlantic; she is passionate about this work and more specifically, passionate about examining and tackling some of the deeper roots of sexual violence like lack of sex education and harmful gender norms.

  • Mandeep Rangi (she/her) is passionate about social justice, community development and working to improve access to mental health services for children, youth, families, LGBTQ2SIA+, neurodivergent populations, people with disabilities and all equity-seeking groups. Mandeep is a firm believer that change begins with us and if we work together that the world will be a happier place.

    As a Program Coordinator with the Child Welfare League of Canada (CWLC) in the summer of 2021, Mandeep led the creation of a new "Young Professionals Network," a restorative space for students and early career professionals in child welfare and family wellness fields while honouring the unique experiences of Black, Indigenous and racialized people. She created opportunities for young professionals to share experiences, ask for and offer guidance, nurture mental health and access meaningful professional development opportunities. She coordinated communications for the Network and facilitated online discussions while collaborating effectively with professionals from diverse social work, psychology, medicine, CWLC executive team and academia.

    After working as a Child and Youth Care Practitioner in Ontario for 2+ years, Mandeep recently moved to Newfoundland for her studies. She is currently completing her Bachelor of Arts in Social Work degree at Memorial University.

    She is looking forward to making a meaningful impact and change on policies that govern gender Equality across Canada.

  • Naomi Stobart is a fifth-year Public Policy and Governance Student at St. Francis Xavier University. Originally from Saskatoon (Treaty 6 territory), Naomi has spent the last five years at her institution involved in student-organized initiatives with the goal to uplift students' voices on campus. Over the last three years, Naomi has been involved with the Students' Union, as a Returning Officer, the Chair of Council, and now as the Vice President Academic, managing the Sexual Violence Prevention Portfolio. Since May, Naomi has become involved with Action Now Atlantic's Youth Advocacy Network and REES's Youth Advisory Board to create meaningful connections with other institutions and to continue the effort of those before her of making our campuses safer.

  • Jessica Telizyn is a Loran Scholar pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience with a minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Dalhousie University. As a Dobson Loran Scholar, Jessica has had the opportunity to work in public policy, technology, and emergency housing. Currently, Jessica is a member of Dalhousie's Varsity Rowing Team and has previously competed at the provincial, national and international levels in Irish Dance, Speed Skating, and Triathlon. Jessica is especially passionate about supporting survivors of sexualized violence and keeping girls and women in sports. She plans to attend medical school and hopes to work in rural medicine.

  • Abbie (she/they) is a current Bachelor of Social Work student at Dalhousie. In her future career Abbie hopes to work with queer individuals. Their background is in campus sexual violence prevention and student advocacy. In their free time you can find Abbie reading, playing Animal Crossing and roller skating poorly. Abbie approaches all her work from an intersectional feminist lens.