Stephen Mensah

Education Lead

Stephen is a Ryerson University student pursuing a Criminology and Politics & Governance double major. He is an active member of the York South-Weston Community, Stephen has made it a priority to promote awareness to issues revolving around marginalized youth and is committed to being an advocate for change.

Michael Manu

Executive Director

Michael is a Master of Accounting graduate, earned from the University of Waterloo, and in 2018 completed the CPA program. He works at a federal government agency to obtain practical audit experience while also conducting research in urban planning at the University of Waterloo.

Beles Lezina

Director of Public Relations

Beles hopes to provide a voice for the diverse youth of Toronto and encourage them to become involved in civic policies that affect them while promoting the work that the TYC does within communities across the city.

Eli Aaron

Budget Lead

Eli is serving his third term on the Toronto Youth Cabinet Leadership Team and has served as Budget Lead since 2019. Eli previously served as Transit Lead. In 2019 he graduated from Ryerson University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning.

Bemnet Teferi

Director of Stakeholder Engagement

Bemnet is very passionate about civic engagement and social justice. She plans on continuing her studies in public health at the University of Toronto. Her goal to ensure everyone is ensured equitable access and outcomes. As the Director of Stakeholder Engagement, she hopes to facilitate communication between the youth and stakeholders and mobilize transformational change by creating positive relationships and increasing stakeholder accountability.

Aminata Mageraga

Director of Council Relations

In no particular order, Aminata is passionate about books, healthcare equity, community development, housing, and youth resiliency.Through her volunteer and paid work she has learned providing services to vulnerable populations through an anti-oppressive, harm reduction lens. Currently, she is working in a social service capacity, and is a regular volunteer with her local mosque.

Vernon Li

Director of Organization Development

Vernon is passionate about city building, governance and developing public policy from an urban/public health perspective. As a healthcare consultant, Vernon advises healthcare organizations with the aim of improving health outcomes. Vernon believes that we will need innovative thinking from a human centred-design perspective to ensure equitable and sustainable access to city resources in the future.

Fariah Muto

Director of Policy and Advocacy

Fariah is an advocate for community-led policy development that is anti-oppressive, anti-racist, and anti-colonial. Growing up in the Dixon community, Fariah uses her lived experiences to inform the work that she does. She has a background in social work and a graduate degree in public policy. Fariah is also currently working in the Ontario Cabinet Office.

William Pham

Digital Media Strategist

William is a Grade 11 student at Earl Haig Secondary School. He passionate about public transit, cycling and walkable streets. He also enjoys graphic and web design. He hopes to create a more visual TYC brand.

Youssef Ameir

Housing Lead

Youssef believes that housing is a basic human right, and that we should aim to inspire changes around housing policy on all levels of government.

Zenah Hussun

Community Safety Lead

Active in her community, Zenah is a passionate advocate for removing the social and systemic barriers that can cause detrimental effects on marginalized communities and their health.

Mishaal Qazi

Newcomer Lead

Mishaal is an emerging public health professional who hopes to use her lived experiences and educational learnings to address issues faced by newcomers and create a more supportive Toronto.

Sophia DiNicolo

Urban Health Lead

Sophia hopes to empower youth voices and encourage the active engagement of TYC members in various urban health initiatives to create a positive difference for youth through addressing the social determinants of health.

Syed Haider

Equity and Employment Lead

Syed is a resident of the Humber River-Black Creek community and has worked in various roles to support marginalized youth. As the Equity and Employment Lead, Syed will be utilizing his experiences to advocate for employment needs of youth. He is looking forward to working with the cabinet to advocate for youth on a broader level.

Samantha Parker

Arts and Culture Lead

Samantha is a student at the University of Toronto and a lifelong Toronto resident who is passionate about the arts. She looks forward to working with the ACDC group to bring the youth voice to the planning of cultural events and encouraging more Torontonians to engage with the city's programming.

Jaskiran Gill

Director of Internal Affairs

From a young age, Jaskiran found her voice through community involvement by identifying areas of opportunity for various working groups. Her driving passion for impact inspired her to diversify an effective portfolio with several non-profit organizations, focusing on youth empowerment, financial literacy, equity, and entrepreneurship.