Youth Advisory Board
Let your voice be heard as a member of the NRS Youth Advisory Board
The purpose of the NRS Youth Advisory Board is to elevate the voices of young, talented, brilliant and passionate activists. Members use their lived experience of running away, homelessness, or housing insecurity to advocate nationally for young people in crisis. In addition, the Youth Advisory Board is uniquely qualified and tasked to continuously align NRS’s priorities with those of the young people we intend to serve. Members also play a vital role in our program development, services, and communication strategies.
Overall Goals
• To ensure youth inform and influence NRS programs, services and communication strategies;
• To align the priorities of NRS with the priorities of young people; and
• To provide professional development opportunities for participating youth such as training, speaking engagements and resume building.
Qualifications
• Be 18 to 25 years old at the time of applying; and
• Have experience with running away, being expelled from home, housing instability and/or homelessness.
Antonio “Tony” Latray Davis-Robinson
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Age: 22
Antonio “Tony” Latray Davis-Robinson is a young professional committed to serving his community through outreach and advocacy. Tony experienced youth homelessness firsthand and has been volunteering and acting as an ambassador for those with similar experiences since he was a teenager. Tony continues to volunteer his time today while also working as a shift manager at McDonalds. Once he finishes his schooling at Northwest Career College, Tony has plans to become a nurse.
Malachi Gillespie
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Location: Fort Collins, CO
Age: 18
Malachi has partnered with Fort Collins Rescue Mission and other outreach efforts for two years, focusing on ensuring that people experiencing homelessness in his community feel safe reaching out to him for support. Malachi helped develop programming with Fort Collins Rescue Mission and feels passionate about being an advocate for those in need. Malachi’s other interests include music, marketing, and audio production. Aside from his volunteer work, Malachi is also a student and works in event production.
Rachel Litchman
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Location: Madison, WI
Age: 23
Rachel is a queer and disabled artist and writer. As a formerly homeless youth and survivor of child sexual abuse and institutionalization, her creative work and advocacy is grounded in the intersections between art, activism, trauma, disability, interpersonal and institutionalized forms of violence. She currently serves on the Youth Advisory Board at the National Runaway Safeline and works with the Homeless Services Consortium of Dane County as a member of the Youth Action Board.
Zachary Mallory
Pronouns: They/Them
Location: Independence, MO
Age: 26
Zachary has firsthand knowledge not only of the struggles of youth homelessness but also of issues such as domestic violence, gun violence, and mental health concerns. As a non-binary person, Zachary is a passionate advocate for the LGBTQIA2S+ community. Zachary has lent their voice to many organizations in the past decade, including the National Network for Youth, A Way Home America, the Missouri Department of Mental Health, The Trevor Project, and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Zachary also volunteered for three years on the Crisis Text Line. Zachary is studying business with a minor in marketing.
Marianna Aguirre Rios
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Location: Denver, CO
Age: 26
Mariana is a certified Peer Support Specialist with lived experience of homelessness, mental health conditions, long-term physical health conditions, and substance use. She lives her life in recovery and passionately advocates for women, people of color, youth, and young adults. She specifically wants to shed light on our systems and the effects they have on our most vulnerable people.
Mia Sostrin
Pronouns: They/Them
Location: Chicago, IL
Age: 23
Mia is a social work student at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, Illinois. Mia’s personal experience with homelessness informs both their career path and their advocacy work. On top of Mia’s dedication to NRS’ Youth Advisory board, they are also a Youth for Truth representative. Mia also loves music, singing, and performing; they hope to incorporate music into their future career in social work.
EJ Velez
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Location: Kutztown, PA
Age: 21
EJ serves not only on our board but also as a Youth Consultant for the National Network for Youth. As somebody who is both blind and transgender, he knows intimately how much intersectionality can impact a youth struggling with homelessness. EJ is passionate about supporting youth in crisis through resources and advocacy.