Since 2013, cohorts of people from around the world write monthly articles about street harassment and activism efforts in their communities in four month cohorts.

We’re excited to welcome our newest cohort (and welcome back LB Klein and the ProChange team who have been excellent correspondents before!!) and look forward to reading their articles!

Meet the Correspondents of the First Cohort of 2016

LB Klein, MSW, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

LB has dedicated her academic and professional career to ending gender-based violence, supporting survivors, and advancing social justice. She is currently an independent consultant based in Atlanta, GA. LB serves as a lead trainer for Prevention Innovations Research Center at the University of New Hampshire, through which she trains colleges, universities, and community organizations to implement Bringing in the Bystander®. She is also a graduate student in the Program on Gender-Based Violence within the University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs. Her research currently focuses on campus sexual assault and intimate partner violence prevention programs, trauma-informed organizational cultures, and compassion satisfaction. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in social work from Washington University in St. Louis and a graduate certificate in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender health from Drexel University. LB previously lead Emory University’s Respect Program and the St. Louis County Domestic Violence Court volunteer program. She is a board member for Jane Doe Advocacy Center and the Association of Title IX Administrators. She serves on the founding leadership council of the Campus Advocates & Prevention Professionals Association (CAPPA). You can follow her on twitter @LB_Klein or on her website at http://www.lbklein.net.

Rupande Mehta, New Jersey, USA

Rupande is a writer passionate about women’s rights in India and the world. Having experienced physical and sexual violence from a very young age has made Rupande a fervent advocate of violence against women. Rupande grew up in Mumbai, India where she was consistently subject to street harassment and various cultural norms that force women to live as second class citizens. All these experiences made Rupande’s resolve stronger to campaign for equal rights for women and girls. Rupande has an MBA and is currently working towards her MPA, looking to specialize in Non Profit Management. Rupande writes for the Huffington Post and various other websites. You can find her writing on her blog at Rupande-mehta.tumblr.com or follow her on Twitter @rupandemehta. In her spare time, Rupande loves to spend time with her family, cook healthy foods and read.

Kathleen Moyer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Kathleen is a full-time graduate student studying professional and business communication. After earning her master’s degree, she hopes to pursue a career in which she’ll be able to dedicate her life to her greatest passion: social justice. As a proud feminist, Kathleen feels strongly about striving for equality in all areas of society. She is currently involved in planning initiatives to increase awareness of sexual assault, domestic violence, and other related issues through her university’s anti-sexual violence group, Explorers Against Sexual Violence. In addition to this work, she has also assisted with volunteer recruitment for Philadelphia’s 2015 March to End Rape Culture, and plans to be involved in organizing the United Nations Association of Greater Philadelphia’s 2016 International Women’s Day event. Some of her feminist role models include Alice Paul, Gloria Steinem, and Malala Yousafzai. Outside of her activism, Kathleen enjoys reading mystery novels, watching the Philadelphia Eagles, listening to U2, and anything involving dogs.

Kayla Parker, Washington, D.C., USA

Kayla is a sophomore acting major at Howard University and is a native of Birmingham, Alabama. She is passionate about theatre arts and film and strives to use her craft to create positive societal change. In addition to focusing on school, she spends her time working on her web-series, “Black Girls R Us” that aims to uplift black women of all different shapes, sizes, and shades. For updates on episode releases, you can follow her on twitter at @TheTimidLioness.

 

Julia Tofan, Connecticut, USA

Julia is a student in a rural town in Connecticut. She’s passionate about gender equality and feminism and she aspires to be an activist for marginalized populations. She first became interested in human rights when recognizing the great inequality in the world. She realized that education was a powerful way to combat inequality, so she joined Givology, a nonprofit dedicated to improving access to education, as a blogger. She now also writes for Dreams That Could Be, an organization telling the stories of students facing great challenges but persevering in their education, and is excited about being a Street Harassment Correspondent. She believes raising awareness about issues and educating others is the most powerful way to make a difference, and that’s what she seeks to do. Read her blog posts on Givology and Dreams That Could Be and follow her on Twitter @Julia_Tofan!

ProChange, Germany

ProChange is a group of people between 20 and 64 years of age who are active. ProChange consists of a small group of core members in a network of other activists. Their main focus is on street harassment, sexism and sexualized violence. They are opposed to all forms of exploitation which are all inter-connected.