Board

Everyone on YouthCO's Board of Directors is a youth! Together, we are responsible for providing organizational leadership, upholding YouthCO’s mission, values, and approaches, YouthCO’s commitment to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, and operating in the best interests of youth most impacted by HIV and Hep C.

New Board members are always welcome to get in touch and learn more about our responsibilities, and how to get involved in governance at YouthCO! To contact us, email [email protected].

Taylor Atwater

Taylor Atwater

pronouns: she/her/hers

Taylor Atwater is Stó:lō, from Semà:th (Sumas) First Nations with mixed ancestry. She has a background in clinical exercise physiology and is currently a MSc student in Indigenous population health at Simon Fraser University. Her research uses a Two-Eyed Seeing approach to understand the intersection of cultural wellness and chronic illness. She has over 4 years of quantitative and qualitative research experience, with the most recent working at the First Nations Health Authority. She is passionate for advancing the wellbeing of Indigenous peoples, promoting cultural safety and humility, and exploring structural racism. She is currently employed with the BC NEIHR as an Indigenous Health Research Facilitator for both the Vancouver and Fraser Regions and lives on the unceded and occupied lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ Nations.

pronouns: she/her/hers

Taylor Atwater is Stó:lō, from Semà:th (Sumas) First Nations with mixed ancestry. She has a background in clinical exercise physiology and is currently a MSc student in Indigenous population health at Simon Fraser University. Her research uses a Two-Eyed Seeing approach to understand the intersection of cultural wellness and chronic illness. She has over 4 years of quantitative and qualitative research experience, with the most recent working at the First Nations Health Authority. She is passionate for advancing the wellbeing of Indigenous peoples, promoting cultural safety and humility, and exploring structural racism. She is currently employed with the BC NEIHR as an Indigenous Health Research Facilitator for both the Vancouver and Fraser Regions and lives on the unceded and occupied lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ Nations.

James Infante

James Infante

pronouns: he, him, his

James Infante has a big heart and an even louder laugh. Focused on making life better for people, James has fought for the rights of workers and labour unions through public policy advocacy and community organizing. As a political communications strategist, he has managed and led campaigns at all three levels of government and with non-profit organizations. James has completed his degree in Political Science at UBC where he served as a Student Ambassador and has been a volunteer with YouthCO's Mycelium program. He currently serves as the board's Treasurer and you can usually find him in front of a karaoke mic and throwing up finger hearts in photos.

pronouns: he, him, his

James Infante has a big heart and an even louder laugh. Focused on making life better for people, James has fought for the rights of workers and labour unions through public policy advocacy and community organizing. As a political communications strategist, he has managed and led campaigns at all three levels of government and with non-profit organizations. James has completed his degree in Political Science at UBC where he served as a Student Ambassador and has been a volunteer with YouthCO's Mycelium program. He currently serves as the board's Treasurer and you can usually find him in front of a karaoke mic and throwing up finger hearts in photos.
Charity Mudhikwa

Charity Mudhikwa

pronouns: she, her, hers

I am a master's student in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University doing research focussing on the reproductive and sexual health of women living with HIV. I am particularly interested in how different forms of discrimination intersect to impact access to sexual health supports. I also work as a research assistant on a BC-based study that uses a "cell-to-society" framework to investigate women's healthy aging. I was born and raised in Harare, Zimbabwe and moved to Canada to pursue my undergraduate studies, where I developed a great passion for epidemiology and health equity. In my spare time, you'll likely find me exploring a new Vancouver restaurant, listening to a true crime podcast or hiding out in my apartment like the introvert I am.

pronouns: she, her, hers

I am a master's student in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University doing research focussing on the reproductive and sexual health of women living with HIV. I am particularly interested in how different forms of discrimination intersect to impact access to sexual health supports. I also work as a research assistant on a BC-based study that uses a "cell-to-society" framework to investigate women's healthy aging. I was born and raised in Harare, Zimbabwe and moved to Canada to pursue my undergraduate studies, where I developed a great passion for epidemiology and health equity. In my spare time, you'll likely find me exploring a new Vancouver restaurant, listening to a true crime podcast or hiding out in my apartment like the introvert I am.