MEET OUR CO-HOST: Ashraf Hasham

During this third episode of Why Change? you will meet one of our co-hosts, Ashraf Hasham. Ashraf is from Seattle and brings a youth-focused and creative viewpoint to the conversation. He discusses the connections between his family coming from Pakistan to the United States, leadership coming from his artistic skills, and and landing jobs with youth-led organizations and the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture. In this episode you’ll learn: 1) Why the youth voice is needed in arts organizations and city agencies, 2) How Ashraf continues to keep his creativity present day to day, and 3) What is radical inclusivity? Check out some of the things mentioned during this podcast, including: Teen Tix: http://www.teentix.org The Vera Project Seattle’s Office of Arts and Culture: https://www.seattle.gov/arts ABOUT Ashraf Hasham: Ashraf Hasham is the Youth Arts Manager for the City of Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture, overseeing the City’s youth investments in arts education, creative youth development, and career-connected learning. He comes to this role from The Vera Project, a homegrown, nationally-renowned, all-ages music venue & DIY arts space, where he served as Executive Director. Prior to that, he spent a short time with Chicago’s Urban Gateways, building capacity for their youth engagement & advocacy programs w/ Street-Level Youth Media. Before that, he got to work with an organization that changed his life as a young person in Seattle: TeenTix, a revolutionary arts access & youth empowerment organization, where he held multiple roles over the years, most recently Director of Programs & Partnerships. An unapologetic optimist, Ashraf is a proud millennial-of-color and South Asian immigrant. He believes in radical inclusivity and anti-racist, strengths-based, community-led solutions that center the most impacted. He leads with empathy and positivity, collaboratively and transparently, centering love and joy. Recognizing things change fast and often, Ashraf strives to remain nimble and humble, always growing and adapting to meet the moment. You can find Ashraf on Instagram @ashrafhasham and on Linkedin. This episode of Why Change? A Podcast for the Creative Generation was powered by Creative Generation. Produced and Edited by Daniel Stanley. For more information on this episode and Creative Generation please visit the website and follow us on IG @Campaign4GenC