The Global Grassroots Support Network currently has a single funder, a core Coordination team and a team of Regional Coordinators.
Funding
The Global Grassroots Support Network is supported by the UMI Fund, a donor’s collaborative founded by international philanthropies that supports, incubates and accelerates strategic elements of the climate movement, through cooperation with partners for disruptive, scalable, greenhouse gas mitigation.
Platform
This project builds upon the platforms and networks first established by the Blueprints for Change guide-making collective.
Coordination Team
Kenzie Harris, Principal Coordinator
Kenzie Harris (she/they) is a disabled, queer, white settler living in what’s colonially called Toronto, Canada (on land stolen from the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat Peoples). After years of volunteering with youth, Kenzie became involved in transformative justice movements in 2019. They have organized with and supported local Fridays for Future chapters, and National networks such as Climate Strike Canada and Research for the Frontlines, on campaigns for climate justice and Indigenous sovereignty. They previously worked at Change Course as the digital campaigner, and at the Climate Justice Organizing Hub as the anglophone knowledge transfer coordinator and as a trainer. They are passionate about care and information access for chronically ill and disabled people.
Tom Liacas, Project Manager
Tom Liacas (he/him) is a straight white setter living in what’s colonially called Montréal, Canada (rightfully called Tiohtià:ke or Mooniyang, Turtle Island). Tom drew on his experiences as an activist and campaign strategist to work as an advocacy mobilization consultant serving NGOs in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. As a researcher and analyst, he has released reports and articles on emerging campaign practices for think tanks, funders and global publications. Most recently, Tom founded the Blueprints for Change project and Canada’s Climate Justice Organizing HUB.
Jacob Okumu, Supporting Coordinator
Jacob Okumu, based in Kenya, is a teacher by experience, a project manager and a community organizer with knowledge and experience in training, coaching, designing, and managing people centric projects/campaigns for social change. Jacob has led numerous trainings and coaching sessions on practices of servant leadership, volunteer management, design thinking and organizing campaigns strategies for sustainable change to groups and organizations in different communities and countries. He has led and managed campaigns and projects with organizations such as Be the Change Kenya, Tatua Kenya, Amnesty International Kenya, UNICEF Tanzania and Change.Org where he has been infusing digital and offline campaign strategies to enable petitioners and Change Leaders accelerate change as a campaign strategist. He is a member of the Young African Leadership Institute (YALI) Alumni, and Leading Change Network. He is passionate about justice and equality.
Radhika, Supporting Coordinator
Radhika (she/her), based in India, has been participating in environmental justice-related activism since 2017. Her core expertise lies in looking at existing public policy frameworks to understand issues pertaining to the climate crisis, environmental degradation and their impacts on lives and livelihoods. She has been an active part of the Save Aarey Movement (Aarey is an urban forest in suburban Mumbai, India that was slated to be axed for several ‘development’ projects). Through her involvement in this movement, she became part of a voluntary run youth based collective called “Let India Breathe’. They work with several environmental justice movements throughout the country. They are also the founder of Pantrynook – a zerowaste (plastic free) food packaging company. Radhika was invited to give a TEDx talk on The Individual, The Environment & The Power of the Modern State at Versova, Mumbai and was featured in Forbes India Magazine.
Maria Reyes, Regional Coordinator, Latin America
Maria Reyes is a 22-year-old queer Mexican climate and human rights activist with the Alliance of Non Governmental Radical Youth (ANGRY) and Fridays for Future MAPA (Most Affected People and Areas). She works as a bridge so that the most vulnerable communities in the face of the climate crisis can access international spaces and resources. She has campaigned for fossil fuels divestment and equitable phase out in Mexico and Internationally, and is an international spokesperson on topics like just transition, false solutions, water scarcity, the intersection between the climate crisis and gender inequality, among others. She has attended various UN Climate Conferences, leading efforts to drive resources so that Global South climate activists and land defenders can attend too. Currently she focuses on building infrastructure for the protection of environmental defenders and building political education in the youth climate movement.
Mark Louise Aquino Diaz, Regional Coordinator, Asia-Pacific
Mark Diaz (he/him) currently serves as the International Secretary of Akbayan Youth, a democratic socialist youth movement in the Philippines. Mark is also actively involved in the Milk Tea Alliance, a transnational democratic solidarity movement that originated in Asia. He is the acting Program Officer at YouthResist, a multisectoral alliance of youth organizations and special interest groups committed to safeguarding democracy in the Philippines; a project of the Center for Youth Advocacy and Networking. He is the former National Convenor of the Students Rights and Welfare Coalition Philippines, a coalition that is specifically focused on the institutionalization of students’ rights and welfare in both the local and national level. He was the former Education and Research head at the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines, a student formation of student councils, student governments, student political parties, and organizations in the country.
Marsel Tuğkan Gündoğdu, Regional Coordinator, Türkiye
Marsel Tuğkan Gündoğdu (he/him) has been working as a Program Officer at the European Union Sivil Düşün Program since 2020, supporting active citizens and civil society organizations throughout Türkiye. He studied Comparative Literature for his bachelor’s degree and Social Projects and NGO Management for his master’s degree at Istanbul Bilgi University. He worked as the Türkiye Consultant for ILGA-Europe for 5 years and has been carrying out advocacy and lobbying activities at both the EU and UN level for the human rights of LGBTI+ citizens in Türkiye. He also volunteers in the Political Participation Team at Social Policy, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation Studies (SPoD), and his main focuses are campaigning, advocacy & lobbying, political participation and constitutional demands of LGBTI+ citizens. He started working as Regional Coordinator for Türkiye at GGSN in October 2023.
