YOUTH
EMPOWERMENT
PERFORMANCE
PROJECT
Humza Malik
Board Chairperson
Humza (he/him) is a South Asian, queer, transmasc healer and creative currently residing in Chicago, Illinois. Humza is a former intern and current Resource and Healing Advocate at YEPP. Humza spends his time at YEPP connecting with youth participants and supporting the restructuring of the organization to match our ever-evolving needs. He is currently a Master’s student at the UChicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy and Practice and will be growing his clinical skillsets as a psychotherapy intern at Fig Tree Counseling for the 2022-2023 school year.
Humza holds a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University in Psychology and is passionate in the realm of gender studies and queer theory as well. Humza is also a writer and poet performing at open mics like Luya in the city of Chicago. Humza is passionate about building connections, fostering community, moving with love, and facilitating healing work in our Black and Brown queer and trans communities.
Humza@WeSayYEPP.com
Iyere Ebosole
Board Treasurer
Iyere (Malia) is a Nigerian Latina American Transwoman native of Springfield, Illinois who spent most of her life in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Malia is a self-taught dancer who started on a church dance team, then moved on to choreographing for dance teams around Colorado Springs. She has multiple talents in the performing arts but focuses on ballet, modern and contemporary, liturgical, and Afro-fusion.
She moved to Chicago in 2015 and joined the Youth Empowerment Performance Project, using her passion for performing arts to help others, and becoming one of YEPP’s first full-time staff members in 2017. As the organization’s Community Engagement Coordinator, Malia worked to further YEPP's mission to end LGBTQ+ youth homelessness and now works with YEPP on a consultant basis. Malia also gained her HIV counseling/tester certification through The Chicago House Community Health Apprenticeship Program and has always aspired to contribute to organizations that make a positive impact in the world.
Megan Mia
Board Secretary
Meg is a born and raised queer MexiRican from Chicago, they serve as a Youth Advisory Board Member and Secretary. Meg studied at DePaul University where she majored in Peace, Justice and Conflict studies with a minor in Gender Studies. She loves creating space for vulnerability and transformative healing in their interpersonal communities. She also enjoys watching documentaries about prehistoric animals. For Meg, a good end to their night is winding down with a cup of tea in hand and lo-fi music playing in the background.