Rez is an international lawyer and human rights activist. She was born in a refugee camp in Pakistan as her family escaped Saddam Hussein’s genocidal campaign against the Kurds.

Rez has a wealth of experience advocating for the rights of refugee at global fora and is especially passionate about access to education for refugees and meaningful refugee participation.

She was awarded the Young New Zealander of the Year in 2017 for her services to human rights. She was awarded the Outstanding Youth Delegate Award at the UN Youth Assembly, selected as an Eisenhower Youth Fellow and awarded a Global Impact Award for her work fighting for justice. Most recently, she was selected as a Peace Ambassador by the European Commission for the One Young World Summit.

Aryan is passionate about all things computer and technology-related. He uses his combined skills in tech and passion for education to lead programmes for refugee youth across camps in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Over the pandemic, Aryan was able to develop and deliver workshops using innovative digital tools and technologies during teaching and learning. He believes digital learning is the future of education and is adamant that all refugees have access. Currently he serves as Empower’s Global Lead.

Bilal is currently a Clinical Psychology doctorate candidate at the University of Auckland. He is originally from Afghanistan and has been living in Aotearoa since 1999. He has a background in youth work with former refugees through the NZ Red Cross and sits on the Ministry of Youth Development's Partnership Fund Board.

Vaash is originally from Fiji and has been living in New Zealand for the past 9 years. She has a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Auckland and is currently working at a law firm in Auckland. She was previously a mentor with Empower before joining the wider team. She is passionate about gender and racial equality, LGBTQI+ rights, and raising mental health awareness.

Rawan is the newest member of the team and will be helping coordinate the Empower Youth mentoring program. She is originally from Iraq and has been in New Zealand for 11 years, currently studying in Auckland to be a journalist. Assisting young refugees in thriving is something she is incredibly passionate about and has been working with the refugee community for almost two years.