Ayari was born and raised in Chula Vista, CA where US/Mexico bordertown politics laid the foundation for her consciousness, artistic expression, and community organizing. In high school, Ayari received a scholarship to attend Camp Anytown: a social justice youth camp. It was there where Ayari began to name her experiences and became an active member in youth leadership programs as an agent of change.
Youth empowerment and radical community healing is Ayari’s life’s work.
For over a decade, Ayari led bilingual capacity-building projects in urban communities mainly focused on supporting resilient youth from at-risk social locations. Ayari’s journey with youth-based enrichment programs began with the Chicana/o Youth Leadership Camp in San Diego where she managed and facilitated engaging activities and identity-based dialogues for high schoolers that promoted social, emotional, and mental growth.
Most recently in Miami’s YES Institute, Ayari provided an inclusive space for young people to express their authentic selves and develop their leadership skills while providing resources and referrals to families of diverse gender and orientation experiences. At the Overtown Youth Center, Ayari managed the Honey Shine mentorship programs for over 100 girls of color to thrive by creating workshops for youth to safely express themselves with social-emotional learning at the foundation. While at the Young Women’s Project in Washington, DC, Ayari partnered with local high schools to recruit over 300 students, leading over 80 youth in daily reproductive justice training, workforce development, and facilitated civic engagement activities. With the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, Ayari oversaw seven after-school troops, created council wide programs, streamlined lesson plans and organized curricula for over 75 after-school programs in low-income communities to build girls of courage, confidence, and character.
Ayari is openly Queer, Mexican and Puerto Rican of Afro-Indigenous descendancy. Ayari has a Master’s in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University and Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies from San Diego State University.
Ayari has supported gender-based human rights efforts with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico and as part of a delegation: Solidarity with Women in Honduras. Ayari has been named one the top “15 under 30” at the Gay and Lesbian Times of San Diego and received the Spirit of Justice Award from the Metropolitan Community Church of San Diego. Ayari’s poetry has been published in Sojourners Magazine and Black Activism Production Group focusing on spirituality, social justice, and joy!
Email: Ayari@yessinstitute.org
