create initiative mentors & staff
create initiative mentors & staff
Generally I think when you are working on something that’s a long-term project it’s nice to have a support system that is really cheering you on and really keeping you going. So, it was nice to also be able to play that role and to remind them that the work that they are doing is important and to keep going for it. Sonaksha Iyengar, Create Advisor 2023
To support and mentor the fellows on their projects, the Create Initiative brought a pool of advisors on board. The advisors come from diverse backgrounds and expertise with multiple years of experience of working around disability, sexual and gender diversity, intersex rights, art and activism. Each fellow had the opportunity to work with two advisors, along with the CREA team and other fellows, to support them throughout the fellowship. In addition to individual and collective sessions, the fellows participated in learning sessions around disability justice, decolonial approaches to sexual and gender diversities, intersex rights, and more.
Meet the Advisors & the Team!
As the Manager, Programs and Innovations, leading the Disability and Sexuality program at CREA, Agnieszka led the design, management, and implementation of CREAte Fellowships.
Niluka Gunawardena is an educator, researcher and disability rights advocate based in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Dr. Padma Bhate-Deosthali as Program Director at CREA, provided oversight, review, and support for the design and implementation of CREAte Fellowships.
Shruti Chakravarty, PhD, (cis woman; pronouns: she, her) has 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector, as a mental health practitioner, researcher, trainer, and social worker.
As the former CREA Program Coordinator – Sexuality and Disability | Community Radio (India), Smruti handled the coordination and implementation of CREAte Fellowships.
Sonaksha is a fat, queer, chronically ill and disabled illustrator, graphic recorder and book designer.
