staff

Diane Sowden, Executive Director
dsowden@childrenofthestreet.com
Diane Sowden is co-founder and has been the Executive Director of Children of the Street Society since incorporation in 1995. As a Certified Family Support Worker, Diane has had the opportunity to work with many youth and families throughout British Columbia by presenting workshops to youth, parents and service providers on the issue of sexual exploitation.

Diane and her family were directly affected by the issue of sexual exploitation when her daughter was drawn into a life of drug addiction and sexual exploitation at the age of 13. Due to Diane's experience, she now supports other families who are affected by the issue.

Diane has been a resident of Coquitlam since 1984, and married Rob in 1974. Diane and Rob's passion for children, youth and their families led them to become adoptive parents as well as foster parents. They have eight children who depend on them as Mom and Dad, four of which are now adults.

Diane was elected to the Board of School Trustees in 2005 and is currently servicing her second term as a member of the Board of Education. She has been instrumental in forming legislative changes to the Child Protection Act in B.C. and the Criminal Code of Canada, specific to the issue of sexual exploitation, and throughout her work has been the recipient of a number of awards.

Diane believes every child has the right to be safe. She engages in consultative decision making and believes the maintaining focus on what is in the best interest of children, youth and their families.

Stephanie Owen, Program Manager
sowen@childrenofthestreet.com

Stephanie graduated from Simon Fraser University with a BA in Criminology. During her studies at SFU, Stephanie was introduced to the field of crime prevention through a practicum placement with the Government of Canada's National Crime Prevention Centre. Stephanie has worked with the BC Crime Prevention Association where she coordinated provincial community crime prevention programs, including Crime Free Multi-Housing, Crime Prevention Week, and Operation Red Nose. Stephanie joined Children of the Street Society as Program Manager in 2006, and oversees program development and fundraising.

Larissa Maxwell, Program Coordinator
lmaxwell@childrenofthestreet.com

Larissa comes from White Rock, BC, and holds a Bachelor's Degree in Non Profit Leadership with specialized focus in adolescent sexuality and youth outreach. In addition to non-profit education, Larissa has professional art & dance training and is an accomplished artist in Vancouver. Larissa became passionate about issues surrounding youth, sexuality, and self worth as she volunteered in a youth group in high school. Since then, she has worked in the non-profit field for over five years as the Program & Design Coordinator of a high school education program, and a Partnership Coordinator. She has an extensive background in fine art and graphic design, and loves to use her experience in our many different programs, such as The Youth Art Engagement Project.

Chrysabelle Choe, Fund Development Coordinator

cchoe@childrenofthestreet.com

Born in Singapore and raised in Toronto for over 15 years, Chrysabelle brings to the organization a diverse background of administrative, grant-writing and fundraising skills. She has completed Canadian and US grant trainings, in addition to program planning, program evaluation and organizational planning.

Coming from 5 years of corporate administrative and sales experience, Chrysabelle decided to join the non-profit sector in 2009 where she discovered her passion for helping high risk youth. Through her own experiences, she has firsthand knowledge of the multiple barriers that exist for young people and has personally overcome many of them. Chrysabelle strongly believes that youth empowerment and education awareness are vital components in preventing sexual exploitation.

Esther Asirvatham, Administrative Officer
admin@childrenofthestreet.com

Born and brought up in Sri Lanka, Esther joined Children of the Street Society in 2007. She received her post secondary education in the field of Commerce and has completed the Intermediate level in Accounts. Esther has further enhanced her studies within the Canadian context in Business Administration at Ryerson University, Toronto.

Esther brings with her over 20 years of experience in the field of program and office administration. She has worked on projects funded by the World Health Organization, United Nations Children’s Education Fund, the World Bank and the Canadian International Development Agency. Her work experience has been with under-privileged women and children of the third world. Esther believes every new day brings another opportunity to help someone in need.

Workshop Facilitators
tco2@childrenofthestreet.com

Emily Huynh
Emily is a recent graduate of UBC, completing her undergraduate in Psychology with a minor in Theatre. She is passionate about using the creative arts to facilitate youth empowerment. Emily has worn many hats over the years, from actor and performance artist, to student, to world traveler, to social justice advocate. Her current role as Workshop Facilitator helps integrate many of these hats into one, and she is excited to bring elements of drama and interactive workshopping to the TCO² program.
 
Ian Jung
Ian is a recent graduate from Simon Fraser University where he studied Psychology and Criminology. Through his studies, Ian became interested in the social issue of sexual exploitation of youths and the criminal justice system. Outside of his studies, Ian involved himself in the community by volunteering with the RCMP and working with the Student Campus Safety Program at SFU. Now working for the Children of the Street Society as a TCO² Workshop Facilitator, Ian hopes to make a difference in the community by raising awareness on issues regarding the sexual exploitation of youth.
 
Andrea Krakan
Andrea graduated from CDI College with a diploma in Addictions and Community Support Work.  She started her education at Simon Fraser University, completing two years of Psychology, and found her calling in the field of social services through her volunteer experience at the Downtown Eastside YWCA Women’s Center. Apart from being a Workshop Facilitator at Children of the Street Society, she works at Family Services Youth Detox as a Youth Worker. Andrea is looking forward to educating youth about sexual exploitation and raising awareness about the issue through a multi-faceted, interactive workshop.
 
Jaedyn Starr
Jaedyn loves asking questions.  Some of Jaedyn's biggest questions revolve around anti-oppression, harm reduction, as well as gender and sexual diversity.  Jaedyn has an academic background in Economics and Leisure Studies.  After graduating Summa Cum Laude from the University of Ottawa, Jaedyn eagerly spread his wings and flew to Vancouver to continue his studies.  He earned a Master's of Arts in Economics at UBC with the support of SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier funding.  At UBC, he also had the joy of being a Teaching Assistant and introducing young minds to the theories behind economics.  During his spare time, Jaedyn loves to teach skiing and snowboarding on the local mountains.