Our Team

Neely has worked with Children of the Street since 2017 and brings more than 13 years of experience working with youth-serving organizations. She is deeply passionate about preventing the sexual exploitation and trafficking of children and youth and raising awareness of these critical issues in communities across British Columbia.

As Program Manager, Neely is known for her calm, organized, and supportive leadership style. She is highly knowledgeable about child and youth sexual exploitation and is committed to ensuring that Children of the Street’s education and prevention initiatives reflect current trends, emerging risks, and best practices.

The safety, wellbeing, and voices of the children and youth we serve – and the well-being and professional growth of her team – are at the forefront of every decision Neely makes, guiding both her leadership and her approach to program development.

Neely holds a Master’s degree in Sociology and Anthropology from Tel Aviv University.

Jen Graham is the Director of Children of the Street, where she leads province-wide efforts to prevent child and youth sexual exploitation and human trafficking across British Columbia. With more than a decade of experience spanning communications, fundraising, policy development, training, and organizational leadership, she brings a strategic, collaborative, and community-centered approach to prevention work.

Jen began working with Children of the Street in 2019, overseeing its communications and fundraising activities. In 2022, she stepped into a leadership role, overseeing the operations of Children of the Street, guiding the program’s growth and expanding its ability to support youth, families, educators, and communities.

Originally from the UK, Jen holds a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and Sociology from the University of Manchester and a Professional Diploma in Marketing from Cambridge Marketing College. She also maintains Chartered Marketer status with the UK’s Chartered Institute of Marketing.

With over 30 years of fundraising experience, Maura has built her career around connecting people with causes that make a difference. She joined Children of the Street in 2014 after working at Burnaby Hospital Foundation and has since played a key role in securing the support needed to deliver the organization’s free programs and services.

Maura enjoys working with donors, businesses, community groups, and foundations to raise awareness about child and youth sexual exploitation and to inspire meaningful action. Known for her practical approach, strong focus, and dedication to donor relationships, she is driven by ensuring Children of the Street has the resources it needs to carry out its important work and keep young people safe.

She also believes that every donation represents a meaningful act of trust. Committed to responsible stewardship, Maura takes great care in ensuring funds are used effectively and efficiently to maximize impact. Her donor-centred approach, combined with a strong sense of accountability, helps build the lasting partnerships that make Children of the Street’s work possible.

Over the past decade, Neeru has built her career in social services, guided by a commitment to supporting women, youth, and families impacted by gender-based violence, human trafficking, and sexual exploitation. Her work with frontline organizations and community partners led her to join Children of the Street in 2023.

Since then, she has become a skilled and engaging educator, delivering more than 100 workshops to over 2,000 parents, caregivers, and professionals across British Columbia. Drawing on her frontline experience, Neeru has also directly supported more than 100 youth and families affected by exploitation by providing trauma-informed support, connecting them to services, and helping address complex needs. She actively participates in community and sector roundtables focused on prevention and improved supports for vulnerable youth.

As Children of the Street’s lead facilitator for professional training, Neeru shares her knowledge with educators, service providers, and community organizations across the province.

Neeru holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Counselling.

Tatyana holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Liberal Arts at Simon Fraser University.

She began her career in social services in 2018, supporting students with diverse needs and individuals experiencing homelessness before joining Children of the Street in 2023. As a prevention educator, Tatyana has facilitated hundreds of workshops for thousands of students, parents, caregivers, and service providers across British Columbia.

Tatyana brings exceptional research and analytical skills to her role, leading in-depth examinations of emerging trends, legislative changes, and policy issues related to child and youth sexual exploitation. Her research helps shape the organization’s advocacy positions, awareness campaigns, parent education programming, and workshop curriculum, ensuring our prevention education reflects current risks, best practices, and the evolving realities facing young people.

Taylor joined Children of the Street in 2023, bringing experience in youth and family support, social services education, and community-based prevention work. Since 2016, she has supported youth and families as a Supervised Access Worker, Family Development Worker, and Team Lead in a specialized group home for youth with complex needs. These roles shaped her commitment to trauma-informed care, harm reduction, advocacy, and relationship-based support.

At Children of the Street, she led the development of the Stand Up, Speak Out workshop, authored the Stand Up, Speak Out Toolkit, and presented hundreds of workshops across BC. She also represented the program on professional panels focused on prevention education.

Taylor holds a diploma in Social Services and has worked as a college instructor, where she developed a passion for mentoring future social services professionals. Her frontline experience, educational background, and dedication to youth empowerment continue to strengthen the program and the communities it serves.

Allison joined Children of the Street as a Workshop Facilitator in 2023 after completing a diploma in the Community Support Work program at Sprott Shaw College. She began her career as a Peer Support and Outreach Worker, where she facilitated restorative art classes and discovered a passion for supporting youth through creative, interactive, and meaningful conversations.

Allison brings strong presentation skills and artistic talent to her work, developing workshops that are visually engaging, accessible, and thoughtfully designed to keep young people involved. Her ability to connect with children and youth has been consistently recognized by principals, teachers, and service providers. One vice-principal described her presentation as “the best presentation visit we have ever had,” noting that Allison was informative, clear, and exceptional at holding students’ attention.

Through her creativity, warmth, and ability to engage youth, Allison continues to play a vital role in keeping BC’s kids informed and safe from sexual exploitation.

Chantelle holds a diploma in Youth Justice and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Social Work at the University of Victoria. She began her career as a frontline Youth Worker in 2021 and became a Workshop Facilitator with Children of the Street in 2024. Passionate about preventing human trafficking and sexual exploitation, she believes that normalizing these conversations helps survivors feel seen, supported, and connected to care.

A lifelong learner committed to transformative reconciliation, Chantelle continually reflects on how to decolonize her professional practice and personal life. She strives to bring a Two-Eyed Seeing approach to her work, honouring Indigenous and Western ways of knowing and recognizing that meaningful learning happens alongside the communities she collaborates with. As a person of colour, Chantelle is especially proud when BIPOC participants share that her presence inspires them to create change in their own communities.

Outside of work, she enjoys anime, K-dramas, and snuggling with her 90lb pitbull.

Sam holds a Bachelor’s degree in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies from Simon Fraser University, where he focused on the experiences and challenges faced by women and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities in sport.

Since joining Children of the Street in 2024, Sam has helped deliver hundreds of Stand Up, Speak Out workshops, engaging youth in meaningful conversations about gender, masculinity, and sexual violence. As an avid hockey player, Sam draws on his own experience to tailor workshops for youth in sports and connect with these audiences in a relevant and approachable way. He brings confidence, care, and authenticity to his facilitation and is not afraid to guide challenging conversations that encourage young people to reflect, ask questions, and feel empowered to speak up.

Outside of work, Sam enjoys playing hockey with the Vancouver Cutting Edges Queer Hockey Team, cheering on the PWHL, reading, playing Overcooked, and spending time with his family.