Former Vice President, YouthBuild USA
John Bell is Vice President for Leadership at YouthBuild USA. He has decades of experience in the youth field as teacher, counselor, community organizer, leadership trainer, director; was a founding staff member of three youth organizations: Youth Action Program (1978), the originator of YouthBuild; Children of War (1984), an international youth leadership organization; and YouthBuild USA (1988). A skilled trainer/consultant in youth leadership, peer counseling, healing, and diversity, he has consulted for the Peace Corps in Africa and South America; has published numerous articles and books on youth leadership, most recently YouthBuild’s North Star. He is a steadfast advocate for including young people as partners in community development; has a BA and MA in education from Stanford; lives in Boston with his family. He is also an ordained Buddhist dharma teacher in the tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. YouthBuild, www.youthbuild.org and his personal website www.beginwithin.info
