Biography
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