Sarana Nia is a Hartford resident and native, mother, wellness practitioner, and youth worker with over 15 years of experience engaging young people in embodied healing & justice work. Sarana’s will to this work stems from a deep childhood noticing of what they would come to understand is inequity, systemic oppression, and racism. Raised in a multi-racial family of change makers, artists and community organizers, conversations on race, identity, queerness, mental health and its intersections were part of the fabric of their early life. Sarana arrives to this work with a vision of unearthing a new world for people to thrive, with a focus on marginalized caregivers and young people. 

After years working in the non-profit sector creating content, curating events, designing curricula and directing their own not-for-profit organization, Sarana transitioned into community organizing. Through organizing, Sarana grew in their own critical analysis, understanding of identity and into a deep appreciation of the history of people’s movements. Sarana was able to see the gap in connectivity when we place an emphasis solely on education and cognitive understanding. They have traveled the country learning, training and teaching with some of our brightest minds and most impactful change makers locally, nationally and globally. With a continued focus on creating new and sustainable systems for young people to thrive in and after a decade of community organizing and food system work, Sarana is poised to begin a new chapter with RE·Center. They arrive equipped with all the tools and learnings from their previous experiences and are excited to have a fresh canvas to create programming that is not single issue focused and can, instead, flourish within the collaborative space of our multi-issue lives. 

When Sarana is not creating and running programming, raising three teenagers or consulting for foundations and non-profits on youth-centric organizing strategies, they make art, paint, make herbal medicine, buy themselves flowers and thrift unique items with old stories for their home. They are a lifelong learner and lover of this work, arriving as no expert but as collaborator, in deep appreciation and awe of the brilliance and resilience of young people in building the world we all deserve.