Gabriella Rask has seven years of experience working for a non-governmental organization focused on supporting children without parental care and families at risk. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Economics at Södertörn University in Sweden followed by a Master’s degree in International Relations at Webster University in Austria. Gabriella is currently working as a Project Coordinator at SOS Children’s Villages International where her focus areas include youth participation, capacity building of child and youth care professionals, and improving outcomes for care leavers. She has worked on several EU co-funded projects, including “Training Professionals Working with Children in Care”, “Prepare for Leaving Care” and “Leaving Care”. The Prepare for Leaving Care project won the European Social Services Award in the category innovation because of the strong participation of young people as co-trainers. Working in these dynamic project teams that demanded strong organizational skills and teamwork inspired Gabriella to continuously improve and strengthen participatory approaches in the projects she works in. She is especially passionate about empowering young people with care experience to take a leading role in designing, implementing and evaluating projects and programs. Together with two of her colleagues, she is also facilitating SOS Children’s Villages International Youth Coalition, which brings together young people from around the world, to identify and advise on topics that affect their care, ensuring that their perspectives are considered in the development of programs, services and policies targeting young people.