Melaina Spitzer is Director of Communications and Community Development at Guayakí Sustainable Rainforest Products, where she works with Indigenous Communities to protect and regenerate the South Atlantic Rainforest in Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.  Melaina is a Rotary World Peace Fellow and has a Master’s in Peace, Conflict, and Security from Universidad del Salvador and a Bachelor’s in History of Divided Societies from Brown University.  A multimedia journalist and filmmaker, Melaina teaches citizen journalism for human rights and social change, and has 9 years of experience facilitating dialogues with youth from conflicts zones in Latin America, Southern Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Based in South America for the last 4 years, Melaina has specialized in indigenous and environmental rights, working to transform socio-environmental conflicts in border regions across the continent.  She is interested in harnessing media for social change, participatory leadership strategies for youth engagement, and gender inclusion in conflict transformation. She speaks Spanish, English, Portuguese, and Italian, and enjoys Latin and Brazilian dance.  Melaina is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil and can be reached at Melaina.spitzer@gmail.com.