Team

Sheniz Tan, CEO

Sheniz Tan is Asfar’s CEO and Director.

Sheniz is responsible for all of Asfar's international programmes, strategy and overall organisational development.

Sheniz holds an MA in Reconciliation and Peacebuilding from the University of Winchester, has a BA (Hons) in Politics and History of the Middle East with Turkish from the University of Durham and is a Level 7 qualified Strategic Manager and current Chartered Fellow of the UK Chartered Management Institute.

Sheniz has worked in the International Development, Peacebuilding, Education, NGO & Charities, Youth, Welfare to Work, Political & Social Entrepreneurship sectors since 2007, for a variety of different organisations over the past 16 years, including: the British Youth Council; House of Commons; Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq; Liberal Democrats Party; yesMinister; Serco; Westminster Forum Projects; and LITC.

From 2015 to 2018, alongside her role at Asfar, Sheniz acted as a Project Development Consultant at Rinova, responsible for monitoring its EU portfolio (23+ large scale EU programmes) and project managed and supported a cross ranges of programmes including: Erasmus+; EU Justice; Interreg; Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programmes.

Since 2018, Sheniz has focused strictly on Asfar and its partnership network, developing a series of new dynamic learning, employment, skills and social entrepreneurship programmes, including RESOLVE, a reconciliation for development learning programme, the RESOLVE: Network and Social Entrepreneurship work.

Additionally, Sheniz is an Aim Texas World Bank consultant to the Republic of Azerbaijan's Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population acting as the Leader for International Experts Team for its' flagship Employment Support Programme, providing specialist and strategic advice.

Publications, Lectures, Podcasts & Research

2018-2023

Strategic partnerships intellectual output contributions and wider international development delivery outcomes

Learning Abroad to do Better at Home on Gender Equality programme

Young Kreativ Social Enterprises

IO1 - Methodological Guide and Toolkit - Social Kreative Enterprises for Youth Workers
IO2 - Curriculum - Skills for Young Social Entrepreneurs - detailed programme and materials for Youth Workers.
IO3 - E-Learning Platform.

Talking Peace, Exploring Conflict, University of Winchester.

Developing and Connecting Young Peacebuilders, Dr. Lyck-Bowen in conversation with Sheniz Tan, January 2020.

Erasmus+ REVaLUE: Refugees Empowerment through VET in an inclusive Europe.

Who migrates to Europe: Educational and professional profiles of refugees in EU countries, UK national report, 2018.

2010-2017

House of Lords' International Relations Committee' expert contributor - the Middle East: Time for New Realism report, 2017.

A profile of child marriage in the Caucasus, Asfar e-Journal, December 2017.

Erasmus+ European Partnership for Apprenticeships project.

Erasmus+ Interculturality Mobility

Baseline Comparative Study – Transnational Report, 2017.

Erasmus+ Igma-Femina, 2017

United Kingdom, National Report, page 41,
Co-designed “Shortening distance to Education/Labour Market for migrant and refugee women through gender-senstivie counselling and local collaboration strategies” – Methodological Handbook.

Erasmus+ Euro-IVET: Enhancing the quality of initial vocational and education training for young people in urban and multicultural settings.

Euro-IVET Comparative Study and Needs Analysis, 2016.

Caravans, Yörük and the Balkan Mountains article in the Asfar e-Journal, 2013.

Sheniz has published several articles on the Yörük, tribal communities in Anatolia, Turkey including for the British Association of Turkish Area Studies (from Middlesbrough to the Yayla), and a lectures, including for the Turkish-Anglo Society (16^th February 2010 lecture).

Steven Aiello, Project Officer & Dialogue Expert

Steven Aiello is Asfar's Project Officer & Dialogue Expert focusing on our International Dialogue programmes including Erasmus+ RESOLVE: New Youth Order and our wider strategic partnerships.

Steven is also an experienced NGO strategic leader and founded Debate for Peace 6 years ago to connect and empower young Jewish and Palestinian leaders in Israel. He has a BA in Economics (NYU), MA in Diplomacy and Conflict Studies (IDC), and an MA in Islamic Studies (Tel Aviv University). He has been involved in Jewish-Arab Model United Nations work in Israel since 2011.

Steven is Jewish and Italian-American, from New York, currently living in Tel Aviv. He has run dozens of conferences and more than 15 international youth delegations. More information about Steven's wider work visit: Debateforpeace.org

Bruno Pizzini, Trainer

Bruno Pizzini is one of Asfar's Trainers/Facilitators, specialising in social development, skills programmes design and gender equality.

Bruno is an experienced youth trainer, facilitator, coach and mentor. Bruno is also an international youth worker with over 10 years, with a specialism in informal and non-formal youth work methods. Bruno uses visual interactive facilitation styles to deliver a wide range of engaging training programmes.

Bruno started his career as a Youth in Action programme manager in 2001, moving on to become a group leader at the International Youth Exchange office, Turin City Council. Bruno was also Head of International Activities at Levitazione.

As well as delivering training programmes for youth, Bruno is also experienced in gender equality facilitation, is a qualified Training of Trainers and a European Solidarity Corps trainer for Salto, Hungary. Since March 2020 he has been a member of Guild International Youth Worker Trainers.