Maz Bednarczyk (they/them) is an expert in intercultural and non-formal education with a decade of experience developing and delivering training courses, workshops, and e-learning activities on leadership, human rights, global citizenship, and more.
In 2021, Maz joined Atlas Corps as a Training Manager Fellow. In their day-to-day work, Maz designs leadership development programs for early- and mid-career professionals, which include keynote speakers, interactive workshops, self-led activities, discussion groups, and community-building activities with leading U.S. organizations and international leaders.
Before joining Atlas Corps and moving to Washington, DC, Maz lived in Lithuania and interned through the European Solidarity Corps framework at the European Foundation of Human Rights – a non-governmental organization helping victims of human rights violations and hate crimes. Upon completing their service, Maz worked as a freelance publicist and radio commentator in the local language minority media, where they used their voice to advocate for women’s empowerment, gender, and racial equity, social justice, and sustainable living.
Since the early 2010s, Maz has been an active member of Youth For Understanding (YFU) – an international organization dedicated to intercultural education through youth exchange. During their years of volunteering and employment at YFU, Maz gained experience as a trainer and facilitator in the areas of intercultural communication, social inclusion, and global competence. Through a variety of international projects, they acquired skills in project management, event coordination, team building, and youth work. In 2022, Maz served as the chair of the board of YFU’s member organization in Poland, helping to rebuild the legal framework and structure of the organization.
Maz holds two undergraduate degrees – one in International Security, one in Finno-Ugric Philology – and a graduate degree in Crisis Management. At the beginning of their academic career, Maz specialized in Finland’s national security strategy and its impact on the Baltic Sea region. They later moved on to research peace education and international exchange programs as tools for building human security at the grassroots level.