Ali Clemmensen

Title:Life in Action Facilitator
Interesting Fact: Passionate about learning languages, Ali can count to 100 in French, Italian, Ukrainian and Amharic.

Ali joined the Free The Children team in August 2007 as a Life in Action facilitator. In June 2006, Ali graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in political science, French second language learning and French translation. Ali believes that education is the key to positive and sustainable change, and that— with time, commitment and passion—we can put all children in school.

After graduation, Ali travelled to Ethiopia to realize her long-held dream of volunteering overseas. Living in the community of Debre Sina, she led workshops for women and youth, organized a girls soccer team, planned a celebration for International Women’s Day and worked with local youth and community leaders to improve the lives of disadvantaged young people. In Canada, she continues to be involved in Ethiopia by supporting fundraising efforts to build a shelter for homeless youth.

Ali is an avid traveller, but there are still many parts of the world she wants to see—a list that grows, ironically, with every trip she takes. With a passion for cooking, Ali loves to experiment in the kitchen and obsessively watches the Food Network for inspiration. She loves reading, listening to music, camping and learning to play her guitar. Whenever she finds herself lacking the confidence or courage to take on new feats, she reminds herself of the saying, “You never really lose until you quit trying.”