Storytelling and Social Change
Kids Share Workshops is directed by volunteers and contracted professionals. We work with other nonprofit organizations who support youth empowerment. Some of the locations we reach are cut off from modern amenities. We feel the traditional paperback book, film and social media are essential for social change and cross-cultural sharing.
Independent Consultants
Film Maker and Photographer
Wari Om
Wari Om, film-maker and photographer joined our team in 2016 working with Kids Share Zambia. His work has made it into the big screen and has been awarded by some film festivals, more recently Mantra – Sounds into Silence, premiered 2017 at The Rubin Museum of Art, NYC.
His work and love for yoga often take him back to India, among other Asian countries. Wari also runs the Omshanti Yoga Studio with his two siblings, and together they also organize the annual Barcelona Yoga Conference, one of Europe’s biggest Yoga festivals with presenters and participants from all over the world.
Wari’s work with Kids Share Zambia, brought his expertise in film-making, producing an outstanding film trailer and 42 length documentary film, which was executed outside of Lusaka and the Lower Zambezi in Zambia. In addition, he filmed and directed Sophie Beem’s GLOW video, which was produced during a Kids Share Zambia workshop celebration. GLOW: https://youtu.be/BOQa8dueqBY
We value his expertise in the field and direction when on location. When not filming Yoga practice worldwide, we look forward to continuing our work with Wari documenting projects around the globe with other organizations!
Deputy Director
Kristina Applegate
Kristina has twenty-five years of business development and management experience, including over ten years of creative workshop, curriculum development. She has contract experience with small and large nonprofits, in developing and monitoring teams designed for various creative workshops. Specifically focused on international and domestic funding for projects that increase young peoples’ and underserved populations’ access to information and civic dialogue via cultural gatherings, community events, and creative workshops.
Through her organization Kids Share Workshops (https://www.kidsshareworkshops.com) Kristina has implemented initiatives such as; cross-cultural awareness in rural coffee farming and education, poverty issues, environmental issues, cultural issues between the eastern and the western hemisphere and child protection. In 2010 Kids Share Workshops was awarded cross-cultural awareness by the United States Board on Books for Young Readers (USBBY) (https://www.usbby.org/news/2010-bridge-to-understanding-award-winner) in Washington DC, where the Kids Share Vermont to Tibet resides in the Library of Congress. Kristina also worked with the Newtown/Sandy Hook community after the 2012 school shooting, using the art of expression to better support children, their parents, and teachers in the healing process from the traumatic events. In 2017 Kristina directed a short and long featured documentary film in Zambia, with the support of USAID and World Vision. She also aided in the production of GLOW, (https://youtu.be/BOQa8dueqBY) a music video produced by her filmmaker Wari Om (https://www.wari.cat/video). Sophie Beem was a guest star on the trip to Zambia where she performed for the Bimbe School community. In 2018 her films were recognized in two film festivals; InShort Films out of Nigeria and Universal Film Festival in the USA.
Country Coordinator
William Tapley
William Tapley trained at RADA. He grew up in Australia and England, finishing schooling in America. He served ten years of military service with the world’s second-oldest regiment: the Honourable Artillery Company in the City of London. He represented the regiment in rugby and cricket and was a regular national medalist in competitive combat shooting, cross-country skiing and biathlon (ski & shoot).
William represented Britain in the 1996 Camel Trophy (off-road driving), making the first-ever motorized crossing of the Borneo jungle. Played rugby (clubs have included London Wasps and Harlequins), rides motorbikes, sails yachts (won the 1999 Presidents Cup in Fiji) and drives cars across deserts for charity. He sings in a jazz band in his spare time. And has frequented 47 countries. His acting career landed him in; Band of Brothers, Second in Command, The Secret Agent, Stormbreaker, The Contract, V for Vendetta among others, and most recently was seen in the Netflix Original, The Crown (TV Series).
William is married to Kristina Applegate. They have a mutual love of travel, and mission to help spread social activism through creative storytelling, using film-making, and photography as the main tool. William helps manage and monitor projects in some of the toughest locations.
Art Teacher
Kathy Chattoraj
Founder of Future Picasso joined Kristina’s team, with the Kids Share Zambia workshop in 2016-2018. She is an excellent creative program director and instructor. Kathy teaches daily with students living in Greenwich, CT. Her innovative and problem-solving teaching skills are outstanding!
We value her management ability as a business owner. When not teaching for Future Picasso’s, Kathy assists with development in art-related projects with Kristina.
Graphic Designer
Kris Shonk Pfeifer
Graphic Design Professional at Pfeifer Design
Kris has been designing logos and book designs for Kristina’s Workshops since 2010. In 2013, Kids Share Newtown book design and 2018 Kids Share Zambia book design. Kris and Kristina went to elementary school together and have been friends ever since! She is also one of Kids Share’s biggest fans and hopes to join an overseas workshop one day.
