... As director of Training and Youth Development at LISTEN, Ditra was responsible for the design and implementation of the Global Exchange Program which supported the youth activist from the United States and their counterparts in other countries to learn about leadership and democracy. Ditra was also the catalyst for the content and framework of the organization's leadership and youth development curriculum. At LISTEN, Ditra also helped incubate Youth Education Alliance (YEA), a DC based youth organizing group fighting for equality education in DC Public Schools. YEA has recently transitioned into and independence organization. Finally, during her tenure at LISTEN, Ditra help to co-create the national network of youth workers and organizers called Building Leadership Organizing Communities (BLOC).
Prior to LISTEN, Ditra served as Senior Program
Director for Community Programs at the YMCA of Greater
Boston. During her tenure at the YMCA, she helped to
found and direct the nationally recognized Youth
Workers Alliance of Boston. In addition, she was
responsible for the vision and direction of the
Greater Boston YMCA Youth development Center. As a
facilitator for the Academy of Educational
Development's (AED) National Youth Workers Training
Institute, Ditra is certified to deliver professional development for youth workers in all areas and disciplines.
Ditra has severed on the board of the Funders
Collaborative on Youth Organizing, and presently
serves on the Columbia Heights Shaw family Support Collaborative and Emory Beacon of Light Community Development Corporation board of directors. Ditra was the recipient of the Salzburg Seminar Fellowship, Session 366 on Urban Youth and the Smithsonian Institute, Museum Leadership Award