Who we are

Nina has been a hands-on community builder most of their life. Entering the DIY indie/punk scene in Southern California at 15 years old led to her playing in over a dozen musical projects, writing and recording original music, managing bookings and promotion, stage managing and producing countless DIY concerts in diverse venues spanning the West Coast of the US, from typical music venues to empty backyard pools that she then converted into a stage, with the help of fellow punks.

As a woman and nonbinary person of color in the indie/punk scene, queer and POC visibility and engagement were always significant and something they always advocated for through the events they produced. Behind the mic, onstage and off, Nina has been a vocal advocate for antifascism, intersectionality, antiracism, cultural awareness and engagement through community outreach. The last few shows from 2024–2026 Nina held at DIY venue the Cat-Thedral in Pomona were benefits for ARC (the Anti-Recidivism Coalition). Previous organizations that Nina has organized benefits for include 7,000 Languages, ACLU, and The Trevor Project, to name a few.

Nina currently studies linguistics and voice, aiming to use this work to analyze and address racism in language and theater.

Desh has spent most of his life building spaces where people who were not expected to belong end up leading. Born in Nepal, he arrived alone at a small college in Arkansas as an undergrad and learned quickly what it feels like to be the only one in the room.

At Hendrix College he served as Student Senate President and went on to lead Multicultural Student Services, running an average of three events a week: advocacy and support for under-represented students, social justice learning and movement programs, facilitation, and anti-bias training for students, staff and faculty. He also did the slower structural work, building a diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging roadmap for the institution and pushing on retention, because a college can recruit under-represented students and still fail to keep them. What stayed with him is that belonging is never accidental. Someone has to build it on purpose, over and over, usually without credit.

He has kept doing it since, through Arkansas, Iceland and Barcelona. Last year he co-facilitated a workshop on digital inclusion and communication for young people from across Europe, part of an EU co-funded programme. He co-founded Statloba For Good, a non-profit that delivers free training to youth organisations in Zambia, Nepal, Kenya and Niger, and in his work in technology he advocates for equity of access and neurodivergent inclusion.

Kai is a Filipino community builder and improviser based in Barcelona. She began doing improv in late 2024 through Barcelona Improv Group, where she found a space for play, connection, and sharing stories. As Barcelona continues to grow into a vibrant melting pot of cultures, she is passionate about helping ensure that its stages and communities reflect the people who call the city home.

Professionally, Kai works in B2B sales in the animal nutrition industry, supporting agri-businesses in North America and Africa. She previously worked in the restaurant and gaming industries, experiences that strengthened her appreciation for hospitality, communication, and the ways communities form around shared experiences.

Outside of work and improv, Kai helps organize Filipino community events in Barcelona and manages a Filipino community with more than 500 members. She cares deeply about increasing the visibility of Filipino people, stories, food, humour, and culture, while celebrating the many other communities that make Barcelona diverse.