Welcome Selma Zaki, our new Community Health Researcher!

Selma Zaki is our new Community Health Researcher

We are happy to announce Selma Zaki as our new Community Health Researcher. In this role, she will be overseeing the first ever Community Health Report for the Internet Freedom space. Additionally, she will be creating community space for more self-care and wellness practices.

For the Community Health Report, Selma will be reaching out to community members in coming months for both one-to-one interviews, and to coordinate group activities. The Community Health Report will provide a snapshot of the health and wellbeing of Internet Freedom (IF) communities and networks around the world. The report will provide a deeper understanding of the challenges IF networks are having in regards to community engagement, sustainability and growth. This report is part of CommUNITY, a new initiative focused on developing services and tools that support the digital rights community.

Selma is a Mental Health Counselor based in New York City. She has experience in providing therapy services between practice practices and community mental health centers across New York City. Historically, Selma has been interested and committed in understanding and addressing mental health needs both individually and collectively.

In addition to providing therapy services, Selma has experience in conducting qualitative research and has been published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology for studying the experiences of gender amongst Arab American Women. Selma was also involved in community organization in Lebanon and founded an organization named “Lezem” that evolved out of a desire to address the unmet needs of the Lebanese community.

Selma’s goals as a mental health professional, an academic and a social justice advocate is to initiate change on an individual and a collective level. What brings her clinical, research and community development experience together is the firm belief that healing, growth and advancement begin in spaces that foster open communication and encourage in-depth understanding.

Please help us welcome her!