CREATING CHANGE, BLACK & INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY DISCUSSION PANEL

A game designer, storyteller, artist, dancer, and author of Black/Lakota/Irish descent, Allen Turner believes in the power of play and story as fundamental, powerful medicines which shape our sense of self. After working in the video game industry, and freelance storytelling, for over 15 years, Allen focused his design, storytelling, and cultural experience to create, and publish a table-top RPG called “Ehdrigohr: The Roleplaying Game.” which pulls from the myths and folklore of indigenous and tribal peoples from all over the world, while exploring allegorical battles with depression, solitude, identity, and erasure. He has continued to explore the play conversations initiated in Ehdrigohr on his blog via fiction, musings, photography and additional writings in Ehdrigohr. Allen teaches game design at DePaul University as faculty for the School of Design and Creative Director of the DePaul Originals Game Studio. This new game studio focuses on giving students the experience of being at a large studio, developing mastery, and working on a long term game project. Outside of DePaul he uses game design concepts as a tool for examining personal narratives and empowerment with local urban youth.

Chantay has over 14 years of financial industry experience as a licensed Financial Professional. While managing her private financial planning practice, she partnered with the Heartland Institute of Financial Education, a national non-profit, to become a Certified Financial Educator® Instructor. As an Instructor, she teaches financial wellness workshops at corporations, school districts, and several local unions. Chantay is also the Director of Native American Financial Literacy Services, an organization that provides financial literacy programs and resources to specifically support Native American Indian Tribes and non-profits that serve tribal members across North America. Chantay is currently pursuing her Master’s of Business Administration in Chicago, Illinois where she resides with her three children.

Lauren E Miller, MSc, MSW, LSW, (pronouns She/Her/Hers) is a licensed Social Worker, whose practice areas include domestic violence advocacy, sexual assault advocacy and youth empowerment. Lauren has a Masters of Social Work (MSW) from The University of Chicago and a Masters of Science (MSc) in Gender, Rights and Development Studies, from the University of Glasgow, Scotland U.K. Lauren has worked/interned for Amnesty International, UNIFEM, Resilience, Metropolitan Family Services and American Indian Health Services of Chicago, Inc. Additionally, Lauren co-authored the report “Kosovar Civil Society Report to the United Nations on violence against women in Kosovo,” which has been used as foundational research regarding Kosovo, by the ODI, UN Women, UNDP, The Council for Europe, and the US State Department.