Josianne Gosselin-Dubois

Committed to Building a More Just and Equitable Society

Josianne Gosselin-Dubois, an international law and international relations student at the Université du Québec à Montréal, is of those individuals who easily gain people’s confidence in times of great responsibility. According to all those around her, she has contagious energy and is surprisingly determined for someone of her age. The young woman has always made it her duty to seek out challenging projects as a means of continually surpassing herself. Her work with Amnesty International, which began when she was only thirteen years old and still continues today, eloquently illustrates the Outaouais student’s strength and determination. In high school, she succeeded in rallying her teachers around the cause and then kept up the momentum at college where, with the support of a dedicated team, she succeeded in setting up original projects. For example, she transformed a student coffee shop into a prison where she locked up the teachers and administrative staff in an aim to heighten awareness among students of the arbitrary detainment and human rights violations that prevail in Guantanamo.

Josianne simply rises up against situations she deems unacceptable and has thus contributed to the release of some twenty prisoners of conscience, has helped fund a school for street children in Peru and has provided students here with information on various subjects such as child soldiers and refugees in Darfur. She has also just accepted the post of vice-coordinator of the youth committee for the French-speaking branch of the Canadian Section of Amnesty International.

“Having talked at length with her about her world views and the issues close to her heart, I have absolutely no doubt that she will be able to make her mark in the field of humanitarian development,” said Évelyne Guindon, CEO of Unicef Québec.

At the age of only thirteen Josianne helped set up the Commission jeunesse de Gatineau where, over the past few years, she has played a leading role. As its president until June 2006, she participated in such projects as the opening of the Caserne youth centre, the creation of the Festival jeunesse Outaouais and the development of an action program against illegal graffiti. “Josianne has always been an outstanding spokesperson for the Commission. Because she is very articulate, she has contributed immensely to shaping the organization’s philosophy and helping it gain credibility,” asserted the Commission’s coordinator Louis D’Amour.

As well as representing Québec at the Forum for Young Canadians and Canada at the Young Global Leaders Summit and participating in a cooperation project in Nicaragua, Josianne also developed, produced and hosted a television show on the commitment of young people that was broadcast on Canal Vox and wrote a series of popular articles on the main issues related to human rights protection. “I know my work will help to build a more just and equitable society. I want to be a world citizen, a person dedicated to others, without regard to their differences,” she concluded with genuine sincerity.

Josianne Gosselin-Dubois