Concordia Journal Home > Archives > January 14, 2010 issue >

New prof back on campus  

Globetrotting MPPPA grad focuses on communities and youth

By Anna Sarkissian

To say that Natasha Blanchet-Cohen has experience abroad would be an under-statement; she was born in Lesotho, grew up in Bangladesh, studied in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia, and traveled and worked in Venezuela, Mexico, Russia and Thailand. She’s also fluent in English, French, Spanish and Bengali.

Blanchet-Cohen, who specializes in community development and youth participation, joined the Department of Applied Human Sciences as an assistant professor in September.

“What struck me about Concordia was the diversity of the student body,” she said. Since many of her students are older or are already working, they bring their experiences to the classroom, which leads to interesting discussions.

“I was really attracted to the department. There are few departments in Canada that are as interdisciplinary,” she said.

Blanchet-Cohen is happy to be in Montreal, describing it as the “perfect fit” for her. She isn’t new to the city though; she came here with her family at the age of 15. She studied political science and economics at McGill and then completed her masters of arts, public policy and public administration at Concordia in 1998. Following another masters in international affairs at Carleton, she travelled west for her doctorate in curriculum and instruction at the University of Victoria.

For the past 12 years, she was involved with the International Institute for Child Rights and Development at UVic, first as assistant coordinator and later as research director. She taught in the Faculty of Education and the School of Child and Youth Care and led national applied research initiatives on building resilient communities through youth engagement.

“A lot of studies focus on the problems with youth. I take a different perspective and look at what they have to offer their communities. They can be real agents of change,” she said. “My work is about creating opportunities to give youth access to a voice.”

Her research spans a number of issues, including child agency and child participation, community youth development, children and nature, developmental monitoring and evaluation, resiliency and marginality, and systems change and innovation.

On Jan. 21, Blanchet-Cohen will be speaking about her experiences at UNICEF Concordia’s Gala Night to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Kyle Matthews, lead researcher at the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies and Stephanie Vidal, communications specialist for UNICEF, are also guest speakers. The evening includes a photo exhibit, live band, wine and cheese.

Tickets are 10$ in advance, or 15$ at the door. The event takes place on the 7th floor of the Hall Building. All proceeds go to UNICEF Quebec. For more information, email unicef.concordia.association@gmail.com.