Dr. Gilles Julien and Hélène (Sioui) Trudel were awarded the inaugural Janusz Korczak Statuette established to honour an individual or organization that has taken a leadership role in promoting the rights of children in fields such as pediatrics, social work or child/youth work who has demonstrated a focus on children in vulnerable circumstances, such as children in state care, homeless children, refugees/immigrant children, children experiencing violence.
The award ceremony took place during the Special Session in Honour of Janusz Korczak at the Community Social Pediatrics Symposium. Jerry Nussbaum, JKAC president introduced Janusz Korczak to the audience of over 400 researchers, students and health, social services and law professionals working towards the improvement of care and services offered to children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Dr. Gilles Julien has made it his mission to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds to develop harmoniously and reach their potential. A visionary leader, he has created a preventive approach, community social pediatrics, guaranteeing that each of a child’s fundamental rights as set forth in the Convention on the Rights of the Child will be respected. Over the years, he mobilized the people from Montreal’s underprivileged neighborhoods by founding two social pediatric centers in Hochelaga-Maisonnueve and Cote-des-Neiges. The model of social pediatrics that he initiated has helped shape programs across Canada.
He is affiliated with McGill University and the Universite de Montreal. Mrs. Hélène Sioui Trudel has a Criminology degree from Simon Fraser University, a law degree from the University of Ottawa and is a member of the Quebec bar. She has contributed significantly to major legal cases affecting health and social services in aboriginal communities, pay equity, constitutional rights, territorial claims, the environment and human rights. She is dedicated to the promotion of alternative means of dispute resolution that protect the fundamental rights of children as set out by the Convention of the Rights of the Child. Mrs. Trudel established the Legal Health Alliance of the Dr. Julien Foundation and developed tools of mobilization including the Music Garage and the Child’s Circle, inspired by aboriginal practices. She co‐authored the book, Tous responsables de nos enfants (We are all responsible for our children), published in 2009. Mrs. Trudel received the Prix de la Justice du Québec 2013.
