Staff
TALINA HENSELEIT
She / Her / Elle
Executive Director
(on maternity leave until November 2023)
Talina is a former volunteer and ally member of CARE Jeunesse. Previously an alternative high school teacher with years of experience working in the non-profit sector, Talina is passionate about youth empowerment and social inclusion. She holds a McGill Capstone thesis award for her MA research on adolescent literacy and a BA from Concordia in English literature. A strong believer in the power and value of storytelling, Talina is excited to support Quebec’s youth in care and alumni of care as they share their experiences and advocate for change. In her spare time, she likes to dance, motorbike and cook for friends and family.
VALERIE DASS
She / Her / Elle
Community Outreach Coordinator
Valerie is our new Community Outreach Coordinator, and as an alumni of care herself is understanding of the issues presented to youth in care and is heartfelt towards C.A.R.E Jeunesse’s mission. With a background in aviation, she has had the opportunity to travel to some of Québec’s most remote areas and is looking forward to expanding the C.A.R.E network to include all regions of the province. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time with her two young children.
MICHELLE RAPOSO
She / Her / Elle
Communications Coordinator
Michelle is an alumni of care herself. She has since independently pursued higher education and completed a BA in Women Studies at Concordia University, as well as is in the final steps of completing her second BA in Interdisciplinary Sexuality Studies. With this knowledge, she hopes to make a difference, to work with youth, educate them, offer support and guidance - some things that many of those in care lack. While in her studies, Michelle has been an advocate for inclusion and diversity within her role at Fido Solutions. In addition to this, she is a proud fur-mom to a five month old French Bulldog, she loves to cook, travel, and try new things.
KAYLA DORVÉUS
She / Her / Elle
Peer Support Coordinator
Kayla is a Social Sciences student with a passion for her community. She has enjoyed spending many of her summers at a sleep-away camp for youth in care, as a camper and a counselor. When not working at CARE Jeunesse, she teaches cooking and kitchen skills to participants at the W.E.T (Weredale Employability Training) Project, which she, herself, graduated from in May 2021. This program caters to the socio-economic development of youth aging out of care by offering them the space to learn and develop sought-after skills in today’s job market. By joining Care Jeunesse, Kayla will be able to achieve her goal of providing support and resources to a larger amount of youth in and aging out of care. She enjoys hiking in the mountains and swimming in the many lakes of Quebec, and spending her free time making art.
Board Members
HEIDY WAGER
She / Her / Elle
President
Heidy Wager has been working in the non-profit sector in the greater Montreal area for over 35 years. As an alumni of Batshaw Youth Protection for over 7 years, she trained as a youth advocate, worked in leadership groups and was a part of The CN Cross Canadian Youth In Care conference (1993) that brought youth in care together from across Canada for the first time to share, learn and grow. This was one of the most powerful and empowering moments of her youth and was the driving force for her decision to pursue a career in community development. With the support of Ken Dryden, Heidy received a grant and an invitation to be on the selection committee for a number of years, truly enabling her to propel her career forward. Since then she has continued to stay connected to the community working with youth and families from youth centers and educational institutions. Heidy discovered that her heart lied within the community development sector and working for grass-root organizations. Building unity and inspiring the next generational leaders is a passion and a personal mission. She has been the Executive Director of Hear Quebec for the last 8 years.
ANICK CHARLAND
Treasurer
Anick comes to CARE Jeunesse after a fulfilling career in cybersecurity. Herself an alumni of care, Anick now invests her time advocating for the rights and well-being of youth aging out of care. She is committed to ensuring that youth be provided with the services and support that they need to pursue their dreams as they prepare their transition to adulthood.
An avid traveler, she has backpacked solo around the world. Her current passion is exploring North America in her minivan.
DANIEL JOHNSTON
Board Member
Bio to come!
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VARDA MANN-FEDER
She / Her / Elle
Vice-President
Varda is a Professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences at Concordia University where she teaches Youth Work and Counselling. She worked for more than 30 years as a psychologist in the care system in Montreal and her research documents the experiences of youth aging out Quebec. Varda started out as an “adult ally” to CARE when the organization first began, and is honoured to now serve as Vice President. Varda loves attending CARE events and sculpts and reads novels in her spare time.
LUISE MASSARI
She / Her / Elle
Secretary
Luise Massari is a bilingual native Montrealer. She worked as a television and radio journalist and producer at the CBC in Montreal for thirty years.
In that time, she launched current affairs programs including the TV show “Our Montreal” which is still on the air. She was also the first Montreal producer for CBC's all news channel. Ultimately she moved from television to radio and produced "Homerun" , CBC's local drive home show.
For Luise, the most important and rewarding part of her work has been telling the stories of Montrealers and Quebecers from all walks of life who faced challenges and who were trying to contribute to their community.
Luise’s goal is to continue to give a voice and empower people in her community. With Carejeunesse, Luise looks forward to working on a project that is led by and designed for alumni of care, and she believes the organization can grow into a great resource for all of Quebec.
Luise is a graduate of the Communications program at Concordia University and a member of the Alumni association of Concordia.
JENNIFER GOLD
To come
Bio to come!