Who are we?

Vincent van Schendel is one of the founders of Parole d'excluEs. On the board of directors of Parole d'excluEs since the first general assembly in 2006, he has been the president of the board since January 2016.

Vincent worked at the Service aux collectivités de l'UQAM for many years before becoming coordinator of the Alliance de recherche Universités-communautés en économie sociale (ARUC-ÉS), and then director of TIESS (Territoires innovants en économie sociale et solidaire) for almost 9 years, until his departure in 2021. He has worked with numerous associative networks (community, union, and social economy) over the past few years. He also collaborates with the ateliers des savoirs partagés (ASP), an initiative that mobilizes some fifteen rural communities across Quebec.

An important figure in access to housing and the fight against poverty, the involvement of Jean-Pierre Racette, founder and general director of the Société d'habitation populaire de l'Est de Montréal (SHAPEM), is felt throughout the City of Montreal. For more than 30 years, this math teacher and economist by training has been involved in the development of quality housing projects for low and moderate income households. The alliance between Parole d'excluEs and SHAPEM began in 2007: this collaboration has resulted in many achievements to improve the living environment within communities in Montreal-Nord, due in large part to the shared vision of Jean-Pierre Racette and the founder of Parole d'excluEs, Patrice Rodriguez.

Martine Vézina's professional life is marked by research, teaching and volunteer work with collective organizations in Montreal, such as Dynamo and Sac à dos. A specialist in social innovation management, she is an associate professor at HEC Montreal, where she teaches management of social and collective enterprises and management in the context of social innovation. Martine is also a researcher at the Centre de recherche sur les innovations sociales (CRISES) at UQAM and a member of the Parole d'excluEs university incubator.

Fatima is a project manager at Hoodstock, a North Montreal-based community organization that works to eliminate systemic inequalities. Previously, she worked as a research assistant at the Centre de recherche InterActions of CIUSSS-NIM for over 2 years. A committed North Montrealer, Fatima is passionate about advocacy issues related to equity and citizen participation. She never misses an opportunity to denounce systemic inequalities or to actively participate in public consultations. Fatima is convinced that Parole d'excluEs is the organization that will enable her to assert the power of collective and citizen action.

Rima Chaaban is a consultant in the Service des communications de la Fédération de travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ). Through her professional career, Rima has also been interested in adult education and the integration of immigrants, particularly through francization in the workplace. With social justice at heart, Rima has been involved in several community organizations, including Parole d'excluEs, where she has served on the board since 2017.

A clinical nurse, Dany values community health. His involvement with Paroles d'excluEs began in February 2017 with a collaboration with citizens to create the Espace Santé Citoyen. This space allows for the empowerment of citizens on health issues. Dany has facilitated various clinical workshops on healthy lifestyles, preventive measures at COVID and online health resources for the Montreal-Nord region. Since November 2020, he has been helping to improve the quality of life of Montreal-Nord residents by sitting on the board of directors of Paroles d'excluEs in order to have a greater impact in the community on issues of health, poverty and social exclusion. Dany loves the neighborhood of Montreal-Nord, especially its multiculturalism, the way it lives together and the hope it gives off.

Born at a time when work was an important value, Céline has held several jobs ranging from cashier, parking agent, financial security advisor, author of a book of poetry and today for the Société québécoise des infrastructures (SQI), she holds the position of secretary.

Her experience at Parole d'excluEs began in 2016, when she attended the citizen spaces in order to be accompanied by the organization to develop her power to act. Today, and since 2019, Céline supports the community by getting involved in Parole d'excluEs as a administrator in order to bring the citizen's voice to the heart of the board of directors.

Wissam Mansour has been involved for several years in local movements whose mission is to fight against social and economic inequalities. A graduate in political science at UQAM, she works at the institute for socio-economic research and information as head of administration and development.