Global Communicator: How Louis Vigneault-Dubois Ensures Children Everywhere Are Heard.
Development success stories usually focus on economic growth. What they often leave out is the plight of some of the world’s most vulnerable citizens: children. For Louis Vigneault-Dubois, Chief of Communication for UNICEF in Vietnam, keeping the needs of children in the spotlight is at the centre of his work.
This career combination of communications and international development is no accident. It goes all the way back to the early days of Vigneault-Dubois’ academic career. Before entering the International Studies program at Glendon College, Vigneault-Dubois worked part time in a radio station. Upon graduation, he pursued a Master’s degree in Journalism from the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po).
Thanks to his extensive experience within the United Nations’ various agencies, Vigneault-Dubois has an understanding of how the various divisions work together to meet the shared Sustainable Development Goals. He is confident that he has found the division most suited for his skill set.
“When it comes to communication, UNICEF is the UN agency that invests the most resources in communication and that has the most extensive team of communication professionals across the world. So I feel proud to be part of this team and our mandate to advocate for the plight of marginalized children across the world never gets boring.”
Of course, this advocacy comes with its fair share of challenges. This includes everything from gaining political, financial, and moral support from local stakeholders to delicately engaging with cultural and religious beliefs. Vigneault-Dubois points to his studies at Glendon as essential to preparing him for his current work.
“The International Studies program combined the right dose of theory with hands on learning about foreign policy”, Vigneault-Dubois says. “When I started my career, I could draw back on what I learned at Glendon on the work of the United Nations and to understand some of the main crises in the world where UNICEF is called upon to deliver humanitarian assistance for children.”
“I really enjoyed my years at Glendon. The campus was a green oasis near downtown Toronto. The small-size classes allowed direct interaction with professors and to engage in active conversation during seminars.”
Vigneault-Dubois also credits the experiential education he received at Glendon for preparing him for a career in as a communications specialist in an intergovernmental organization. In his final year, he participated in the International Studies Symposium, a conference conceived and managed by students. That year, the organizers took a research trip to the country in question, India.
“It was an extremely rich experience where we learned a lot about India, but where we also developed skills related to project management, building partnerships, fundraising, [and] communication that proved to be very useful when I started my professional career.”
All that being said, the biggest impact Glendon had on Louis Vigneault-Dubois’s life is a little more personal.
“I met the woman who would become my wife who was then an exchange student at Glendon from Germany. Eighteen years later, we are still married and we have two wonderful children.”