Project Coordinators
Our team
GABRIEL BRAN LOPEZ
Founder and Executive Director
Gabriel Bran Lopez is the founder and General Manager of Youth Fusion and has spoken to thousands of young people to promote youth involvement in public issues.
Gabriel has traveled across Canada, the United States, Africa, Latin America and Europe. In 2007, he went to Gulu, Uganda, to work in a war zone with orphans and youth struggling with the ravages of HIV/AIDS, war and poverty. Last year, he worked in Dakar, Senegal, promoting human rights, education, health, sustainable development and micro-finance projects. Also in 2008, Gabriel was at the head of the Generations Pact environmental project in collaboration with Dr. David Suzuki, Dr. Hubert Reeves, Steven Guilbeault, and other renowned personalities. As a result, Quebec universities received significant funding from the Quebec government to promote sustainable development projects on campuses across the province.
Gabriel holds a BA in Communication Studies with Great Distinction from Concordia University, where he was the President of the Garnet Key Society, and was granted the John E. O'Brien Medal for his academic achievements as well as the Forces Avenir Personality Award for his commitment to initiatives that contribute to the development of socially conscious and responsible citizens. He is a Sauvé Scholar and was recently a finalist in CBC’s show Canada’s Next Great Prime Minister.
EVELYNE ABITBOL
Strategic Advisor
Evelyne Abitbol has over 25 years of professional experience in the field of communications. In 2001, she became the Director of Government Relations and Public Affairs at Concordia University, after leading the university’s French media relations since 1997 and being an associate professor (French studies and communication). After a lengthy career as a journalist, communications advisor and press attaché, most notably in the political arena, she worked as Communications Advisor for the National Assembly of Quebec and as Press Attaché and Head of Communications for Lucien Bouchard, Opposition Leader in the Parliament of Canada, who was elected Prime Minister of Québec.
As a journalist for numerous Canadian newspapers, radio and television stations, she participated in many international missions, and in 1994, she was a member of the Canadian delegation of the International Watchers Mission during the Chiapas elections. Moreover, she was a finalist for the nomination of the YWCA’s Femmes de Mérite program in the field of communications (2003), was part of the of the Mille Femmes exhibition in Montréal (2007), and was honoured by the Sephardic Cultural Institute of Canada for her tireless efforts in the promotion of inter-cultural dialogue. (2007). In 2008, she was named Vice-President of the Government Directors of Canadian Universities.
She currently works as Director of Marketing and Communications as well as R & D at Bojeux, a Montreal company.
GINETTE GAUTHIER
Development and subsidy Advisor
MARTIN REGIMBALD
Operations Director
Martin Regimbald joined the Youth Fusion team in February 2010 as operations director. Mr Regimbald’s role is to make sure that Youth Fusion coordinators are able to carry on, with proper resources and organisation, their projects with the students within various schools. He is also a communication agent between, schools, Youth Fusion and our partners.
Martin is coming from the Quebec education system’s network. He was first a science teacher at 10th and 11th grade levels, then as high school vice-principal and manager in high schools from lower Laurentides region. For the past 18 years he was part of many committees spanning at local, regional or provincial levels on various Quebec education system’s issues: qualification and graduation rates, achievement and persistence of young students within the education network, support to children with learning or behavioural difficulties, guidance-oriented schooling, Quebec education reform, education network and school organisation, etc. He is concerned about the well-being of students and the quality of their learning environment. He organised and was part of many school activities that would improve student’s self-esteem, their attachment to the school, and their awareness.
On the social and community scenes, Martin is involved at regional and provincial levels in outdoor wilderness activities and representations. He’s also a member of two boards of direction of non profit organizations dedicated to the promotion and development of music in the Montreal region. He is webmaster, administrator and moderator of websites and forums on these subjects.
Martin has a scientific background with a B.Sc. specialized in physics from Université de Montréal. He holds a teaching licence and permit for Quebec schools. He then proceeded for graduated studies in science and school administration. Finally, he obtained a MBA from Université du Québec à Montréal.
RACHID ABIZA
Executive Assistant
ALANAH HEFFEZ
Northern regional Coordinator
