WHAT I WISH I KNEW
A Guide to Children’s Rights in New Brunswick
Embedded Files
The 2026 Erminie Cohen Compassion Award Recipient is : ROXANNE KADSAN
The Voice Behind the Guide
From "Pawn" to Advocate
Jazmyne McLaughlin’s commitment to youth rights is rooted in her own journey through the child welfare system. Having experienced foster care and group home life firsthand, she describes the shock of entering care—waking up for a meeting and being told she wasn’t going home. She knows the exhaustion of fighting to be heard in a system where life-altering decisions are often made around youth rather than with them.
A proud St. Thomas University alumna (BA ’24) and current Schulich Law student (Dalhousie University), Jazmyne began this project as a human rights internship. Co-created with illustrator Lexie Temple, the guide distills the complex principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into 11 essential rights. Jazmyne is using her education to challenge systems at their roots, ensuring the next generation never feels like a "pawn" in their own lives.
"In a robotic system, we need to speak life into young people. Tell them 'I'm proud of you' and 'I love you'—because rights might as well not exist if children don’t know about them."
— Jazmyne McLaughlin
A Conversation on Advocacy
Education Coordinator Jessica Ferguson sits down with Jazmyne to discuss the year-long journey of
writing this book. In this interview, Jazmyne shares how community, sports, and school became her "life jacket" while in care and why it is critical for caregivers to take young people seriously the first time they speak up.
A Provincial Initiative
Giving Youth Something to Own
Under the direction of the Office of the NB Advocate, this resource is being delivered to the spaces where youth live and learn across New Brunswick. This widespread effort ensures the guide is available in every school district, provincial group home, and foster family agency.
Every book includes a dedicated space for a youth to write their name. As Jazmyne notes, "Youth in care often own very little". This guide is designed to be a permanent piece of knowledge and a tangible possession in an uncertain system.
Collaborative Advocacy
Born to Make History
What began as an undergraduate project evolved into a collaborative provincial movement. By combining lived experience with legal expertise and artistic vision, the team has created a tool that empowers youth to seek help and remember they are never alone.
The Team (L-R): Kelly Lamrock (NB Advocate), Jazmyne McLaughlin (Author), and Lexie Temple (Illustrator).
Get the digital Guide
Accessible online in four languages to serve all children and youth in New Brunswick.
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