Natasha Jaczek

Natasha is a queer, settler lawyer and PhD student focused on pluralist legal empowerment, critical pedagogy, and community-based justice education programs that aim to raise young people's critical legal consciousness. Working under Professors David Wiseman, Amy Salyzyn, and Joel Westheimer, she investigates how justice education programs impact youth's understanding of everyday law. Specifically, she examines what youth know about the law, what they want to know, their confidence in navigating legal issues, and whether they believe any of it matters.  Deeply committed to community engagement, Natasha’s recent work focuses on youth-led, culturally responsive, pluralist justice education initiatives for urban Inuit youth in Ottawa and programs designed for youth in detention centres. She has received two Social Justice Fellowships and served as program coordinator for the Ticket Defence Program, a lawyer/law-student run organization that defends and advocates for street-involved individuals. Prior to law school, she supported youth with disabilities, gaining firsthand experience in advocating for vulnerable communities. This practical knowledge informs her research approach.  Natasha also works part-time as a lawyer with the Department of Justice Canada and as an evaluation consultant for the Ontario Justice Education Network. She collaborates with the Access to Justice Lab at uOttawa, having run legal clinics focused on legal education and technology for young people. Natasha has presented her research at academic conferences domestically and internationally, attracting interest from justice education organizations that endorse her work as vital for addressing knowledge gaps.  Through her research and community involvement, Natasha aims to empower youth and enhance justice education. She strives to ensure that young people’s perspectives are not only recognized but actively shape discussions about justice and law across Ontario and beyond.