An Inspiring Week at the 2025 Megaweek Event Series in Toronto

Our team dove deep into critical conversations about PVE alongside incredible partners from across Canada and other countries. The energy was palpable from day one when our director, Ghayda Hassan, hosted “Voices from the Frontlines,” hearing directly from educators, social workers, and community leaders navigating today’s complex social climate. At our booth, Sébastien Brouillette-Alarie and Wilson Hernandez were on hand throughout the day to answer questions and engage with the many visitors who stopped by to learn about our work and publications. We released our onboarding manual, “Partnering in practice: An onboarding guide for new PVE practitioners.” Get access by completing this request form.

Tuesday was a whirlwind of connections. In the morning, our director participated in the event hosted by Digital Public Square about Polarization in the Public Square, moderating the session “Living and working in polarized communities”. In the afternoon, our strategic planning consultation, facilitated by Ghayda Hassan and Zeina Ismail-Allouche with the participation of Nicole Fournier-Sylvester from the Canada Centre, brought together key Canadian organizations and practitioners from the vPiP community to shape our path forward (stay tuned for exciting updates!).

On Wednesday, we joined the Students Commission of Canada and witnessed youth leadership in action, which reminded us why this work matters. In the afternoon, Ghayda and Zeina facilitated a session to prioritize the work that adults should do to engage ethically with youth. We were also thrilled to share about THRIVE, our newest initiative centering youth voices.

Sébastien also represented CPN-PREV at the Metrics of Impact and Success in Countering Radicalization to Violence event, contributing to important discussions on measuring our collective impact.

From booth conversations to strategic sessions, this week reinforced what we know: preventing violent extremism isn't a solo effort. It takes all of us, practitioners, policymakers, communities, and especially young voices, to work together.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence for hosting this impactful Megaweek Event Series and creating a space for crucial conversations.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by, shared ideas, and committed to building more resilient communities. The work continues!