Three-Day Co-Design Workshop: Strengthening Practitioner-Led Capacity Building Across Regions

From February 23 to 25, the Canadian Practitioners Network for the Prevention of Extremist Violence (CPN-PREV) was pleased to convene a three-day co-design workshop hosted at the Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance (CSLP) at Concordia University. The workshop was designed by Zeina Ismail Allouche and co-facilitated with Ghayda Hassan.

This gathering brought together members of our vPiP community of practice, organizers of the upcoming workshops in Halifax and Prince Edward Island, and colleagues from relevant professional associations. From a CPN-PREV perspective, the workshop represented a key step in strengthening practitioner-led capacity building across regions. The presence of local organizers and professional bodies enriched the dialogue and laid the groundwork for broader uptake and sustainable delivery of the training module in additional contexts.

The capacity development workshops to be delivered in Halifax and Prince Edward Island are co-organized by the Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence, CPN-PREV, Halifax Regional Municipality, and the Canadian Centre for Safer Communities through its Upstream Project. This collaboration reflects a shared commitment to advancing prevention efforts through cross-sectoral partnership and locally grounded approaches.

The primary objective of the three days was the collective co-design of a capacity development module to be delivered in Halifax and Prince Edward Island. By the end of the workshop, we worked toward clearly identifying the module’s core content, articulating its key messages, agreeing on learning approaches and activities, and clarifying roles and responsibilities moving forward.

Beyond these concrete outcomes, one of the most meaningful achievements was the strengthening of relationships within and beyond our community of practice. Building trust, alignment, and shared ownership remains central to CPN-PREV’s approach to advancing prevention work across Canada.

Time was also dedicated to initiating tangible outputs, including draft PowerPoint presentations and practical training tools to support implementation. We extend our sincere thanks to all participants for engaging in this collective process and look forward to continuing this important collaboration as we move toward delivery in Halifax and Prince Edward Island.