Understanding Youth Grievance-Based Violence Through a Social Justice Lens

On May 28, CPN-PREV’s Director and Founder, Ghayda Hassan, alongside Associate Director, zeina ismail-allouche, co-presented a keynote at the annual BGC (Boys and Girls Clubs) conference in Winnipeg.

Their presentation addressed a critical stance on how we collectively understand youth grievance-based violence in Canada, through a social justice lens grounded in young people’s lived realities.

Drawing on CPN-PREV’s work, the keynote reframed violence not as individual pathology, but as emerging from intersecting experiences of exclusion, harm, and unmet needs. It also highlighted how structural inequalities, identity-based grievances, and both online and offline environments shape youth pathways.

The session concluded by exploring youth and community prevention approaches that transform grievances into agency and belonging.