* If you or your organization wish to take part in one of our training sessions, or if we can assist you to adapt training sessions to your specific needs, please contact our Training Coordinator at the following address: porcelli.paola@uqam.ca

The training axis of CPN-PREV

The training axis of CPN-PREV project seeks to create, expand and increase access to the training modules, toolkits and capacity strengthening programs aimed at the prevention of violent radicalization.

Resources will include not only training courses and capacity strengthening tools but also activities specifically designed for practitioners in the health, social services, education and community sectors across Canada. Other audiences such as policy makers and security forces can also be involved according to the needs.

In particular, our network will support the implementation and dissemination of training-related initiatives, while ensuring their field testing, monitoring and evaluation. This will benefit the implementation of professional development methodologies and tools, both evidence-based and adapted to local realities.

The CPN-PREV/SHERPA/RAPS consortium initiative

To achieve this objective, CPN-PREV will develop a consortium with the SHERPA-RAPS team (www.sherpa-recherche.com) and other partners with recognized expertise on violent radicalization.

The CPN-PREV/SHERPA-RAPS consortium initiative will draw on an existing training program called Intercultural III (Improving Prevention Through Understanding: Violent Radicalization Among Youth). Developed and evaluated in Quebec since 2016, this program has received accreditation from the provincial ministries of Education and Health. The general goal of the training is to provide an understanding of violent radicalization among youth by using clinical, reflexive and anti-discriminatory approaches.

Based on the success of this training program, the CPN-PREV/SHERPA-RAPS consortium will have the following goals:

• Support CPN-PREV’s members and partners with the dissemination of the Intercultural III training program across Canada;
• Enhance and update the content and format of Intercultural III in order to adapt the training to specific contexts and trainee audiences, while encouraging inter-sectorial collaboration;

• Help organizations with the development and/or implementation of similar training programs and tools, including Training of Trainers and other initiatives to strengthen the capacities of practitioners working in prevention of violent radicalization;

• Create, monitor and evaluate methodologies and protocols based on the recommendations of the previous reports, while considering the results of the systematic reviews;
• Promote knowledge mobilization around training and capacity strengthening among organizations and practitioners across Canada.

Training structure and content

Intercultural III is offered by two co-facilitators, a researcher and a practitioner. The training aims to foster exchange and collaboration while engaging with experiences drawn from participants’ workplace.

Moreover, the training modules are tailored to different audiences through various formats having a different length (from few hours to some days).

All the training options include a general module to which some complementary modules can be added according to the needs.

Three formula are available, i.e.:

• Express 3-hour training: awareness-building and introduction to approaches and resources for prevention and intervention;
• À la Carte Training, with choice of a combination of:
  • General module/basic training (3 hours): Theoretical basics for understanding violent radicalization among youth + Conceptual and contextual overview + Risk and protective factors + Approaches to prevention;
  • Specialized complementary modules (1-3 hours): Principles of prevention / Principles of clinical intervention / How to support families? / How to talk about sensitive topics with children?
• Training for Educational Settings: the general and complementary modules can be adapted for educators to meet the needs and realities of educational settings.

After completing the general module, participants should be able to:

• Understand the phenomenon of social polarization and its impacts on risk for violent radicalization;
• Make connections between terms used in everyday language and clinical contexts and the theoretical notions;
• Identify the current state of research evidence on prevention of violent radicalization and the outcomes associated with the diverse initiatives undertaken;
• Identify risk (push and pull) and protective factors associated with violent radicalization;
• Highlight how risk and protective factors may vary, given particular sociodemographic characteristics (gender, age, immigration status or generation of immigrant, ethnic and religious group, identification with the majority or minorities);
• Reject culturalist explanations, avoid stigmatization, and associated harms;
• Understand the risks of screening and the limitations of available risk assessment tools;
• Apply a systematic evaluation model of individuals at risk of violent radicalization;
• Apply inclusive strategies and inter-sectorial collaboration in situations involving violent radicalization, while respecting the clinical and ethical mandates of all sectors concerned;
• Understand and honor clinical and ethical mandates of all involved partners/sectors.

Intercultural III training modules
One-day training
a) Intersectoral training (all audiences) ↓ General + Prevention + Supporting families	b) Basic educational training (school professionals) ↓ General at school + Prevention at school + How to talk with pupils about sensitive topics		c) Specialised training (ex. management professionals, helplines’ professionals info-santé/info-social, etc.) ↓ Specific contents
Two-day training
Day 1 Intersectoral training (all audiences) ↓ General + Prevention		Day 2 Advanced educational training (school professionals) OR Clinical training (professionals involved in clinical intervention)

Click here for the full RAPS Training Pamphlet