On August 26 and 27, 2025, the International Centre for the Prevention of Crime (ICPC) held its second summer school, focused on a central issue: the crisis of trust between the public and institutions. 

Over two half-days, nearly fifty participants gathered, including researchers, students, professionals from health, education, public safety, justice, and community sectors, as well as institutional and municipal representatives. Together, they analyzed the dynamics of mistrust, shared concrete experiences, and proposed action plans to build lasting relationships of trust. 

From the outset, the ICPC team presented the goals of the summer school: to create a space for dialogue, to bring together scientific, civic, and professional perspectives, and to collectively reflect on solutions rooted in local realities. 

Day 1 – Exploring the Many Faces of Mistrust 

The afternoon of August 26 kicked off with a series of presentations and testimonials. 

Janny Montinat and Alexis St-Maurice, analysts and project managers at ICPC, illustrated how mistrust manifests in various contexts: local communities, educational institutions, social services, and research. They emphasized that trust cannot be imposed—it must be earned and built. 

Michelle Côté, scientific advisor at ICPC, highlighted the often invisible issues behind trust and mistrust in institutions, drawing on data from Quebec, Canadian, and international surveys. She stressed the conditions that foster successful preventive interventions: agility, flexibility, fairness, and openness. 

Marylin Coupienne, legal advisor at FMHF, then questioned the role of law and youth protection institutions in the current crisis of trust. She pointed out the dead ends created by intervention approaches overly focused on evidence and fault, at the expense of building trust with families. 

The day concluded with open discussions among attendees, followed by a networking cocktail that extended the conversations. 

Day 2 – Rethinking Relationships with Institutions 

On the morning of August 27, participants deepened the discussion through lectures and a roundtable. 

Victor Armony, professor at UQAM and researcher at CRIDAQ, opened the day by analyzing the mistrust and suspicion that characterize relations between police and racialized minorities. He described a loop of reciprocal mistrust: the more police target certain groups, the more those groups develop mistrust, which in turn leads to further targeting. 

Carl Lacharité, emeritus professor at UQTR, offered the perspective of families on their interactions with service institutions, showing that trust and mistrust develop over the course of a child’s growth and through the quality of dialogue with professionals. He also reminded attendees that mistrust is not always a sign of social breakdown—it can be a legitimate adaptive strategy in response to institutions perceived as distant or intrusive. 

Finally, a closing panel brought together all the speakers including Pierreson Vaval, founder of organisations such as Équipe RDP and the POZÉ coalition. They collectively emphasized the importance of supporting families and communities in their interactions with institutions, in order to transform situations of mistrust into spaces for dialogue. 

They also emphasized the need to recognize shared responsibilities, to resist discouragement, and to adapt our approaches in response to social and technological transformations—particularly with the emergence of artificial intelligence. 

A Space for Collective Learning and Action 

By organizing this summer school, the ICPC provided participants with a unique space to exchange ideas, confront differing viewpoints, and identify concrete solutions to the trust-related challenges facing our institutions. 

This summer school demonstrated that trust is simultaneously a matter of data, practices, and human relationships. It cannot be imposed from above. It is built through everyday experience, mutual recognition, active participation by citizens and communities, and the commitment of institutions to work with—and not merely for—those they serve.