Tag: montréal

Training session on online hate prevention offered by the RÉSAL

As part of the development of the Réseau d’échange et de soutien aux actions locales (Network for exchange and local action support, RÉSAL)’s community of practice, an organization of which the ICPC is a member and the coordinator, a third training session of a series of activities planned this fall was held on November 4th. It focused on online hate prevention and aimed to familiarize the participants with the concepts of radicalization leading to violence and of hate-motivated acts. It also addressed various extremist expressions on social media, presented the existing initiatives and tools in the fight against online hate, and shared inspiring attitudes to face online hate.

The activity was hosted by Anne-Sophie Bedziri and Jeanne Plisson, advisors at the Centre for the Prevention of Radicalization Leading to Violence (CPRLV) on issues and challenges related to radicalization leading to violence.

Among the highlights of the workshop, there were:

  • The importance of properly deconstructing the vocabulary (radicalization, extremism, terrorism) to use it well. Radicalization itself can lead to social progress and positive actions and doesn’t necessarily imply violence.
  • The many forms that hate-motivated acts can take: hate-motivated incidents, hate speech, and hate crimes. While the latter falls under the jurisdiction of the law, it is still difficult to fight hate-motivated incidents and hate speech under current legislative measures.
  • Multiple resources can be combined to limit radicalization leading to violence and hate-motivated acts online. Expressing interest in the youth involved in these phenomena, encouraging doubt, and reinforcing protective factors, are important considerations for field workers.

More information about other training sessions offered:

Violence prevention in street gangs

Sexual violence prevention

Street work and youth intervention

These training sessions were carried out with the financial support of the City of Montreal.

Training session on sexual violence prevention offered by the RÉSAL

As part of the development of the Réseau d’échange et de soutien aux actions locales (Network for exchange and local action support, RÉSAL)’s community of practice, of which ICPC is a member and the coordinator, a second training session in a series of activities planned this fall, was held on October 28. It focused on the prevention of sexual violence and aimed to explore the importance of language and of certain concepts in sexual violence prevention and review legal aspects and helpful attitudes for field workers.

The activity was hosted by Katherine Lapierre, project manager for the sex education programme and counselor for L’Anonyme, a RÉSAL member that works to promote safe behaviour and egalitarian relationships among youth.

Among the highlights of the workshop, there were:

  • The importance of inclusive language in prevention and interventions among youth to create a safer environment and to limit stigmatization.
  • The many shapes and forms in which violence can appear in day-to-day life without necessarily being recognized as such by the victims or by the perpetrators (sexual coercion, harassment, stealthing, etc.).
  • Despite a common misconception, around 2% of complaints around sexual assault are false accusations. This fact contrasts with a common vision that tends to easily question the account of victims.
  • Lastly, although a number of tools exist to accompany youth on this topic, how workers react to the disclosure of violence (listening, interest, trust) remains key for the following procedure with victims.

More information about other training sessions offered:

Violence prevention in street gangs

Online hate prevention

Street work and youth intervention

These training sessions were carried out with the financial support of the City of Montreal.

Launch of the RÉSAL’s community of practice

The ICPC had the pleasure of organizing the launch of a series of workshops and activities offered by the Réseau d’échange et de soutien aux actions locales (Network for exchange and local action support, RÉSAL) as part of the development of its community of practice. Supported by the city of Montreal, this process aims to provide a bigger space for the sharing knowledge and experience around different forms of violence committed and suffered by youth aged 12 to 25. It is specially targeted at community workers in the North-East of the island of Montreal to equip them to deal with various problems met in their daily activities.

For the first theme of the fall on violence prevention in street gangs, the local stakeholders were able to attend a day-long workshop given by René-André Brisebois, instructor and lecturer at the University of Montreal for the last decade, and Professional Coordinator of the Institut universitaire jeunes en difficulté (IUJD)’s Center of Expertise.

Aiming to deconstruct common prejudices around street gangs and criminalized youth networks, the workshop highlighted some key aspects:

  • The ethnicized dimension of the term “street gang” and the complex reality of this phenomenon;
  • The social and personal characteristics pf gang members, as well as the affiliation and disaffiliation trajectories of youth within these groups;
  • The most effective approaches, preventive actions, and interventions for preventing the joining of gangs and for reducing related crimes.

Overall, around 15 participants were present at the workshop given at the BAnQ Grande bibliothèque and all sanitary recommendations were followed. This first workshop will be followed by clinical supervision activities this fall to delve deeper into the issues raised from the fieldworkers’ experience.

More information about other training sessions offered:

Sexual violence prevention

Online hate prevention

Street work and youth intervention

These training sessions were carried out with the financial support of the City of Montreal.

The ICPC participates in an SPVM workshop on police intervention policy

On Tuesday September 28th, the ICPC took part in a workshop lead by the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (Montreal police department, SPVM) on police intervention policy. Adopted in July 2020, the Politique sur les interpellations policières marks an important cultural turning point and provides a framework for the organization’s intervention practices. The SPVM is the first police force in Quebec to implement such a policy.

Among the issues discussed at the workshop, a focus was put on the following themes:

  • The difference between social interactions, interventions, police stops, custody for questioning, and arrests;
  • Legal issues related to various police practices;
  • The application context for and the issues related to the newly implemented intervention form.

This workshop aimed to demystify police intervention practices and to educate the public on the practical implications of the new policy in the SPVM. We thank the SPVM and the Borough of Saint-Léonard for inviting us to take part in this workshop and to exchange with local actors.

Local safety portrait presented to the Montreal North borough

At the end of 2020, the ICPC, in collaboration with sociologists Mariam Hassaoui (TELUQ) and Victor Armony (UQAM), started developing a local safety portrait of violence committed and suffered by youth in the borough of Montreal North. This portrait should better identify the needs of youth between 12 and 25 years of age in Montreal North and, in 2021, support a call for collaborative projects acting on contributing factors of violence in youth such as:

  • Violence in intimate and sexual relationships;
  • Physical, verbal, and psychological violence;
  • Sense of belonging and trust in authority figures.

These elements have been analysed in four contexts: private, academic, external public, and internal public, and take the gender of the presumed perpetrators and of the victims into account.

The local safety portrait was presented in several instances throughout the month of June:

  1. To the borough’s executive committee;
  2. To the borough’s local government;
  3. To the procedure’s steering committee.

By taking stock of violence committed and suffered by youth, this portrait will lay the foundation for concerted action.

The ICPC organizes a focus group of local Saint-Laurent stakeholders

The ICPC met with various community and institutional key actors working in the Saint-Laurent neighbourhood as part of the process leading up to a local safety audit.

This focus group’s goal was to better contextualize local realities, to identify the more at-risk parties, and to shed light on emerging problems that might not have been brought up in literature reviews or statistics. Speaking with local actors provides us with a more accurate view of local crime issues.

The local safety audit will be finished in June 2021.

ICPC’s participation in a webinar on the place of youth in the city

On February 4, the Réseau d'échange et de soutien aux actions locales (RÉSAL), of which ICPC is a member, offered a webinar on the place of youth in the city, more specifically on how knowledge and culture can act as protective factors for youth.

The RÉSAL opened a space for discussion to highlight different projects related to knowledge and culture that have a positive impact on the lives of Montreal youth in terms of violence prevention.

The invited panelists included Lucie Caillère, Executive Director of Projet Harmonie, Kémy St-Éloy, Community Coordinator, Prevention Pointe-de-l'Île, Katrina Journeau, Executive Director and co-founder of Prima Danse, and Karine Lavoie, Executive Director of Cirque Hors Piste.

To learn more about their presented projects, please visit the following page: https://www.resal-mtl.com/savoirs-et-culture.

Meeting between the ICPC and Caroline Bourgeois, head of public safety at the City of Montreal

ICPC was delighted to meet with Ms. Caroline Bourgeois, Mayor of the Rivière-des-Prairies-Pointe-aux-Trembles borough, who is in charge of public safety and the East End of Montreal, and Ms. Julie Demers, who is responsible for supporting elected officials, to discuss urban safety issues and prospects for collaboration within the City of Montreal.

Second RESAL Online Panel Discussion on the Place of Youth in the City

The Réseau d'échanges et de soutien aux actions locales (RÉSAL), of which ICPC is a member, invites you to its second online discussion panel on the place of young people in the city, and more specifically on how knowledge and culture can act as protective factors for youth.

The RÉSAL wishes to offer a space for discussion in order to highlight different initiatives and projects related to knowledge and culture that have a positive impact on the lives of Montreal youth, in terms of violence prevention.

The four following panelists will be part of the conversation:

The following questions will be addressed in particular:

  • What led you to define your project to meet the needs of youth and what needs does it address?
  • How has this project created a space for youth in the city?
  • What success factors were observed in terms of harmonious sharing in the public space?

Information to remember:
Date: Thursday, February 4, 2021, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Registration: online (https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/billets-la-place-des-jeunes-dans-la-ville-136637834441)

This webinar is open to all, especially those working with youth.

The number of registrations is limited: first come, first served! Looking forward to seeing you there!

*Please note that the discussion will take place in French.

Working session with community and social development workers in the borough of Montreal North

As part of the development of a local safety audit, ICPC met with community and social development workers in the borough of Montreal North to present the procedure used to respond to a current urban safety issue.

This online discussion allowed the stakeholders to take ownership of the different steps of this process, which aims to prevent and reduce violence committed and sustained by youth, as well as to better understand the realities on the ground in the borough.