Alongside our Confronting and Preventing Hate in Canadian Schools toolkit, the Canadian Anti-Hate Network offers workshops that empower community members invested in supporting youth who are harmed by hate - both as perpetrators and as victims.
Youth are being specifically targeted by hate propaganda, which exists practically everywhere they socialize online. Before the pandemic, a study of American high school students found that 57% of participants reported being exposed to hate messages online in the two months prior to the survey.
Our research on hate promoting movements and actors has led us to notice that there is sometimes a correlation between individuals "having something to prove," and the extremity of their beliefs and actions.
At the same time as teenagers are exploited by adults in hate movements, for their youth and its associated conditions — naivete, impulsiveness, susceptibility to peer pressure and influence, struggles with identity — they are also sometimes leading figures and recruiters themselves. In this role, their capacity to relate to and share experiences with their peers makes them especially dangerous.
The Confronting and Preventing Hate in Canadian Schools workshop will help school professionals, parents, and all adults invested in the wellbeing of youth, in establishing around the young people in their lives, a fence of protection against racist, gendered, and anti-2SLGBTQ+ harassment and violence. When used by caring adults in their community, the knowledge gained from the workshop will help when children and youth are being groomed and recruited by white supremacists, and other purveyors of hate.
Our workshops, and the toolkit, are intended to complement -- not replace -- anti-racist education, and provide participants with the skillset to identify when youth are being groomed into hate movements, and what to do about it. There are currently no similar workshops with this focus provided by any other organization in Canada.
What to Expect
Our core programming is a 3-hour, trauma-informed workshop that looks at:
- Hate ideologies and telltale rhetorical signs, symbols, and memes
- Addressing racialized youth in white-dominated hate movements
- Pathways to grooming/recruitment and prevention
- How to address common scenarios in the school community
- Common defences of their behaviour (eg. it’s just an edgy meme) and how to counter
All workshops will include information specifically tailored to the needs and areas of concern for your organization or school community.
We are also able to accommodate custom-built workshops that deal with conspiracy theories and hate-promoting far-right movements. An additional fee may be required.
Testimonials
Here's what past participants have said about our workshop:
"Very informative, and I found it very helpful. The current information (about Kanye, for example) helped me contextualize a lot of the material."
"I am so much more equipped to identify problems in the school and in my classroom regarding hate in those spaces, as well as others."
"Excellent information that all educators, parents, and people working with youth should have. I appreciated the examples and scenarios and tips on how to handle various situations. I will be looking to the Toolkit for more information and appreciate the opportunities you provide for ongoing educator support."
"This workshop should be experienced by every current and future teacher in our province!"
Fees
Our fee for a workshop is $4,000 plus tax. Our workshops normally run three hours, but can be tailored to fit your needs. Charging fees is necessary in order for us to accommodate subsidized or no-cost workshops for less resourced organizations.
If you are part of a community organization, or your organization has a limited budget, let us know. We offer workshops on a sliding scale, or free of charge, for organizations with fewer resources.
How to Book a Workshop
- Email us at [email protected]
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Let us know:
- Organization name
- Organization type
- Whether your organization has specific budgetary concerns
- Any specific needs or areas of concern your organization has identified