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Strong Cities and the Foundation for a Path Forward Announce Strategic Partnership to Tackle Rising Hate, Extremism and Polarisation

Publication Date:

05/04/2024

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News

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British ColumbiaCanadaCity-Led ActionFoundation for a Path ForwardNorth AmericaRacism

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Vancouver, British Columbia – Across Canada, local leaders and cities are facing rising hate, extremism, racism, and polarisation; global challenges with acute local impacts. Whether urban or rural, cities and municipalities typically bear the burden of these impacts, but – crucially – are also uniquely positioned to prevent and respond.

With a shared commitment of empowering city-led action to tackle these challenges, Strong Cities and the Foundation for a Path Forward are delighted to announce a new strategic partnership: one that brings together Strong Cities’ global network and expertise in catalysing city-led action in addressing hate, extremism and polarisation, and Foundation for a Path Forward’s trailblazing anti-racism initiatives in British Columbia.

“Strong Cities is proud to be joining forces with our friends at Foundation for a Path Forward. This partnership represents a unique opportunity to support Canadian cities, leveraging our organisations’ respective global and domestic networks and experience to empower local efforts and local leaders to build and strengthen social cohesion and the resilience of their cities and communities to withstand these global threats,” said Eric Rosand, Strong Cities’ Executive Director.

The partnership, soft-launched with a joint Breaking Bread, Building Bonds interfaith dinner in Vancouver in late March, will facilitate knowledge-sharing, capacity-building and collaborative efforts aimed at unlocking the power and potential of city-led action in prevention and response. Upcoming collaborations include a project funded by Canadian Heritage, and a conference for Canadian mayors and municipalities on Global Crises – Local Harms: The Role of Canadian Cities in Maintaining Social Cohesion during Public Safety Canada’s CVE Mega Week in Montreal in May. The Strong Cities – Foundation for a Path Forward partnership will also be supporting an exciting new BCSMART Initiative.

“The Foundation for a Path Forward is honoured to partner with the Province of British Columbia on a groundbreaking initiative, BCSMART, aimed at transforming British Columbia’s approach to address the escalating threat of online harms. By combining state-of-the-art data analysis, the expertise of the Strong Cities Network, and our deep-rooted community connections, we aim to deliver a solution with maximum positive impact for the people of B.C.,” said Tariq Tyab and Yusuf Siraj, Co-Founders of Foundation for a Path Forward.

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About Foundation for a Path Forward

Championing innovative and evidence-based anti-racism and community resilience programs, since its inception in 2020, the Foundation has impacted over 750,000 individuals, formed 200+ organisational relationships, and established an office in Toronto, Calgary, and Moncton. The Foundation’s anti-racist and start-up mindset is developing and delivering innovative and impactful solutions for key challenges faced by Canadians, including racism, public safety, gender equality, youth empowerment, mental health, interfaith and communal tensions, refugees and more. Connect: email [email protected], visit www.foundation4ward.org and follow on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, or Instagram.

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