Background
Kicking off 2025 with purpose, Canterbury Bankstown Council partnered with All Together Now to deliver a full-day Challenging Hateful Misinformation workshop for local community workers. We aim to go beyond awareness and empower individuals to take meaningful action against racism, hate speech, and the spread of misinformation and fake news.
Our Solutions
The Challenging Hateful Misinformation Training was designed as a practical, hands-on experience for those who hold influence in our communities — youth workers, social workers, educators, community advocates, and local council staff. These professionals are often the first to hear harmful narratives and the first to be asked, “What should we do?”
Through real-world media examples, interactive exercises, and facilitated discussions, participants learned to:
- Recognise and respond to racist, hateful, and divisive narratives before they escalate
- Understand the drivers behind misinformation and their connection to racism and other forms of hate
- Respond with confidence to complex or confronting topics
- Apply practical strategies in the classroom, in community settings, or during one-on-one discussions
The workshop created a safe space for participants to practise tackling misinformation and disinformation in a way that fosters respect and understanding — even when the topics are complex or confronting.
Impact
This training didn’t just give participants new skills — it gave them the confidence to recognise and respond to hateful and harmful narratives.
One high school educator shared:
“I gained an understanding of the differences between fake news, misinformation, malinformation, and disinformation. I feel like these distinctions are important for my ability to speak to the different attempts to mislead people. I also gained a better appreciation of how a lot of the conspiracy theories are linked to racist tropes from our past — and that is helpful when we are thinking about who the audience is.”
A frontline worker from Community Adolescent Outreach Service summed up their experience simply:
“It was above and beyond expectations. This was incredible training — engaging from start to finish. [I now have] a better ability to not only identify but address misinformation.”
By creating a safe, interactive space to explore complex and often confronting topics, the workshop gave participants the language, tools, and confidence to address misinformation, whether in a classroom, during one-on-one support, or in community conversations.
Through this workshop, Canterbury Bankstown Council has strengthened the local network of trusted voices who can lead respectful, informed dialogue — reducing the impact of harmful misinformation and hate while building a more resilient and united community.
See what our participants say…
Great facilitators and practical skills. I feel more confident in how to structure my conversations with people around this topic and what to look out for when engaging with these things online.
Rose Dooley, Fort Street High School
Well explained, well facilitated and good information that is actionable.
[I found that] naming and thinking about strategies is helpful.
Finn O’Branagain, Outloud
I felt like the training addressed specific skills and techniques I could utilise in my conversations with young people to address their problematic views.
Samuel Park, Marrickville High School
Bring our workshops to your organisation?
Our training is flexible — available online or in person, and tailored to meet your organisation’s needs.
Contact us today to discuss how we can support you.
