Engaging faith leaders in primary prevention – Connecting Communities workshop
This recording features the presentation and panel discussion that opened workshop from the Connecting Communities program on engaging faith leaders and communities in primary prevention efforts.
The opening presentations from this workshop, held on March 12th 2026, focus on strengthening engagement with faith leaders and communities in primary prevention work.
While this workshop itself was only open to members of the Connecting Communities Network, these opening discussions recorded to be shared with the broader prevention sector.
The workshop featured expert speakers:
- Dr Kathy Vaughn, Director at the Nossal Institute at the University of Melbourne
- Praveena Rajkobal, Buddhist Council of Victoria
- Sheikh Muhammad Nawas, Board of Imams Victoria
- Ramanbir Singh Arneja, Victorian Sikh Gurdwaras Council
- Rivka Johnson, Jewish Care
This workshop has been delivered as part of the Connecting Communities program, a partnership program between the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health (MCWH) and Safe and Equal to support the learning and professional development needs of a network of organisations working with multicultural and faith-based communities to prevent violence against women in Victoria since 2022, through the Victorian Government’s Supporting Multicultural Communities to Prevent Family Violence Grant Program.
RELATED
RESOURCES
‘Improving our approach to community-led prevention’ brings together lessons from members of the Connecting Communities network and existing evidence on how to embed community-led practices into primary prevention initiatives working with multicultural and faith-based communities.
‘Engaging Men from Multicultural and Faith-Based Communities in Primary Prevention’ draws on the existing evidence base, as well as practice examples from members of the Connecting Communities network, to outline their learnings, tools, insights and strategies for working with multicultural and faith-based men.
‘Engaging Men from Multicultural and Faith-Based Communities in Primary Prevention’ draws on the existing evidence base, as well as practice examples from members of the Connecting Communities network, to outline their learnings, tools, insights and strategies for working with multicultural and faith-based men.
‘Communicating for Connection’ brings together lessons from members of the Connecting Communities network and existing evidence on how to use a values-based, community-led approach to developing messaging around primary prevention in multicultural and faith-based settings.
Partnerships are a crucial tool for strengthening community-led primary prevention with multicultural communities, and strengthening practice more broadly within organisations seeking to engage multicultural and faith communities. Taking a partnership approach means looking closely at how organisations work together equitably, not just their project outcomes.
This recording features the presentation and panel discussion that opened workshop from the Connecting Communities program on Prevention with LGBTQIA+ multicultural and faith communities.