STRIVE HEDAYAH: Strengthening Resilience to Violent Extremism

Context

Since 2015, the STRIVE Global Programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by Hedayah, the Center of Excellence for Countering Extremism and Violent Extremism, has provided assistance to governments and civil society organisations (CSOs) to implement activities as outlined in their respective countries’ National CVE Strategies and Action Plans, and fostered cooperation between CSOs and governmnets. Throughout the course of the six-year program (2015-2021), STRIVE has supported 38 local organisations and 10 government CVE units throughout the Western Balkans, Central Asia, MENA, and South Caucasus. Through 39 projects, more than 15,000 youth/students, 1,850 school staff (teachers, psychologists, and social workers), 2,000 family members, 52 religious leaders, 26 police officers, 371 journalists and editors, 134 government spokespeople and 295 students of journalism have been targeted.

Overall objective

This project aims to build the capacity of local CSOs and government entities to design and implement impactful interventions in line with their respective CVE National Strategies and Action Plans to prevent radicalisation leading to extremism, violent extremism, and recruitment to terrorism and facilitate the de-radicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration processes of foreign terrorist fighter returnees and their family members.

Specific objectives

• To engage with local partners to design, implement and develop approaches that have a demonstrable impact on the threat posed by radicalisation and recruitment to terrorism.
• To support community-led, grassroots initiatives to address the drivers of recruitment and radicalisation to violence, and to build community resilience against violent extremism.

Concrete activities

• Research to understand the drivers of radicalisation.
• Community assessment of perceptions, attitudes, and level of engagement in Foreign Terrorist Fighters reintegration processes.
• Analysis of speech in social and traditional mass media and threats online.
• Population assessment of perceptions, attitudes and level of tolerance towards minorities, other ethnic and/or religious groups.
• Design and implementation of projects with CSOs in-country to prevent extremism, radicalisation and violent extremism.
• Bilateral support to governments in country on the following subjects:
  • Design of strategic campaigns and messages, production and dissemination, and evaluation of the impact on the audience.
  • Facilitating the review of P/CVE National Strategies and Action Plans, and MEL (Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning).
  • Training on Mutiagency Cooperation and Collaboration and inspiring the creation of a coordination body for the implementation of National Strategies and National Action Plans.
  • Introducing governement officials from ministries responsible of the implementation of the National Action Plans to P/CVE terminology, the cycle of radicalisation, and key approaches to tackle radicalisation at community level and online.

Results

• 53 projects designed in close coordination and cooperation between CSOs and governments.
• 18 research pieces available than can be used as evidence based for the design of interventions at country level and create and develop policies in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Türkiye.
• An “Introduction to CVE” curriculum with ten modules developed and adapted to Central Asia, MENA regions and Georgia. The curriculum aims to train governments officials and CSOs on key CVE concepts, terminology and approaches and it is available in English, Arabic, Georgian and Russian languages.
• A CVE Global web portal created intending to be a hub of CVE knowledge and practioners network.

Achievements

• 15,000 youth based in hot spots locations informed and prevented on the threat of radicalisation and threats online, and developed their media literacy and critical thinking skills in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, North Macedonia, Serbia and Tajikistan.
• 1,850 school staff (teachers, psychologists, and social workers) informed on the threat of radicalisation and threats online,  and trained on identification of signs of radicalisation and case management in Albania, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, North Macedonia and Tajikistan.
• 224 government officials from key ministries involved in the implementation of their country CVE National Strategy and Action Plan trained on CVE concepts, terminology and approaches, Monitoring and Evaluation and Multyagency Cooperation and actively applying the knowledge acquired in Albania, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan.   
• 666 journalists, editors and students of journalism trained on reporting on violent extremism and terrorism following ethical codes in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Jordan, North Macedonia, Serbia and Tajikistan.
• Designed, produced and launched an awareness campaign of the National Strategy for the fight against Violent Extremism and Terrorism 2023-2027 of the Tunisian National Commission Against Terrorism reaching 2,731,400 individuals within the 18-45 age group and generating in social media 6,713,199 impressions: particularly engaging young males aged 25-34.
• 180 stakeholders representing 36 states in Nigeria and the Office of the National Security Advisor (ONSA) gathered and consulted to review the Policy Framework and Action Plan to Prevent and Counter Violent Extremism, 2017 (the strategy should have been revised in 2020). Participants were trained on Legal Frameworks, Gender, Strategic Communications, Multiagency Cooperation, Community Engagement, Community Resilience and Monitoring and Evalution.