Practice Spotlight: Launch of United for All Coalition

Posted on 4 December 2019 by Strong Cities Network - Member News

On Friday, November 15, 2019, a group of 24 organisations announced the formation of a local coalition called United for All. Led by the City of Ottawa, United Way East Ontario, Ottawa Police Services, and joined by many other organisations, the group will coordinate local efforts to overcome hate and violence in the city. As its first milestone, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson and the City of Ottawa’s leadership signed the Strong Cities Network (SCN) agreement as the largest coalition of organisations to join the network.

Breaking Down Barriers: City Exchanges as Tools for Building Collaboration

Posted on 4 December 2019 by Strong Cities Network - SCN Programmes

One of the most significant challenges in preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) is the sharing of information, resources, expertise and strategies. The lack of proper channels of communication, shared goals and informal spaces to discuss exchanges of ideas can breed mistrust and isolationism. 

To encourage the breaking down of these barriers, the Strong Cities Network (SCN) has conducted a series of city exchanges between its members. In this article, Local Prevention Coordinator Veton Latifi outlines their purpose and describes the latest (and first) city exchange to take place in the Western Balkans. 

Young Cities: How Youth Can Be Positive Agents of Change

Posted on 4 December 2019 by Strong Cities Network - SCN Programmes

Continuing on from our previous article on the importance of engaging and involving youth in municipal decision-making, as well as the mission of the SCN’s Young Cities programme, we are pleased to provide an update on the projects and work that youth are undertaking in Kenya, Lebanon and Senegal. We hope this can provide inspiration for our members for ideas on how cities can work with and empower youth, the range of issues that can be addressed, as well as the benefits of collaboration.

Building Cooperation between National and Local: Why Dialogue is Key to P/CVE

Posted on 4 December 2019 by Strong Cities Network - SCN News

Building cooperation between national and local authorities to prevent and counter violent extremism (P/CVE) is imperative. If we get it right, it improves information sharing, ensures a fair distribution of responsibilities, while creating synergies in efforts to reduce duplication.

The reality is often very different however. In this article, we map out the reasons for this divide, why it is imperative that we bridge it, and outline some basic steps towards improving national-local cooperation.

Practice Spotlight: Edmonton Resiliency Project

Posted on 7 November 2019 by Strong Cities Network - Practice Spotlight

Located in Alberta, Canada, the city of Edmonton has been an SCN member since March 2019. In that time, the city has been working hard to finalise the first of an ambitious three-phase plan to build better awareness of and resiliency against radicalization to violence radicalisation among its community. The report detailed below is a…
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Turning trauma into advocacy: Alpha Cheng’s engagement in addressing violent extremism

Posted on 7 November 2019 by Strong Cities Network - SCN News

Above: Alpha Cheng After the traumatic experience of losing his father to a violent extremist attack four years ago, Alpha Cheng decided to advocate for social cohesion, resilience and inclusivity. Reflecting on his path since that life changing moment and his future goals, he shares his thoughts on the current state of preventing and countering…
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Sustainable Development Goals and the Vital Role of Local Actors

Posted on 7 November 2019 by Strong Cities Network - SCN News

Above: Participants at Venice City Solutions  In our last newsletter, the Head of the Strong Cities Network (SCN) wrote about the similarities between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) agendas following the United Nations (UN) General Assembly. This month, the SCN joined mayors, local and regional government officials, and civil…
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SDGs and PVE – Working Towards the Same Goal?

Posted on 9 October 2019 by Strong Cities Network - SCN News

During this year’s UN General Assembly, a huge focus was placed on the Sustainable Development Goals adopted in 2016 with the convening of the SDG Summit to review the roadmap to 2030. In our main article, Head of Strong Cities Network, Rebecca Skellett, asks whether SDGs and PVE are working towards the same goal?

SCN’s Local Prevention Network Model expands to the Western Balkans

Posted on 9 October 2019 by Strong Cities Network - SCN Programmes

In 2017, the SCN launched an innovative and radical experiment in the Middle East – to bring local community actors together to drive efforts to help prevent violent extremism. This novel approach proved enormously successful, with six Local Prevention Networks (LPNs) launched across Lebanon and Jordan.

Today, we are proud to announce that this model is being expanded to the Western Balkans in the North Macedonian city of Kumanovo.

Last Call: Request for Proposals Local Partnership Grants (Kenya)

Posted on 9 October 2019 by Strong Cities Network - SCN Programmes

This is a last call for proposals. The SCN is seeking to fund a minimum of five local civil society or grassroots organisations between $8,000 and $10,000 USD to carry out projects which support the implementation of the County Action Plans in SCN member or engaged counties (Isiolo, Kwale, Lamu, Mombasa and Nakuru).