Preventing Violent Extremism Through Chess
For the town of Majdal Anjar in Leabnon, 1 August will never be the same again. Where normally the country…
Recent News
SCN South Asia Summit: Supporting City-Led Efforts to Prevent and Counter Violent Extremism
This inaugural SCN virtual South Asia Summit will bring together local and national government officials, experts, frontline practitioners and civil…
Young Cities North Macedonia Showcase Expo
The Strong Cities Network held a Young Cities Showcase Expo on November 11th, 2021 in Skopje, North Macedonia. This was…
Violent Extremism and Polarization Workshop Brussels
On 27-28 October, 2021 the Strong Cities Network (SCN) and the University of Ghent hosted a workshop that brought together…
Strong Cities Network: September Updates
September marked two important occasions for the Strong Cities Network. On 22 September, mayors and other representatives from some 20…
Why Do Cities Matter? 10 Steps That Cities Can Take to Prevent and Counter Violent Extremism
Whether urban or rural, cities and other local authorities from Mumbai to Mogadishu, New York to Nice, and Paris to…
North Macedonia: Local Ownership of Global Challenges
While the media is rightly commemorating the 20th anniversary of the 11 September 2001 attacks this month, in North Macedonia…
How 9/11 and Its Aftermath Continues to Frustrate Local Intervention Efforts in Kenya
In the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 attacks, Kenya became a key ally to US counter-terrorism efforts in the…
Between Countering and Preventing: Lebanon and the Legacy of 9/11
The U.S. military-led response to 9/11 and the beginning of the ‘Global War on Terror’ in 2001 became a flashpoint…
Change is Coming to Lebanon, and it is Being Driven at the Local Level
Last week marked the one-year anniversary of the Beirut Port explosion. In recent years, the country has been brought to…
What we do
DesignWe partner with city officials to establish local risk assessments and design action plans and programmatic responses. From de-radicalisation programming to youth engagement strategies, we ensure that local responses address local needs.
Working from the ground up, we establish local coordination bodies that unite city halls, civil society educators, public health bodies, the private sector and faith leaders to identify and address community tensions. We base our success on harnessing existing and credible institutions, from social services to traditional civic infrastructure.
We galvanise mayors, city officials, local services, communities and youth, training them to play active roles in diagnosing and responding to local risk factors, creating an international repository of best practice approaches.
We help members access the latest research and best practice from across the network through our SCN Online Hub, which features stories, interviews, guides and training modules for teachers, city officials and civil society. Our SCN Hate and Extremism Mapper provides members with data, building digital observatories that correlate online risks with offline behaviour.
We act as a bridge, creating stronger working relationships between local and national governments. We also provide civil society with the knowledge, skills and resources to foster meaningful partnerships with officials in city halls.