Practical, trusted resources for city leaders and practitioners to help protect cities from harmful COVID-19-related disinformation and conspiracy theories, and build resilience against all types of extremism.
Cities and their communities are on the frontlines in the effort to tackle COVID-19 and the associated threats of disinformation, marginalisation and polarisation it is wreaking on our societies. Here, we have outlined some of the top resources for city officials and policymakers, including best practices, guidance, data and toolkits.
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Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, civil society has proven a fundamental pillar in supporting state and local efforts to tackle the pandemic. However, it is also severely threatened by loss of support and funding. Here, we've provided resources to help civil society efforts in fighting COVID-19 and the various challenges it presents.
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Communities, and the sense of belonging and cohesion that comes with them, have been badly affected during the COVID-19 pandemic, with enforced isolation and more time spent online. Here we have highlighted encouraging stories of communities that have pulled together and supported one another, as well as examples of initiatives that have worked to prevent marginalisation and polarisation.
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With schools around the world moving to online teaching throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, young people have been spending more time on the internet and social media, where extremist rhetoric, hate speech and other online harms pose a greater threat. Here, we've compiled education resources to help teachers, parents and youth workers teach youth how to be aware of and build resilience to these online harms.
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While COVID-19 brought a real public health threat to cities and communities around the world, violent extremist groups have been capitalising on the distraction to expand their reach and double down on their online propaganda initiatives. We've provided key reports and resources which highlight the danger the pandemic poses regarding extremism, and suggest possible ways forward for policymakers, tech companies and industry leaders to help curtail the threat.
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The scale of online mis- and disinformation, hate speech, polarising narratives and other online harms has soared throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, posing a threat to democratic institutions, social cohesion and public health, among others. We've highlighted some of the most salient resources in helping to stave off and counter these online threats.
Read more >We 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.
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