In ‘The Human Library’, people are books. Designed as a way to challenge stereotypes and prejudices, each ‘book’ is an opportunity for people to share their personal stories with the readers to foster discussions on sensitive topics. These books are given categories which often provoke strong reactions, such as ‘Molested’, ‘HIV’, ‘Homeless’, or ‘Refugee,’ which…
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Earlier this month, Strong Cities Network partnered with Birmingham City Council to organise a two-day conference facilitating national and international knowledge-sharing on building strong cities with a specific focus on community cohesion, preventing and countering violent crime, and radicalisation. The challenges faced by local policymakers in preventing and countering violent extremism, whilst also seeking to…
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COMPACT featured at the SCN Showcase at the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) in September, Too often, the drive of countering violent extremism (CVE) has been perceived as hard-power counter-terrorism (CT). In doing so, it often risks alienating and isolating the very communities it seeks to protect, thereby threatening to undermine its goal. When viewed through…
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Over thirty young people from Majdal Anjar took part in a three-day Prevention of Violent Extremism (PVE) camp and a one-day Strong Cities training on conflict transformation organised by the Community Prevention Network of Majdal Anjar, in collaboration with the local civil society organization “Youth Initiatives”. Among the priorities set by the municipal-led Community Prevention…
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Authors: Jonathan Birdwell, Joe Downy, Strong Cities Network With the global rise of xenophobia and extremism, it is vital that liveability indexes consider city-level community polarisation – our “ability to live together.” Last month, The Economist published its latest Global Liveability Index (GLI). After a reign at the top of the list for seven years, Melbourne was displaced by Vienna…
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On 2-3 October 2017, the International Dresden Dialogue conference brought together mayors, international organisations and NGOs, academics and media figures from across Europe to discuss today’s key urban challenges, spanning social and economic inequality, community polarisation, and preventing and countering violent extremism. Hosted by Mayor Dirk Hilbert, and drawing contributions from several cities including…
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