The project “Communities against violent extremism” that CIVIL is implementing with the support of the US Embassy in Skopje, aims towards introducing concrete and efficient multimedia approaches, contribution to mobilization, education and strengthening communities at the local level, towards cross-sectorial partnerships and collaboration between decision-making structures and relevant stakeholders at the local and national level, with the purpose of developing and implementing efficient action plans for countering violent extremism, radicalization and terrorism.

Identifying the factors of radicalization among individuals and groups, understanding and recognizing potentials for violent extremism, promoting non-violent ways of criticism and protest, as well as assistance in creating and implementing local and national plans against violent extremism, are an important segment in the process.

Following the successful working meeting in Cair, Gazi Baba and Veles, as well as the successful working meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Interior, as continuation to the

cooperation and partnership in accordance to the signed Memorandum in May this year, working meetings are now to be held in Kumanovo, Tetovo and Struga.

A Memorandum of cooperation in the fight against violent extremism, between the Municipality of Kumanovo and CIVIL, will be signed prior to the Kumanovo working meeting that will be held on November 29, 2018. The Mayor of the Municipality of Kumanovo, Maksim Dimitrievski, together with representatives of schools, the police, civil society organizations and experts in the area of extremism, and in joint communication with CIVIL’s team, will have an opportunity to contribute with specific measures and solutions for prevention.

In Veles, on October 30, starting at 10 am, the Mayor of Veles, Ace Kocevski, and the President of CIVIL, Xhabir Deralla, will sign also a Memorandum of cooperation in the fight against violent extremism, which will be followed by the forming of a working group that will work on specific activities in the coming period and on organizing public events in Veles for prevention, understanding and recognizing violent extremism.

In the beginning of December, such meetings are planned in Cair, Tetovo and Struga, as well forming a working group and signing a Memorandum of cooperation in Gazi Baba. As part of the project activities, CIVIL in this period also carried out several meetings with representatives of the National Committee for preventing violent extremism and countering terrorism.

B. Jordanovska