In an effort to strengthen the local response to violent extremism, a focus group was organized on October 14, 2023, in Niš, bringing together young participants from local high schools. The goal was to gather youth perspectives on how institutions, media, and civil society organizations can more effectively address radicalization and prevent violent extremism.
The focus group session, lasting two hours, resulted in a set of actionable recommendations. These recommendations were prepared and shared with local institutions, media outlets, and civil society organizations in preparation for a roundtable discussion.
Key Recommendations:
For Media: Increase coverage on extremism prevention, organize educational campaigns, and train journalists to be more sensitive to the issue. Media should promote good practices, avoid hate speech, and focus on investigative reporting of extremism cases.
For Institutions: Strengthen coordination by creating a local body to address violent extremism, and integrate such activities into local strategic documents. Schools should implement early warning mechanisms for radicalization, and public institutions should allocate funding for counter-extremism programs.
For Civil Society Organizations: Regularly engage citizens with informative campaigns, support victims of extremism, and contribute to local strategic documents. These organizations should work on promoting tolerance, non-violence, and peaceful coexistence.
These recommendations aim to foster a unified and effective local strategy in Niš to combat violent extremism and build a more resilient community.
Here you can find the recommendations.
