The month of December 2020 saw the partnership and collaboration of the British Council and QARAMA (Human Dignity Union) on the joint inception and execution of The Circle of Trust project, an innovative communication campaign funded by the European Union (EU) aimed at creating an environment where people can be in control of their lives, free from manipulation by violence, propaganda and hate speech through restoring trust and building a support circle between young men and women on one hand, and their communities on the other. The project also aimed at strengthening the relationship between the citizen and state actors including the security forces in order to devise an ambience of empowerment between the all the major stakeholders in rejecting and condemning violent extremism, and preventing exploitation by violence and fighting.
The project mainly covered the three intertwined focus areas of youth empowerment, resilience building and fighting violent extremism based on a proactive approach which combines effective means of dialogue and communication with the crucial exercise of conflict management and prevention. Across a five-stage process, the project saw the inception of five circles, each rallying a relevant set of stakeholders and covering a particular component across the main focus areas.
The five circles and complementary components covered were allocated as follows:
Circle 1: Intercultural Dialogue;
Circle 2: Duty Bearers;
Circle 3: Religious Leaders;
Circle 4: Youth and CSOs; and
Circle 5: Testimonials.
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