Summary About The Role of Hedayah
Hedayah is a global organization that uses its expertise and experiences to counter violent extremism (CVE) through dialogue, capacity building programs, research, and assessments. The CVE task force works towards enhancing the understanding and sharing of good practices to efficiently develop the competence of CVE facilitators internationally to encourage tolerance, stability, and security. Hedayah is well equipped to generate quality research and evidence-based opinions while enhancing and reinforcing the execution of efficient CVE regulations and programs, convening skilled and trained CVE experts from all corners of the world, and connecting with government organs, NGOs, private sectors, and communities. It also allows donors to share the burden and mutually support CVE programs, to reduce the risk and the cost. Hedayah approaches CVE from different angles with the sole objective of tackling the risk of violent extremisms. It has National Strategies and Action Plans, strategic communication and messaging, education, community engagement, de-radicalization, disengagement, and reintegration.
Hedayah’s National Action Plans (NAP) department focuses on upcoming global good processes. When it partners with governments, it offers technical support and capacity building for the public good. It gives a holistic and inclusive aspect to the government in order to attain a complete society approach in reducing the risk of violent extremism. The department’s primary objectives are to enlighten the government of facilitators of violent extremism, establish feasible cross-government frameworks, and coupling donor ambitions with evidence-based analysis of the local needs.
Violent radical associations propagate their beliefs to influence and enroll people through various channels. Hedayah executes programs to build the organizations’ competence that deal with these messages, both online and offline. As violent radical associations continue using advanced technology tools to contact recruits, Hedayah remains steady in its commitment to establish an effective program for countering the progress involving platforms like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) reliable messengers to reject violent extremist messaging. Research shows that response-narratives and messaging campaigns influence the target audience’s knowledge and behavior and determines the most effective strategies. Hedayah has stepped outside the traditional CVE program and is now using social media influencers and search engine optimization. It also provides custom-made programs through its digital and media literacy projects that include sports diplomacy to counter the increased disinformation and indoctrination rate. Bringing the relevant participants together is crucial for Hedayah, facilitating communication strategies, thus enhancing ideas and creativity.
Part of Hedayah’s action plan is to continue offering a deeper understanding and strengthening the relationship between education and CVE. It optimizes opportunities to influence and incorporate religious and conventional education in CVE techniques and programs to forbid radicalization and develop elasticity among the most prone to violent extremism communities. It continues to share its good practices and carry out workshops with countries that want to boost their education and CVE techniques. It also aims to expand the CVE and education scheme through custom-made competence building activities for various education professionals in several regions. Hedayah also seeks to investigate the most successful techniques of impacting changes through constant monitoring and evaluation of the program.
It is vital to ensure the threat of violent extremism is tackled comprehensively. Government organs have to share the responsibility of preventing violent extremism with community characters. Therefore, Hedayah integrating community engagements with several characters is among its crucial expertise. The local characters are such as youth, families, and religious leaders. Community engagement also involves creating the capacities of civil societies and NGOs to execute CVE activities efficiently. Hedayah focuses on ensuring that the local characters and practitioners are adequately equipped with the necessary tools and knowledge through continuous training and funding opportunities. It works to establish a curriculum to guide various professionals, like social workers and law enforcement departments, in supporting the community through the CVE-cycle.
Hedayah focuses its expertise in disengaging, deradicalizing, and reintegrating people either in the process of being radicalized or imprisoned. Currently, CVE aims at combining different aspects of rehabilitation and reintegration schemes to ensure that the people denounce violence and become productive members of society. It aims at contributing to these efforts by assisting in designing and developing initiatives that intend to reintegrate people into society successfully. Some of these people are expected to serve as positive role models, making them valuable in countering radicalization and recruitment within the community.
Hedayah uses its expertise and experiences to counter violent extremism through dialogue, capacity building programs, research, and assessments. It uses its expertise to approach CVE from different angles. It enlightens the government of violent extremism facilitators, establishes feasible cross-government frameworks, and couples donor ambitions with evidence-based analysis of the local needs. It also counters the use of technology by violent extremists to reach new members. Hedaya’s role in countering violent extremism is undeniably significant.
Reference
Our Team. (2020, August 13). Retrieved October 12, 2020, from https://www.hedayahcenter.org/about/our-team/