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Youth work against Violent Radicalization: competencies development

Training Course, from 4 to 9 March 2019 in Macerata, Italy.

Youth work against Violent Radicalization: competencies development

Mamoun Khreisat the Founder of Desert Bloom, participated in “Youth work against Violent Radicalization: competencies development” training course, from 4 to 9 March 2019 in Macerata, Italy.
The training is part of a long-term youth strategy aims at empowering youth workers to prevent youth radicalization through:

  • Building youth workers competencies to enable them enhance youth resilience to violent radicalization.
  • Providing opportunities for NGOs to share experience and exchange good practices at the local/national, regional and international levels.
  • Providing opportunities for networking and partnership building.
  • Learning from the experiences of local Italian grassroots NGOs in field of preventing violent radicalization.

Macerata, a tranquil little city of cobblestone streets and handsome blond-brick plazas nestled in the craggy central Italian hills. In February 2018, the city experienced unexpected racially motivated shooting leaves at least six African migrants wounded. A 28-year-old Italian man drove through Macerata, opening fire from his vehicle, reportedly shouting “Viva l’Italia!” and making a fascist salute. This tragic event has wakened up the city and many local NGOs adopt many programs to enhance community resilience to violent radicalization. We had a chance to speak with Kofi Wilson, a 20- year-old immigrant from Ghana who was shot in the chest by Italian racist. We listen to his story and how the local community in Macerata supported him.