This post is also available in: српски (Serbian)

From 1-3 November 2019 at Vrnjacka Banja held a three-day seminar for pedagogues, psychologists and secondary and elementary school teachers on combating violent extremism and ethno-nationalist extremism in southwestern Serbia.

The seminar was realized as the first activity within the project “Increasing the Resilience of Youth against Violent Extremism and Ethno-Nationalist Extremism in Southwestern Serbia” which CSO Monitor from Novi Pazar, with the financial support of the International Republican Institute (IRI), realizes in the period from September 2019 to December 2019.

20 pedagogues, psychologists and teachers of secondary and elementary schools attended this seminar, and in the coming period they will use the acquired knowledge from this seminar to present presentations and workshops on raising the security culture of young people regarding violent extremism and ethno-nationalist extremism in southwestern Serbia.

Asja Kratović, IRI Program Officer, Arman Fazlić, IRI Program Officer, and Luke Hartman, Foreign Affairs Officer of the State Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, U.S. Of the State Department. They introduced the attendees with the mission of IRI and activities that this institute undertake, supported by the US Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization, U.S. The State Department is committed to preventing and combating violent radicalism and extremism, as well as with the importance of addressing this issues in the formal education process in order to increase youth resilience to these phenomena, all with the aim of ensuring stable interethnic and interethnic relations in the Western Balkans.

The lecturers at the seminar were prof. Predrag Ilić, Ph.D. dr doc. dr. Dragana Randjelovic. Lectures on topics: “The concept and elements of security culture”, “Understanding radicalism, extremism and ethno-nationalism”, “Causes and manifestations of radicalism, extremism and ethno-nationalism” were delivered by prof. Prof. Predrag Ilić, Ph.D. Doc. dr Dragana Randjelovic introduced the participants of the seminar with following topics: “Factors contributing to radicalization and extremization of the youth”, “Modus operandi of spreading radical, extreme and ethno-nationalist ideologies through the Internet”, “Ways to recognize and adequately respond to radical, extreme and ethno-nationalist content on the Internet “, and with” Methods of Countering Radicalism, Extremism and Ethno-Nationalism with Special Focus on Southwestern Serbia. ”

After successfully completing the evaluation of seminar participants, MSc Ankica Ivanovic, President of the Supervisory Board of CSO Monitor from Novi Pazar, presented the certificates to the trainees and thanked the lecturers for their support of the project implementation.