Our partners
MEET is an initiative of the Kristiansand Commune in partnership with Faith Associates.
Partners
Kristansand Commune
Kristiansand Commune is committed to promoting equality, inclusion and diversity. Kristiansand is the fifth largest city in Norway, with a significant immigrant/children born to immigrant parents’ population, drawn from over 160 countries. As such the city has put in place strategies and initiatives (among others) to prevent hate speech and hate crimes targeting minorities, to counter radicalisation and violent extremism, and to promote youth democracy. Kristiansand is part of the Nordic Safe Cities scheme and works to be a ‘city for everyone’. It has been hosting the annual European Conference on Democracy and Human Rights since its inception in 2020.
Faith Associates
Faith Associates is a non-theological consultancy set up to meet the needs of ethnic minority faith-based communities. It works in a culturally sensitive, multidisciplinary way to provide research, training, advice, and guidance to support and influence the challenges faced by these communities. A key area of focus is developing institutional governance, improving strategic choices, and developing effective communication strategies. Faith Associates’ work has focused on the greater inclusion of all members of faith-based communities, in particular on increasing the confidence and skills of women and young people.
University of Agder
University of Agder formerly known as Agder College and Agder University College, is a public university with campuses in Kristiansand and Grimstad, Norway. The institution was established as a university college (høgskole) in 1994 through the merger of the Agder University College and five other colleges, including a technical college and a nursing school, and was granted the status of a full university in 2007. The Centre for Gender and Equality at the University of Agder aims to gather and strengthen research and competence on equality in Agder, strengthen education and dissemination on this field, and be a driving force to increase equality in the region.
Platform
Platform – Norwegian Institute for the Prevention of Antidemocratic Forces, Radicalization and Violent Extremism (Platform) is a cross-institutional collaboration between 25 municipalities, the police and researchers. Platform is located at the ARKIVET Peace and Human Rights Centre, in a building that used to serve as the regional headquarters of the German secret police during World War II. Platform provides interdisciplinary knowledge to develop sustainable cross-sectional collaboration, information sharing and coordination of preventive work in the southern part of Norway.
Muslimsk Råd Agder
Muslim Council Agder – This is an umbrella organization for all Muslim religious communities in Agder. Established in 2017, it has ten Muslim religious communities as member. The Council is a voluntary organization that provides advice and support to mosques to better practice Islam in the Norwegian context. It also works to promote dialogue and communication between all Muslim communities in Agder and strengthen cooperation between them. In addition, the Council helps build the knowledge and competence of Muslim leaders in Agder, so they can face the challenges of racism, hatred and Islamophobia effectively, and prevent radicalization and extremism. Another service is arranging visits to Muslims in hospitals and in prisons in Agder. It also engages with wider Norwegian society, seeking to provide them information and enhance their understanding of Islam and Muslims. The Council represents a united voice for Muslims in southern Norway, addressing challenges and problems they face.
Nordic Safe Cities
Nordic Safe Cities – This is an alliance of 21 member cities spread across Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, and including Kristiansand. The goal of Nordic Safe Cities is to help cities safeguard their citizens against polarization, hate and extremism, and to build resilient local communities. Nordic Safe Cities’ pioneering approach builds on common Nordic values: democracy, equality, freedom of speech, mutual respect and trust, and seeks to promote inclusion and social cohesion. The alliance works with municipalities, police and civil society organizations. Since 2016 it has been working with the city of Kristiansand to promote democracy and address hate speech. Nordic Safe Cities has been supporting the MEET initiative since its inception, and its knowledge and relations with Nordic stakeholders can help MEET be a catalyst for positive democratic change among Muslim communities in Nordic countries.
Enhancing Faith Institutions
Enhancing Faith Institutions (EFI) is the ‘sister’ organization to Faith Associates, and is based in Dublin, Ireland. EFI shares the same goals of supporting faith-based communities in Europe. One of the areas in which it is especially active is strengthening security of places of worship and religious sites of all faiths. In this regard, EFI heads a consortium implementing the EU-funded Strengthening Security and Resilience of At-Risk Religious Sites and Communities (SOAR) programme in seven leading EU countries.
