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Meshkat Community

Meshkat Community (مجتمع مِشكاة) amplifies Arab voices for social inclusion in response to online hate, violence, and polarization.
About Meshkat Community

Meshkat Community (مجتمع مِشكاة) is an initiative launched by PeaceGeeks in Jordan in 2017 which strengthens community cohesion and constructive dialogue in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region by building the skills, networks, knowledge, and action of citizens. Our mission is to increase creative and peaceful citizen engagement that challenges hate, violence, extremism, and polarization to reduce community vulnerability in the MENA region.

Based in Jordan, Meshkat Community programming includes workshops, incubation programs, collaborative networks, and online engagement for community members — local artists, activists, digital content producers, religious scholars, innovators, women, youth, and more.

Objectives:

Increase Knowledge, Dialogue & Resources

We enable citizens to strengthen local understanding and strategic communications practices that respond to the challenges of hate, violence, polarization, and extremism in their communities.

Empower & Mobilize Content Creation

We amplify access to content that promotes social inclusion and convene content producers to develop innovative content that addresses their communities’ vulnerabilities.

Strengthen Civic Engagement

We cultivate networks to strengthen and sustain collective action on challenging hate, violence, extremism, and polarization.

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Why "Meshkat"?

Meshkat (مِشْكَاةٌ) is an Arabic word for the alcove in the wall where people used to place a lantern in their homes. Meshkat can also refer to the window, pushing through darkness, or illumination. We chose the word Meshkat to represent the project's creation of space for the introduction of new ideas that produce positive change towards peace.

The Challenge

Digital tools, social media, gaming, bots, videos, and misinformation play an increasingly prominent role in creating and amplifying existing social divisions and inciting violent actions. Despite some creative and effective online counter-messaging efforts by Arab youth and independent content producers, few resources have been dedicated to learn from these efforts or promote more media that curbs harmful narratives. Our goal is to prevent the continued escalation of social divisions and online violence by supporting the effective development and visibility of locally-produced content that strengthens constructive dialogue and creative responses to intolerance and hatred.

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Workshops & Programs
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PeaceGeeks Meshkat Community workshop
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Community Resilience Workshops
These workshops facilitate open dialogue among citizens in under-resourced, rural, and marginalized communities to deliberate local challenges and responses.
Capacity Building Workshops
These workshops equip content producers, activists, community-based organizations and civil society organizations with the skills, resources, and networks to create and amplify alternative narratives.
YouTube Series Production
Meshkat Community is producing a YouTube series that focuses on telling stories of cohesion, understanding, and acceptance across a range of demographics and communities in Jordan. The series will launch in Autumn 2019.
PeaceGeeks Meshkat Community workshop
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PeaceGeeks Meshkat Community
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Artists-in-Residence
Meshkat Community works with a handful of artists every year who are funded and mentored to create art — fine arts, music, videos, performing arts, creative writing, and more — engaging with various themes of peace and prevention of extremism.
Peace Awards
The annual Meshkat Peace Awards recognize communities and organizations making outstanding contributions to the creation of content promoting critical, creative thinking, and constructive dialogue to strengthen social cohesion.
Digital Youth Network
The DYN provides young Jordanians between with the means, tools, skills, and knowledge to meaningfully engage in digital contributions to peace in safe, positive, and responsible ways.
Joint Action Plans
Developed by alliances within and across local communities, Joint Action Plans promote common objectives through community based activities, digital campaigns, awareness campaigns, and capacity building workshops for women and youth.
PeaceGeeks Meshkat Community workshop
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PeaceGeeks Meshkat Community workshop
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Website
The Meshkat Community website aggregates content promoting social cohesion in the MENA region, and creates a digital hub for people to share their content, observations, and reflections on effective responses to harmful online narratives.
Social Media
Meshkat Community creates, curates and shares content consistent with the objectives of Meshkat Community through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube to inspire online citizens to promote social inclusion and challenge hate.
Visit Meshkat Community website (Arabic)
Visit Facebook page (Arabic)
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Help us make a difference

Meshkat Community is proudly funded by the Government of Canada.

Please consider a gift to help PeaceGeeks expand our impact in Jordan and to other countries in the MENA region!

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