The INDEED project started in September 2021 and aims to strengthen the knowledge, capabilities and skills of PVE/CVE and De-radicalisation first-line practitioners and policy makers in designing, planning, implementation and in evaluating initiatives in the field, based on evidence-based approach. INDEED builds from the state-of-the-art, utilising the scientific and practical strengths of recent activities – enhancing them with complementary features to drive advancements and curb a growing rise of radical views and violent behaviour threatening security.
The INDEED consortium placed great emphasis on evaluation. It should be treated as an integral part of the entire process of designing an initiative, which is why INDEED shows its place in the entire process from design through implementation to evaluation. In addition, previous studies conducted by the RAN, the EUCPN confirmed that the evaluation is a weakness that is missing or, if present, poorly conducted and needs more attention.
At the core of INDEED's work methodology is an interdisciplinary and participatory approach, which includes the co-creation of individual project phases and implementing them with the close engagement of multi-sectoral stakeholders. The creation of SMART Hubs (Stakeholder Multisectoral Anti-Radicalisation Teams) as part of INDEED has facilitated this process. SMART Hubs are external stakeholder groups that are potential users of INDEED results and both co-creators, because by engaging SMART Hubs members in individual project activities, their needs are collected, and their comments and input are taken into account.
The following target participation groups have been identified as a key target groups for INDEED to ensure a real multi-agency, multi-stakeholder, multi-/interdisciplinary approach. The Figure below provides a detailed illustration of the project’s target groups:
-First-line Practitioners:Law Enforcement Agencies, prison and probation services, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil society organisations (CSOs), social and health services, youth organisations working in the field of PVE/CVE and De-radicalisation.
-Policy makers: local, regional, national, and European authorities, and governmental organisations.
-Education and Research: universities, academic intuitions, research organisations, educational institutions, training institutions, staff colleges, EU projects interested in the topic etc.
-Other: all other relevant stakeholders that fall outside the above three groups; people and groups interested in the topics of the project such as citizens and youth organisations, media, social groups, schools etc.
All these 4 groups make up the INDEED SMART Hubs.
INDEED promotes the EU’s values and principles; heeding multi-agency and cross-sectoral methods, including gender mainstreaming, societal dimensions and fundamental rights.
In order to achieve the overarching goal of the project indicated above, INDEED has set five (5) project-specific objectives and several detailed objectives which it has been implementing since September 2021:
1) To develop a co-created evidence-based approach to the evaluation of PVE / CVE and De-radicalisation initiatives, and design, plan and implement such initiatives in proven manner.
2) To foster capacity building, knowledge transfer and skills development in the evaluation of PVE / CVE and De-radicalisation initiatives and in the designing, planning, and implementation of the preventive and mitigating measures.
3)To contribute to increasing the sense of security among EU citizens by improving the effectiveness of policies and security measures in the area of PVE / CVE / De-radicalisation.
4) To increase the visibility of INDEED outcomes and facilitate processes for their broad use, exploitation and sustainability.
5) To ensure ethics-centred evaluation and design, enshrining gender mainstream, fundamental rights standards, and societal desirability at the core of PVE / CVE / De-radicalisation initiatives