PARTESS-COM – Participatory approaches to protecting place of worship, schools and community centres
Across Europe, rising polarisation, incitement to violence, antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred, and other forms of hate crime pose serious threats to social cohesion and urban security. Religious communities, places of worship, schools, and community centres may face elevated risks. Addressing these challenges requires a comprehensive approach that combines targeted training, increased awareness, and the facilitation of exchange between communities, practitioners, and authorities to foster trust, resilience, and inclusive security.
The PARTESS-COM project aims:
- To facilitate the exchange of experiences, promising practices and solutions;
- To enhance the security of religious communities and educational institutions;
- To gather and share effective security concepts, tools, and solutions;
- To raise awareness about the security of Places of Worship (PoW) and empower communities and citizens to report security relevant incidents;
- To provide stakeholders with easy access to effective knowledge and resources;
- To train stakeholders on extremism, preventive security, crisis communication, and vulnerability assessment;
- To facilitate the exchange of experiences, promising practices and solutions.
The consortium is led by the Osterreichisches Institut Für Internationale Politik (OIIP). It brings together 19 partners: SCENOR (SCientia ENim ORbis terrarum), LLInformatics, The Center for Security Studies (KEMEA), Association des Militants du Savoir (MDS), European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS), University of Lodz, Nodibinajums Latvijas evangeliski luteriskas Baznicas Diakonijas centrs (DLV), European Strategies Consulting (ESC), Murcia Police, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC), Eastern European Forum for Dialogue (BRIDGES), Vicariate General of the Archdiocese of Vienna (Erzdiözese Wien), Dublin City Interfaith Forum (DCIF), Jüdisches Zentrum Synagoge Fraenkelufer (JZSF), Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies (FUNDEA), Enhancing Faith Institutions (EFI), Violence Prevention Network (VPN) and Efus.
The activities are:
- Compiling and evaluating resources, tools, security concept and programs for protection and prevention;
- Developing a digital platform (website & mobile app) to gather the previously collected data;
- Training stakeholders at European and local levels;
- Launching a public campaign to engage citizens and members of religious communities, especially to encourage the reporting of incidents via the app.
Efus contributes to the identification and collection of effective security tools and solutions, working closely with Efus member cities and regions. It organises national round tables with Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs), communities, schools, and local authorities, and conducts interviews to gather insights. Efus will compile promising practices, develop tailored multimedia resources, and ensure that they are categorised for the project platform. It also takes the lead in delivering European trainings on key topics such as vulnerability assessment and crisis communication. Finally, it supports communication and dissemination activities, helping to ensure lasting impact across Efus members and beyond.
March 2025 – March 2027
Marta Pellón Brussosa – Senior Programme Manager – PellonBrussosa@efus.eu
Anne Boisseau – Programme Manager – boisseau@efus.eu
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
