Washington, DC - The Department of State is pleased to announce the launch of “Creative Minds for Social Good”, a new public-private initiative to increase the capacity of private voices in the Middle East and North Africa to create and disseminate compelling online content that counters terrorist propaganda and promotes positive alternatives in the region. The State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs is conducting this program in partnership with Facebook and the Hedayah International Center of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism.

The program will consist of a series of advanced-level workshops run by regional experts who will assist participants in developing concepts for online content. The first workshop took place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on October 24-25 and included participants from throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Experts from advertising, creative, digital and production companies, led by the Facebook Creative Shop Team, served as advisors to help refine the participants’ concepts. Representatives from the Sawab Center, a bilateral U.S.-UAE initiative to counter ISIL’s online propaganda, also provided recommendations on countering terrorist groups on social media.

The “Creative Minds for Social Good” program will help forge a united front among government, industry, and private citizenry against the online spread of terrorist ideologies by groups such as ISIL and Al-Qa’ida. In the ongoing effort to counter extremists online, the Department remains committed to supporting regional, third party voices who share in this common objective.