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Empowering young people
against extremism
Louis Reynolds
Institute for Strategic Dialogue
Thursday 24th November 2016
INTRODUCTION
What is Extreme Dialogue?
What is Digital Resilience?
Extreme Dialogue:
Billy’s Story
Extreme Dialogue:
Educational Resources
THE PROBLEM
Political and social polarisation
Exacerbation of negative trends
through social media
Radicalisation is on the rise among
young people
Simultaneously, young people are
becoming increasingly anxious
about terrorism
THE ROLE OF
EDUCATION SECTOR
The focus on youth radicalisation in education is
often on safeguarding intervention
In the UK media, the narrative focuses on
interventions that have gone wrong – potential
concerns that are misplaced.
We need support mechanisms for genuine
concerns.
But this narrative of interventions gone wrong
obscures the proactive role education can play in
empowering young people against extremism.
We believe that teachers and schools must
be provided with the training, tools, and
confidence needed to effectively safeguard
young people from radicalisation.
We wanted to create a tool for those
working with young people to open up
vital discussions around extremism in a
safe and structured way.
• C0nsidered and open discussion
• Empathy
• Critical thinking
This is why we have launched…
What is Extreme Dialogue?
• A series of seven freely available short films and educational resources.
• Primarily intended for schools/youth organisations.
• Launched in the UK in July, and is launching in Hungary and Germany this week.
• Our partners: Duckrabbit, Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace, West
London Initiative (UK), Cultures Interactive (Germany), and Political Capital
(Hungary).
Films:
• Tell the stories of five people profoundly
impacted by extremism; both former extremists
or survivors of extremism.
• Raw and unscripted - simply tell their own
stories in their own words.
Resources:
• Educational resources that help spark conversations
and create a safe environment.
• They include exercises and activities to encourage
pupils to engage critically with these issues and consider
the causes, consequences and effects of extremist
violence.
Why do young people need these critical thinking
abilities?
• Social media – digital public space, communities of
interest, echo chambers.
• Information access.
• Reduced communication distance.
• Challenge myths/misconceptions.
• Changed role of media gatekeepers.
The resources also encourage young people to
channel their energies into positive
change/participation:
• Extremists exploit the idealism of young people.
• Offer simplistic solutions to complex problems.
• We need to make sure we ignite this passion in a positive
way.
Project aims:
•
•
•
•
Prevention not intervention – upstream not downstream.
Alternative voice in continual ongoing discussions.
Life skills for students (many of which are transferable).
Tools and confidence for teachers.
What do we want from you
today?
Watch, share and think about the
Extreme Dialogue films.
Get in touch if you would like to
find out more about the resources
and how we can support you in
using them
Spread the word, share the
resources with those working with
young people.
DIGITAL
RESILIENCE
“Truth gains more even by the errors of one who, with due
study and preparation, thinks for himself, than by the true
opinions of those who only hold them because they do not
suffer themselves to think.”
– John Stuart Mill (1859)
“The aim of a life can only be to increase the sum of freedom
and responsibility to be found in every man and in the
world. It cannot, under any circumstances, be to reduce or
suppress that freedom, even temporarily.”
– Albert Camus (1960)
The argument for Digital
Resilience
• Young people spend an average of 27 ½
hours on social media per week.
• They will come across extremist material
and individuals.
• Censorship online is impossible.
What we need for digital
resilience
• Enhanced critical thinking.
• Media literacy for the online space.
• Understanding of echo chambers,
communities of interest and how
social media changes our
interactions.
• Ability to identify extremists and
extremist propaganda online.
• A sense of responsibility for online
communities.
What the Institute for Strategic
Dialogue are doing about it
• New research initiatives.
• Development of new resources for
secondary schools, community
groups and adult education.
• New pilot project with international
partners.
THANK YOU
[email protected]
@ExtremeDialogue
[email protected]
@L_EH_Reynolds