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Building Resilience to Radicalisation [thepsychologist.bps.org.uk]

 

By Lynn Davies, The Psychologist, August 21, 2019

Resilience means the capacity to deal with threat. But in terms of radicalisation, this initially involves recognition of something as a threat, as something harmful. Instead, radicalisers will present something as an opportunity – to be a hero, to contribute to a mission, to have adventure, to join a new family. The first task in education is the fostering of recognition, including awareness of how extremism is a threat to society as well as to the individual.

In many countries, schools are tasked with a duty to prevent violent extremism. This involves both the safeguarding role and often surveillance too – identifying those at risk. The latter is hugely contentious, as it can lead to stigmatisation and unjustified referrals, even if there are also examples of young people who have been picked up in time by caring teachers and supported by mentoring. This brief article focuses on the resilience aspect, which should be targeted at all students, not just those seen as ‘vulnerable’.

There are many different ways to start a conversation on extremism. In a major review for the Segerstedt Institute last year on ‘what works’ in educational initiatives in counter-extremism, I looked at 23 countries and identified 20 different entry points. Clearly, much depends on the country content and the age of the students. Some are direct, some indirect, some foundational. Direct programmes will focus on Islamist radicalisation, theological interventions on the understanding of the Koran, or the ideology of far right extremism. More indirect approaches will focus on community cohesion, mutual understanding, inter-faith dialogue, inter-group contact, conflict resolution and anti-racism, in order to build trust so that hatreds cannot be sparked by ignorance or suspicion. Foundational approaches include rights education, Philosophy for Children (P4C), citizenship education, religious education, psycho-physical and PSHE (personal, social and health education) and ICT/digital literacy. They also include a raft of approaches around critical thinking and multi-perspectivity, such as integrative complexity and value pluralism, or using history – and different versions of history – to understand propaganda. In countries where the motivation to join extremist groups is augmented by poverty or unemployment, initiatives will try to improve economic opportunities and civic engagement.

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