Combating violent radicalisation — the youth sector’s role

 

SUMMARY OF:

Conclusions — the role of the youth sector in an integrated and cross-sectoral approach to preventing and combating violent radicalisation of young people

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THESE CONCLUSIONS?

They highlight the importance of youth work*, voluntary and cultural activities and sport in reaching out to young people who feel or are marginalised and might be vulnerable to radicalisation.

KEY POINTS

• The conclusions aim at ensuring that the European Union (EU) is and will remain a socially-inclusive environment for all young people who represent a great potential for our societies.
• The threats and dangers that violent radicalisation poses for young people need be recognised, prevented and acted upon by early, effective and holistic intervention measures, respecting their cultural diversity.
• They point out how violent radicalisation can result from young people who are experiencing discrimination, humiliation, exclusion, injustice, a lack of prospects and feelings of frustration. They underline the importance of parents, siblings, peers and other relevant parties in supporting a positive development of young people’s identity.
• They reiterate how the youth sector in cooperation with the education and other relevant sectors, can play a crucial role in an integrated and cross-sectoral approach to prevent violent radicalisation, in particular in its early stages, by
  • supporting young people in their development and actions,
  • promoting democratic and pluralistic principles, inclusion and active citizenship, and
  • targeting negative factors such as discrimination and the lack of prospects that influence young people’s lives.

The conclusions call on EU countries to take actions such as:

• working on an integrated and cross-sectoral approach at the national, regional and local level to reach out to all young people who are at risk of violent radicalisation by promoting cooperation between the youth, education and other relevant sectors;
• exploring and promoting the role youth work can play as a partner in coalitions and networks at the national, regional and local level;
• recognising and strengthening the role of the youth sector in supporting young people (finding a way to adulthood and a place in society, reaching out to young people at risk of violent radicalisation, encouraging volunteering, etc.).

They call on EU countries and the European Commission to:

• improve their cooperation in sharing knowledge and practice by working together in the EU context, including the Expert Group on Active Citizenship, Preventing Marginalisation and Violent Radicalisation, the Expert Group on Digitalisation and the Radicalisation Awareness Network, and with relevant non-EU countries and the Council of Europe to exchange knowledge and best practice on preventing violent radicalisation, including the use of social media, counter-narratives* and digital youth work.
• increase the exchange of information and best practices and develop guiding principles on setting up networks for an integrated and cross-sectoral approach;
• encourage the development of:
  • dialogue and effective counter-narratives to support parents, siblings, peers and others in contact with young people at risk of violent radicalisation; and
  • training and education modules for youth workers as a basis for educational materials to be used at national, regional and local levels;
• promote and support so as to improve knowledge on the scope, origins, protective factors, causes and cognitive, as well as emotional dynamics of violent radicalisation:
  • peer-to-peer seminars for youth workers, experts, policy makers and researchers,
  • disseminating research on violent radicalisation.

They call on the Commission to:

• ensure the results of the work of the Expert Group for Active Citizenship, Preventing Marginalisation and Violent Radicalisation are disseminated as widely as possible. These results will offer usable guidance for youth workers, social work organisations and professionals in an integrated cooperative context on how to reach out to — and work with — young people, who are at risk of violent radicalisation;
• consider how various EU programmes such as Erasmus+, Creative Europe and Europe for Citizens could be best used to promote social inclusion of young people with diverse backgrounds.

BACKGROUND

Recent atrocities in several EU countries and the reported rise in hate-speech and hate-crime incidents, propaganda and violent xenophobia, highlight the importance for all sectors in society, including the youth sector, to make their respective contributions to fighting violent radicalisation and ensuring social stability and a positive and safe environment in which to grow up.

For more information, see:

• ‘Tackling radicalisation through education and youth action’ on the European Commission's website
• Press release on the European Commission’s website.

* KEY TERMS

MAIN DOCUMENT

Conclusions of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, on the role of the youth sector in an integrated and cross-sectoral approach to preventing and combating violent radicalisation of young people (OJ C 213, 14.6.2016, pp. 1-5)

last update 28.11.2016