Safeguarding children and young people from online radicalisation and extremism

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This toolkit aims to provide schools and other youth settings with a range of innovative resources to safeguard children and young people from online radicalisation and extremism.

The key aims of this toolkit are:

  • To develop children and young people’s personal resilience to extremism and radicalisation
  • Challenge the myths, misconceptions and stereotypes held by children and young people around individuals and groups
  • Equip children and young people with critical thinking skills to empower them to explore and challenge sensitive topics including myths about race, racism, the use of online propaganda and extremist ideologies
  • Increase children and young people’s awareness, knowledge and understanding of radicalisation and extremism and its’ causes
  • Enable children and young people to gain a number of transferable life skills including digital resilience and critical thinking skills that they can draw on in the future

The toolkit consists of six ‘self-contained’ and individually scripted workshops, a Student Resource booklet and six PowerPoints.

 

The six workshops focus on a range of key issues. These include:

  • Personal identity and a sense of belonging
  • Group identity, national identity and National (British) Values
  • The process of stereotyping and the perception that all Muslims are terrorists
  • What is meant by extremism, radicalisation and terrorism?     
  • The use of online propaganda by extremist groups and a counter-narrative response  
  • Online safety and the use of online propaganda by extremist and far-right populist groups

The resources address many sensitive issues and therefore careful consideration should be given prior to the workshops being delivered.

Factors affecting a group’s potential engagement with the toolkit will also include:

  • The local and national context of issues affecting the community
  • The age, ability and understanding of children and young people of the issues
  • The need to respond to specific terrorist incident 

 

Equally, the schools and other youth settings will need to pay careful consideration about the level of knowledge, understanding and confidence of those wishing to deliver the workshops. 

The authors recognise and understand the concerns that have been directed towards the Prevent strategy in schools and colleges.

However, this toolkit seeks to offer schools and colleges resources that provide children and young people with a safe space to openly discuss, rather than inhibit, the most important national and global issues of our time. 

For further information on this resource please email lucy.spencer@eastsussex.gov.uk   


 We would like to the Young Person’s Advisory Group for sharing with us their experiences and knowledge, and providing valuable feedback on all aspects of development of the toolkit, for which we are indebted.

Special thanks to the following schools and college for taking part in the piloting of resources: Bexhill Community College; St Marys Horam; Hailsham Community Academy; Harbour Primary and Baird Academy Hastings.

We would also like to thanks the following for funding the development of the resources: 

 

About the Authors

This resource was developed by John Khan and Tom Goulden, with ongoing assistance from David Law, Lucy Spencer and Naomi Watkinson.

 

Members of the Safer Communities Partnership