Young people to design anti-radicalisation programme in EU initiative
Gabriella Jozwiak
Thursday, March 9, 2017
Young people across the UK are set to consult their peers on how to tackle terrorism and prevent young people becoming radicalised, as part of a £1.3m European Union scheme.
The youth-led, Europe-wide Youth Empowerment and Innovation Project (YEIP) will involve children aged 15 to 25 in eight European countries over three years.
Led by the Independent Academic Research Studies (IARS) International Institute, the project will be delivered locally by 20 European organisations.
In the UK the IARS International Institute's 30-strong youth advisory board will begin the project by visiting schools, universities, young offender institutions and community organisations to talk to children and young people about their experiences and opinions on the causes of radicalisation.
After gathering evidence, they will present their findings and prevention ideas to policymakers, including Home Office officials who are backing the scheme.
YEIP will be delivered differently across the participating countries, which include Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Sweden and Romania.
Organisers hope to engage 150 young people directly in the UK, as well as hundreds more through consultation events and online training.
Eventually, the project aims to combine all the countries' findings into one strategy model, which could be incorporated into national policies.
IARS International Institute founder and director and YEIP partnership co-ordinator Theo Gavrielides said the YEIP would "unite youth voices and expertise to design prevention policies for them and by them".
"Radicalisation is a scourge of our times fuelled by exclusion and discrimination against young people," he said.
Chair of the youth advisory board Tahmina Ahmad, 22, said the group would ensure young people's voices are heard throughout the project.
"We want prevention policies to reach out to young people effectively, engage them in dialogue, foster mutual trust and restore their faith in democratic institutions and values," she said.
Funding for the project worth €1,482,664 (£1,292,118) has been provided by Erasmus+, the European Union programme for education, training, youth and sport.
