COUNTERING VIOLENT

EXTREMISM IN SCHOOLS

Early School Strengthening System (SESS)

By Felix Unogwu

Pedagogical Inspiration

Primary School Board of Education Malmö, Sweden

PURPOSE OF EARLY SCHOOL STRENGTHENING SYSTEM

Provide

•Provide information and education on how to respond to some of the ideological challenge of violent extremism and the threat we face from those who promote it

•So that are able be to understand radicalization & Its processes

•Able to understand & interpret the warning sign and intervene

1

Prevent

•Prevent students from being drawn into violent extremism and terrorism and ensure that they are given appropriate advice and support

2

Work

•Work with civil society organization, parents, religious sectors and government institutions where there are risks of radicalization which we need to address.

3

WHAT DOES RADICALIZATION MEAN?

It is important to understand what the radicalization process looks like, in order for families, friends and communities to help prevent acts of violent extremism. Radicalization does not just happen to Muslims but can happen to anyone irrespective of religion, ethnicity, social or political standing. A person who becomes involved with any extremist group can be said to be radicalized

It is a process by which an individual or group comes to adopt increasingly extreme political, social, or religious ideals and aspirations that

(1) reject or undermine the status quo or

(2) reject and/or undermine contemporary ideas and expressions of freedom of choice.

WHO ARE THESE KIDS?

Why do people hold extremist

views?

Ignorance

Their family have raised them to think that way.

They have never been exposed to an alternative point of view.

They don’t know all of the facts to make an informed decision.

Manipulated

Biased

Vulnerable

Absolutist

Brain washed

De-humanize

Certain they are right. Unwillingness

to compromise

Anyone who has opposing views can become expendable.

So who amongst you could be an extremist?

EXAMPLE CASE 1

Student is a refugee

Relation between

residence permit and study

From a warzone

Difficult to work with, does not communicate

Has been a student for a

long time (langstudeerder)

Increasing amount of hick-

ups in study progress

“You are not going to be able

to graduate”

Threatens ‘messenger’ with

a knife

EXAMPLE CASE 2

1

Student from a orthodox religious environment

2

A lot of pressure to graduate

3

Financial problems at home

4

Does not socialise with other students

5

Strong opinions on facebook about Israel and Palestine

6

Goes wild in class after the attacks in Paris

7

Makes references to committing an act of violence against...

EXAMPLE CASE 3

• Student with some form of autism

• Has been studying for more than 10 years

• Financial problems

• Does not socialise with other students

• Is sent away from his internship (behaviour)

• Conversation with teacher, intimidating

• Teacher afraid, goes on sick leave 3 months >

EXAMPLE CASE 4

• Student with diagnosis behavioral - and/or personality disorder

• No delays in study progress (nominale student)

• Allmost 30 years old, lives with his parents

• Parents are both physically ill

• Cannot cope with formal processes of education

• Conflicts with teachers

• Writes an email to teacher in which he denounces the university and its systems

• Commits suicide

5 THINGS WE LEARNED FROM ONE OF THE WORLD’S BIGGEST SURVEYS OF YOUNG PEOPLE

•Young people feel that they’re not being listened to by global decision makers. But with over half of the world’s population under the age of 30, it won’t be long before they will be making their voices heard.

•Almost 25,000 people aged between 18 and 35 from 186 countries and territories took part in the Global Shapers Annual Survey 2017. It showed that 55.9% of respondents believe their views are not being taken into account before important decisions are made

• This is the third year in a row that climate change has been voted the most serious global issue, suggesting that young people are yet to be convinced by global efforts – such as the Paris Agreement – to tackle the problem

•Perhaps unsurprisingly considering the current level of global instability, wars and inequality were listed as the second and third biggest concerns

•Poverty, religious conflicts and government accountability and transparency also ranked highly

•They aren’t lazy, they’re workaholics: There is a common misconception that millennials are workshy. The Global Shapers Annual Survey 2017 shows that young people are, in fact, very career orientated

(World Economic Forum)