Youth Engagement against Violence & Extremism
Author(s):
In recent months, headlines have been filled with horrific acts of violence – from terror in New Zealand and Sri Lanka, to the proliferation of young people stabbed to death on our streets. While the expressions of these forms of violence appear unrelated – Far Right hate, Extreme Islamist ideology, gang related crime and young people’s fear – the intersections and roots of these forms of violence are very much shared. While the journeys that people experience on the path to violence differ from individual to individual (see our report Formers and Families for examples), there are vulnerabilities and challenges, push-factors and pull-factors, that young people in particular face, that can be exploited in myriad ways by predators of all stripes. But we are not helpless in the face of this violence – effective, multiple interventions, by organisations across the sectors, can build young people’s resilience. It requires knowledge – contextual and practical – and it requires credibility – delivering it to young people through powerful connection and engagement.