Preventing Radicalisation to Terrorism and Violent Extremism: Approaches and Practices

The Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN) Collection of Approaches and Practices presents a set of 7 practitioners' approaches in the field of prevention of radicalisation, each of them illustrated by a number of lessons learned and selected practices and projects. Set up by the European Commission (EC) in 2011, the RAN is a European Union (EU)-wide umbrella network of practitioners and local actors - non-governmental organisations (NGOs), representatives of different communities, think tanks, academia, law enforcement agencies, government representatives, and consultancies - involved in preventing and countering radicalisation. Within the RAN, different working groups have been created where participants exchange their experiences, knowledge, and practices in different fields and areas relevant for tackling radicalisation. The RAN Collection is one of the main outcomes of the network, illustrating the kind of measures that can be taken to, for example: enhance the awareness and competence of first line practitioners; involve and engage more closely with communities, families, victims of terrorism, and/or former terrorists; address new forms and appearances of radicalisation (e.g., through increased use of the internet and social media); and, more generally, establish an appropriate framework for comprehensive prevention work.

Throughout the RAN meetings and the Collection document there are a number of key, overarching insights that apply to all approaches, where the focus is on prevention:

• Involving and training first line practitioners is key: These practitioners will be the first professional point of contact for individuals at risk. To be able to have a preventative approach, they need to be aware of signals of radicalisation, knowing how to seek support to address these signals while maintaining a positive relationship with the individual.
• Multi-agency approach is key: In such a network, expertise and information can be shared, cases can be discussed, and there can be agreement and shared ownership on the best course of action. These networks should be combinations between law enforcement, professional care organisations, and NGOs and community representatives.
• Tailor-made interventions, adapted to local circumstances, are key: Each individual at risk is different, which calls for a case-by-case approach. It is important to understand the individuals' background, grievances, motivations, fears, frustrations, etc. to be able to develop a suitable intervention. Besides internal factors, external factors such as the individual's social environment and other local circumstances need to be taken into account to provide effective support.

The approaches presented in this Collection are the following:

1. Training for first line practitioners: raising awareness of first line practitioners working with vulnerable individuals or groups at risk of radicalisation.
2. Exit strategies: de-radicalisation programmes to re-integrate violent extremists and disengagement programmes to at least dissuade them from violence.
3. Community engagement and empowerment: engagement and empowerment of communities at risk, establishing a trust-based relation with authorities.
4. Educating young people: education of young people on citizenship, political, religious, and ethnic tolerance, non-prejudiced thinking, extremism, democratic values, cultural diversity, and the historical consequences of ethnically and politically motivated violence.
5. Family support: for those vulnerable to radicalisation and those who have become radicalised.
6. Delivering alternative narratives: offering alternatives to extremist propaganda and worldviews, either online or offline.
7. Creating countering violent extremism (CVE) infrastructure: institutional infrastructures to ensure that people at risk are given multi-agency support at an early stage.

Each of the 7 approaches identified is briefly described - notably, its aim(s) and underlying methodology. It is then complemented by lessons learned and by a set of relevant examples of practices. The format for description of each practice entails: name of the practice and the organisation responsible for/carrying out the initiative; description of the aim and nature of the practice, methods, and products; approach; intended audience; deliverables (e.g., publications, products, trainings); evidence and evaluation; sustainability and transferability; geographical scope; start of the practice; reference to the RAN meeting(s) the practice has been presented and peer-reviewed; relation to other EC initiatives; organisation; country of origin; and contact details.

Communication elements are at the centre of the 7 approaches and most of the practices (case studies) in the Collection. For example, it is noted that communities can play an essential role in preventing radicalisation and providing support to affected community members. Communities can also be a wealth of knowledge when it comes to people at risk of radicalisation. This approach can take different forms, such as community policing, but can also include empowering key people within the community to stand up against violent extremism. Engagement can be undertaken in a range of forms, such as by: promoting leadership of community members and young people within specific communities through training of leadership skills, mentoring, and role models; organising dialogues, discussion forums, and democratic platforms; training key religious figures to engage with youth, not just on faith-related matters, but also social and intergeneration matters (faith, social, intergenerational); training to identify vulnerable individuals; improving relations between institutions and communities, such as the police (community policing), local authorities; and sharing information via "information hubs" with the objective of a coordinated and supported approach aimed at preventing radicalisation. Among the lessons learned: "The language used when framing services or engagement should be selected carefully. Service providers should be careful to remain neutral and try (where possible) to lean toward positive language. Importantly, language used should be clear and to the point but drawing a fine line of empathy and understanding." For this one of the 7 approaches alone, 23 practices (case studies) are provided in the Collection.

The Collection should be considered as a practical, evolving, and growing tool, where practitioners and policymakers may draw inspiration, find examples adaptable to their local/specific context, and identify counterparts to exchange (e.g., via email addresses of point persons provided in the document) on prevention experiences. As a work in progress, the Collection will continuously be adjusted and enhanced with new practices from EU/European Economic Area (EEA) Member States.

Click here for the 320-page English report PDF format.
Click here for the 350-page French report PDF format.
Click here for the 347-page German report PDF format.