RadicalWeb project

RadicalWeb project aims to identify and prevent violent extremism and radicalization which threatens the welfare and rights of young people.

The main focus of the project is training youth workers and other professionals working with young people on violent extremism and related phenomena; how to talk about it with young people, how to identify negative and potentially harmful actions, as well as how to intervene both face-to-face and online.

Professionals working with youth have a particularly good opportunity to prevent violent extremism and radicalization in young people. Considerate and warmhearted interaction is at the core of youth workers’ competence, therefore they are in such a unique position to discuss various, even difficult subjects with young people. Supporting the development of interpersonal skills and attention from safe adults protect young people – enhancing the development of critical thinking, media literacy, and understanding of diversity are all significant antidotes to extremism. RadicalWeb project provides in-person trainings for professionals working with youth, as well as an online training programme and training videos focusing on youth work’s capacity building in the prevention of violent extremism.

Many youth workers have seen and/or experienced violent extremism and problematic rhetoric, but according to the surveys done during the pilot project (2019), more information and understanding is needed regarding violent radicalization and extremism as phenomena.

Therefore, the RadicalWeb project aims to strengthen the knowledge base of prevention work by conducting empirical research into how violent extremism and radicalization manifest, especially online. These publications contribute to raise awareness about violent extremism, problematic rhetoric and other related phenomena.

The publications released so far have examined e.g.:

How violent radicalization and extremism manifest in Finnish online environments and what kind of effects they have on children and young people;
What kind of strategies and environments extremist movements use when recruiting young people to join their activities, and what kinds of factors protect and on the other hand expose young people to radicalization;
How violent extremism, hate speech and a general culture of violence manifests itself in the eyes of professionals working with youth and what kind of needs do the professionals have in terms of prevention of violent extremism (only in Finnish).

RadicalWeb is part of the National Action Plan for the Prevention of Violent Radicalization and Extremism 2019-2023. The project is funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland and is ongoing until the end of 2023. RadicalWeb has also been selected as one of the inspiring practices of the EU’s Radicalization Awareness Network (RAN).

Focusing on youth work

RadicalWeb project focuses specifically on strengthening youth work’s capacity in the prevention of violent extremism, because youth work and professionals working with young people have a particularly good opportunity to prevent and intervene in potentially harmful actions and pathways at an early stage. Youth work can, for instance, support young people in challenging situations, strengthen young people’s media literacy and critical thinking, provide safe spaces for discussion, and thus support young people’s participation in society.

Furthermore, it is important that youth workers have the competence to recognize early signs of violent radicalization so they can intervene early on when they become concerned about a young person’s well-being. The trainings and workshops of the RadicalWeb project are designed specifically to meet these needs. The project has a variety of face-to-face trainings and in-depth workshops, as well as an online training programme created at the request of professionals. The online training is available here.

Online platforms bring hate communities together

Social media and online world in general plays an essential role in the spread of violent ideologies. Research suggests that the internet offers more opportunities for radicalization and can act as an echo chamber, where violent thoughts can easily be shared and supported. Young people themselves consider social media and online platforms as important tools for political participation and influence, and many youngsters also feel that they can themselves influence by participating in online discussions (Youth Barometer, 2018).

As a modern communication tool, the internet makes it easier for extremist groups to target their propaganda and reach out to young people. It also makes the communication between extremist movements and their members more effortless, and enables hate communities to flourish.

Since the role of the internet and online sphere is only growing in young people’s lives, the RadicalWeb project also looks at the effects of the online world and social media in relation to violent extremist ideologies and movements.

What is violent radicalization and extremism?

Violent extremism is a way of thinking and acting that opposes the basic values of a democratic society such as equality, diversity, human rights, and the rule of law. Extremist thinking is black-and-white and inflexible in nature, and at its core is a divided worldview with strong notions of right and wrong, us and others.

Violent radicalization is a process in which a person’s values, attitudes and worldview escalate to black and white and become robust, and which can lead to violent acts.

RadicalWeb online training

Online training programme: Preventing violent radicalization and extremism via youth work

The aim of the online training programme is to build youth work’s capacity in the prevention of violent extremism. The training focuses on how to talk about violent radicalization and general culture of violence with young people, how to identify negative and potentially harmful actions, as well as how to intervene both face-to-face and online.

The online training covers, among other things, the following questions:

What is violent radicalization and extremism?
How are they manifested in the Finnish context, both offline and online?
How to recognize early signs of radicalization and how to talk about it with young people?
How can youth workers strengthen youth’s resilience towards violent extremist messages and thus prevent radicalization?

The online training is free of charge, and it can be completed remotely according to your own schedule. Unfortunately, the training is only available in Finnish.

Sign up for the training here!

Resources available in English:

Youth as a target for extremist recruitment (pdf)

Violent extremism online (pdf)

RAN in Focus – Incels (podcast)

RAN in Focus – Grooming Tactics on video Gaming platforms (podcast)

RAN Spotlight on the Digital Ecosystem – Enhancing digital and media literacy