‘Once we, young people, are considered to be key players, this will be game-changing in the fight against violent extremism.’ – Bjørn Ihler, Extremely Together Young Leader, Norway Young people are fundamental in responding to the threat that violent extremism poses to peace and security. The securitized responses to violent extremism need to be complemented with inclusive approaches to efficiently address what makes people engage with violent groups in the first place. Supporting youth-led programs to prevent violent extremism (PVE) not only helps to identify the root causes of violent extremism, but also mainstreams the PVE agenda in the broader nexus of peace, security, and development. The Kofi Annan Foundation, through its youth-led initiative Extremely Together, works with ten young leaders to carry positive narratives to their peers and to create a global movement of young people countering violent extremism - from the bottom up.
The drive to join violent extremist groups Violent extremism is a global threat. In Africa, violent extremism has resulted in over 33,000 deaths between 2011 and early 2016, notably in Nigeria, Somalia, and South Sudan (UNDP, 2016). Between 2014 and 2015, the OECD countries saw an increase in terrorist-related deaths from 77 to 577 and countries affected by deaths or incidents of violent attacks have significantly increased since 2015 (Global Terrorism Index, 2017; UNDP, 2016). Conflict-affected countries and countries with high young populations are more vulnerable to violent extremism for several reasons. First, young people are easily manipulated, making them a key target of extremists. In Somalia, more than 75% of the population is under the age of 30; nearly three decades of conflict have left an entire generation of youth only knowing war. In South Asia, the youth population constitutes over 800 million people, almost half of the total population in the region (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2018). Young people are not only direct and indirect consumers of hate speech, disinformation and political propaganda in their communities, but also online where they are exposed to disruptive narratives. Young people’s vulnerability to extremist messages is further increased due to the lack of critical thinking skills and social media literacy. For example, in Bangladesh, social media has become young people’s primary source of obtaining information and the capital of Dhaka holds the second most-active Facebook users in the world (Murad, 2017). Second, conflict-affected societies with complex social, economic and political dimensions constitute more fertile grounds for extremist groups to target young people, infiltrate communities with extremist narratives and appealing recruiters. Consequently, volatile politics and security vacuums give rise to violent extremism, and varied factors either push or pull youth in their radicalization (Murphy, 2019). Youth Solutions Report 2019 Edition
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