RATIONALE

The unexpected dimension of the refugee crisis has hit Europe unprepared, and it challenges, apart from logistical problems, also the large number of professionals and volunteers who work with receiving, helping, teaching and integrating refugees. This huge task requires not only additional budgets for registration, accommodation, food, medical care etc., but also a large work force of “front liners”.

People working with refugees, asylum seekers and migrants suddenly find themselves between two frontiers: growing xenophobia on one side, and rising frustration and impatience of their clients on the other side. The large part of these front liners has just their good will to help. But sometimes “well meant is the contrary to good”.

Front liners, teachers and trainers need therefore new skills and competences to be better prepared to deal with tensions in and between diverse groups of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. They should know how to detect, at an early stage, indicators of radicalisation among their clients. However, many of them have had their vocational education years ago, and many are completely or partially unprepared to the changes in the way in which our society is organized and which conceptual aspects of radicalisation pose a threat.

OBJECTIVES

• to deal with (intercultural) tensions between diverse groups of their clients
• to detect indicators among their clients/learners who are at at risk of extremism, including the risk of being drawn into terrorism, either directly
  or through the radicalisation of family dependents
• to identify which is the best way to build resilience to radicalisation
• to recognise and respond to increased concerns about extremism and discrimination, e.g. racism, islamophobia, anti-Semitism which refugees and
  many settled migrants face
• to reduce racism and xenophobia in the society

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

• to implement an e-platform with all initiatives andlearning materials identified and collected in the project,especially how to handle conflicts and interculturaltensions, and materials for the daily practicewhere frictions appear and clients/learners developfeelings of inferiority or frustration that might renderthem vulnerable to being drawn into radicalisation
• to summarize the findings in a “White Paper Report:Prevent Radicalisation” that will give an overviewabout the current situation of the specific project environmentin the partners’ countries, present the initiatives,projects and materials for conflict solving strategies,which build clients’/learners’ resilience to radicalisationby promoting fundamental European valuesand enabling them to challenge extremist views
• to implement also an online interactive forum, inorder to facilitate the exchange between educatorsand youth workers who are confronted with this phenomenonand who will be able to obtain peer supportand helpful advice.