There is a perception that those at risk of radicalisation are vulnerable, poorly educated and disadvantaged young people but research has found that the demographics in relation to religion, age, sex, education and financial backgrounds vary. What has been found is that many become radicalized in response to emotive messages and visuals and through frustration or outrage at perceived injustice or inequality. Potential candidates for recruitment and radicalisation often make themselves known by ‘liking’ a particular post, donating to a cause, downloading information or even searching a particular topic. Terrorist organisations are experts in 'data mining'; engaging with these sympathisers by developing a relationship; often ‘love bombing’ the individual with positive and encouraging messages and fostering a sense of belonging and community. Like marketing companies, these organisations will research profiles, identifying age, background and interests then use the information to befriend and manipulate the targeted person. “For the post-Iraq (post-2003) generation especially, Internet chat rooms are now supplementing and replacing mosques, community centres and coffee shops as venues for recruitment.” YouTube is being used effectively by extremist groups who use engaging visuals and hip-hop soundtracks in order to target young people. YouTube statistics show that 300 videos are uploaded per minute which makes it difficult to monitor. Certain uploads are tagged “promotes terrorism” to notify viewers of inappropriate content but they still get aired. Facebook has 1.3 billion active accounts and half of its users log on every day. It is used by extremists as a gateway to websites, to share information and propaganda and to identify and message potential recruits. Twitter provides a vehicle to disseminate information in real time, providing ‘breaking news’ which can be real of fake, often to gain sympathy or incite violence or hostility. Cyber magazines such as Inspire (Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Penninsula) and Dabig (Islamic State magazine) share skillfully edited information and images printed in English and other languages to reach a wide audience. The brothers responsible for the Boston Marathon bombings made homemade bombs using instructions from Inspire. The media-savvy generation is becoming increasingly addicted to competitive on-line gaming where much of the action takes place in hostile environments. The pro-aggression attitude within the on-line gaming world promotes bullying and harassment as well as contributing to homophobia, racism and misogyny. Gaming has been identified for many years as a way for organisations to interact with young people. The US Army released the video game ”America’s Army” in 2002 in an effort to recruit young people while in 2006 a jihadist website featured a video game titled “Quest for Bush,” in which players battled Americans. In 2012 ISIL adapted the popular video game Grand Theft Auto to enable players to role-play as members of ISIL engaged in combat. The gaming world has the potential not only recruit but train soldiers. It’s easier to persuade a potential recruit to engage in on-line extremist activities such as cyber attacks and hacking if they do not have to leave home or risk death and it’s more cost effective for the terrorist organisation. These are all issues that front line educators and youth workers are expected to address with their target groups. Young adults need support in any type of education but the vast and ever developing on-line world poses many challenges and potential dangers. HEADS-UP wants to build the skills of front liners through in-service training and a series of simulated videos that explicitly demonstrate those on-line threats. This practical, user friendly set of resources will enable educators to support their target groups more effectively by teaching them how to identify and deal with potential radicalization and grooming threats.
HEADS UP began in the light of the growing concern about increasing numbers of young people being radicalised and groomed on the internet by extremist groups and individuals. While it was recognised that radicalism in itself was not necessarily negative, the issues of young people being driven to harmful and sometimes violent acts were becoming everyday news. Like marketing companies, organisation with sinister intent set about accessing suitable profiles, using the information to befriend and manipulate. Internet chat rooms were now supplementing and replacing mosques, community centres and coffee shops as venues for recruitment. YouTube statistics showed that 300 videos are uploaded per minute. Certain uploads are tagged “promotes terrorism” but still aired. Facebook had 1.3 billion active accounts, half of its users logging on every day. It was used by extremists as a gateway to websites, to share information and propaganda and to identify and message potential recruits. Twitter provided a vehicle to disseminate information in real-time, providing ‘breaking news’ which could be real or fake. With Increasingly addictive on-line gaming set in hostile environments, the rise of bullying and harassment online, homophobia, racism and misogyny was everywhere. It was becoming easier to persuade a potential recruit to engage in on-line extremist activities, if they do not have to leave home or risk any consequences. Popular opinion viewed those at risk of radicalisation were vulnerable, poorly educated and disadvantaged young people, but research found that the demographics in relation to religion, age, sex, education and financial backgrounds varied greatly and it was becoming more common to hear news of young people from stable homes being affected by this issue. Voluntary organisations , colleges and youth groups encountered these issues frequently , but there seemed to be no place they could easily go to find resources to use in their everyday teaching to make young people aware just how this worked, how easy it was to respond to emotive messages and visuals and through lack of awareness. Extremist organisations being experts in 'data mining'; skillfully developing a relationship; often ‘love bombing’ the individual with positive and encouraging messages and fostering a sense of belonging and community. A suite of resources including comics, videos, games and lesson plans were produced. These were designed to equip trainers parents and youth workers to help young people be more aware of the issue and to encourage them to speak openly about it, ask questions, understand the culture of on-line radicalisation and grooming, the tools used by the perpetrators and listen to the stories and experiences or those affected. The materials offer guidance to those such as family members and friends who are concerned a young person might be at risk. All resources were carefully considered as to how they would be perceived in each partner country and the particular issues faced. The videos are an easy way into the subject and could be used as a gentle discussion starter, the comics are useful as a tool to leave in public places and so reach a wider audience. The suite of lesson plans was developed on several levels ranging from a short 20 min session with games and quizzes to a 2 hour session with in-depth information and background reading. The trainer was also provided with guidance notes on how best to select and use the resources. 11,248 people were engaged in the project across the eight countries. Our target audience was trainers both professional and voluntary, youth workers and parents. They, in turn, would engage with all the young people they encountered. Three trainers from each country were trained in Ireland on the whole suite of resources, these trainers then passed on their knowledge to 20 youth workers and parents in their own countries. There were several dissemination events and consultations with stakeholders throughout each country and a final conference was held in the UK attended by all partner countries and a wide audience of professionals. The project has been extremely well received in all countries. Partners have been told on many occasions that the resources from this project are the first of this kind and most particularly that it was not ‘one size fits all’ as they have been able to adapt in a way that suits their needs. They have reported a good response from the young people themselves many of whom were able to discuss these issues and their experiences in an open environment for the first time. There was a high level of interest from the security services, local councils, educators and parents at the final conference in Brighton. Many of the attendees were shocked at the findings of the project and have since gone on to use the materials produced. HEADS UP has already proven to leave a legacy far beyond the life of the project.