The Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN Practitioners) connects frontline practitioners from across Europe with one another, to exchange knowledge, first-hand experiences and approaches to preventing and countering violent extremism in all its forms. They are teachers, police/prison/probation officers, social workers, youth workers, psychologists, and many more.
The RAN YOUNG Platform supports especially young people: the next generation of first-line practitioners in the field of prevention and countering of violent extremism (P/CVE). The aim is to provide young people a voice in P/CVE and the opportunity to insert the perspective of young people to our network of first-line practitioners.
Our objectives are to:
- Offer the opportunity to young actors from around Europe to meet and exchange on P/CVE and related issues.
- Create a safe space to share views and formulate recommendations both for first-line practitioners and policymakers.
- Empower young people to proactively take action in their own communities or within their specific professions.
Participants of the RAN YOUNG Platform in 2023 will meet 2 times.
Want to get an impression of the participants? Check out this video.
This varies, depending on the programme RAN YOUNG offers. We try to offer young people the opportunity every year or every two years.
You can apply by filling out this survey. You fill out a number of questions stated in the survey. They relate to your experience in preventing and countering violent extremism, your expectations and your motivation to join. The deadline for applying is 15 February.
After this date, it will take a few weeks before you receive whether you are eligible for joining the RAN YOUNG Platform. Participants are being selected based on the eligibility criteria and motivation (see below). In addition, we take into account geographical spread and a gender balance among the participants.
The current eligibility criteria are:
- Age between 18-25 years old
- Resident of an EU Member State
- Good level of English
- Experienced in the field of P/CVE or related societal issues. For example:
- Currently involved in a study related to P/CVE and willing to pursue a career in this field (such as a study in social work, psychology, youth work, education or the security field, etc.),
- Currently active as a young practitioner in P/CVE or resilience-building activities (such as social workers, teacher, youth workers, psychologists, police officers, community workers, campaign developers, etc.),
- Currently involved in local/national/international organisations dealing with societal issues in relation to radicalisation.
- Commit to participate in all sessions according to the planning:
- 3 and 4 May 2023 – Offline kick-off meeting
- 26 and 27 September 2023 – Online meeting
*Note: It may be the case that you are highly motivated to take part, but you feel like you are not meeting all requirements for 100 %. We still highly encourage you to apply and do not want to miss out on your valuable perspective!
RAN currently has 9 Working Groups (Mental Health; Police and Law enforcement; Rehabilitation; Youth and Education; Families, Communities and Social Care; Prisons; Communications and Narratives; Victims/Survivors of Terrorism; Local Authorities) and one RAN YOUNG Platform. In the other 9 Working Groups, professionals active in the field of P/CVE exchange knowledge and inspiring approaches on different topics. RAN YOUNG participants are, besides joining the RAN YOUNG events, also encouraged to join the regular Working Group meetings and exchange with experienced practitioners.
Whereas the two RAN YOUNG meetings are mandatory, RAN YOUNG members also have the opportunity to attend the above mentioned Working Group meetings. To feel fully prepared to attend these sessions, the RAN YOUNG members will meet beforehand with either the RAN Working Group leaders or the preparing RAN Staff to receive some additional explanation and ensure an optimal preparation.
RAN YOUNG meets 2 times in 2023. These meetings are mandatory to attend:
- 3 and 4 May 2023 – Offline kick-off meeting
- 26 and 27 September 2023 – Online meeting
Offline meetings usually cover two days: from lunch to lunch. Participants travel to the meeting in the morning and go back to their home country after lunch on the second day. (See more information under Travelling). Online meetings are organised in WebEx.
For the two meetings, there is usually one homework assignment as a preparation for the meeting. In this way, we make sure that we can offer an interesting programme, for which each participant is prepared. Everything else will be explained during the meeting itself.
This differs each year, depending on the latest developments in the field (think of: polarisation, conspiracy narratives, violent right/left wing extremism, violent islamist extremism, and much more). One topic that will always be discussed is youth participation in the field of P/CVE.
We form the programme together with the participants to make sure it matches their expectations. The skills vary: providing feedback to P/CVE practitioners/projects, making sure your voice is being heard, peer-to-peer training for young people, or project management in P/CVE.
Each year, we make an inventory of who wants to stay in the platform to learn more. Please be aware that the maximum age currently is set at 25 years old.