A New Approach to PCVE: Empowering Youth to Prevent Radicalisation

Young people are no longer just recipients of prevention programmes; they are at the heart of building community resilience. Explore how a multidimensional approach, combining digital literacy, inclusive education, and transparent governance, is transforming PCVE strategies to tackle the root causes of marginalisation and build inclusive societies.

As societies across Europe and beyond confront evolving forms of violent extremism, the prevention of radicalisation has become an urgent policy priority. Young people are often at the forefront of both risk and resilience dynamics in this context. The UNESCO and Resilience, Peacebuilding and Preventing Violent Extremism book shows that prevention efforts achieve their highest success when they tackle fundamental weaknesses that stem from social exclusion and marginalisation, and restricted educational and job opportunities. The new approach to Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) now emphasises that young people serve as active partners who help build community resilience rather than being treated as programme recipients.

Current studies show that pathways into radicalisation are complex; people become radicalised through processes that vary by their specific environments. The article Children, Young People and the Emerging Terrorism Threat Landscape, released in September 2025; building on Public Mental Health Approaches to Online Radicalisation: An Empty Systematic Review highlight that experiences such as discrimination, lack of belonging, and exposure to extremist narratives online can increase vulnerability, particularly among youth. The same environments that create difficulties for people also provide spaces where individuals can find support and develop positive identities through inclusive policies.

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Meer weten over hoe u met uw partners in veiligheid samenwerkt aan regie in de aanpak van polarisatie, radicalisering en extremisme? Kom dan naar een geheel nieuwe editie van ons jaarlijkse HCB Seminar De Veilige Gemeente dat plaatsvindt op 13 mei in Luden, Den Haag. We bespreken onder begeleiding van topsprekers thema’s zoals online radicalisering, de transitie van radicalisering naar extremisme en de rol van preventie. Met sprekers waaronder prof. dr. Hans Boutellier (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), Elanie Rodermond (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), Liesbeth van der Heide (Inspectie Justitie en Veiligheid), Hans Moors (EMMA) en Eric Bervoets (Inspectie Justitie en Veiligheid).