INTRODUCTION
The ET 2020 Working Group on ‘Promoting citizenship and the common values of freedom, tolerance and non-discrimination through education’ held its first Peer Learning Activity (PLA) on 20-22 April 2016 in The Hague (Netherlands). The focus of this PLA was on ‘Strengthening media literacy and critical thinking among young people as a tool to combat and prevent violent radicalisation’. Using presentations of country good practices, especially from the Netherlands, as well as NGO project demonstrations, school visits and expert inputs, the participants collectively drafted key messages with examples of existing policy or practice from different countries. These key messages will feed into the policy framework developed by the Working Group after discussions in the Working Group plenary meetings. A selection of the examples will feed into the Working Group Compendium of good practices.
The advent of the internet and information technology is creating a revolution in the lives of young people and also in education. It provides both opportunities and threats.
According to a recent study, some 90% of EU households have access to the internet
1. which allows students to access information almost without boundaries. At the same time, research is increasingly showing that the internet and social media can promote intolerant acts and cause psychological harm. Cyberbullying is a real danger to young people in today’s classrooms, as is exposure to extremist ideas and hate speech. Furthermore, extremist groups benefit from the opportunities they get on the internet and through social media to influence young people and recruit new members, as well as reinforce divisions and existing prejudices. Online radicalisation can be addressed by (1) removing offensive content from the internet and social media, (2) reducing the demand for radicalisation and violent extremist messages, especially through education and awareness raising
2. Education, and in particular critical thinking and media literacy, can greatly contribute to the second strategy and is the most long-term means of reducing the demand for online
extremism. As referred to in the Council Conclusions on Developing media literacy and critical thinking through education and training
3, it is one of the four pillars of the Paris Declaration to strengthen “children’s and young people’s ability to think critically and exercise judgement so that, particularly in the context of the Internet and social media, they are able to grasp realities, to distinguish fact from opinion, to recognise propaganda and to resist all forms of indoctrination and hate speech”
- : https://ec.europa.eu/education/sites/education/files/literacy-thinking-preventing-radicalisation_en.pdf
- : EUROPEAN COMMISSION
- : EUROPEAN COMMISSION