Fostering Resilience against Extremism: Uniting Research and Practice

Venue: Leuven Irish College Janseniusstraat 1

Leuven, 3000 Belgium

29 November 2021

This conference is part of the ExtremelyEunited project jointly organized by the Institute of Media Studies, KU Leuven, and other partners. It brings together experts, scholars, and practitioners to discuss diversity, social cohesion, and pluralism linking with extremism. This conference is divided into three clusters of ideas. Firstly, scholars and experts examine the different aspects of extremism. This theoretical discussion allows us to rethink the current developments and understanding in the field and how to approach our study. The idea is to open the debate for enhancing interactions between researchers and practitioners working in the field. The second and third ideas of clusters are based on more practitioners’ views on extremism by looking at how critical tools and thinking mechanisms at online platforms and channels can help vulnerable youth. The second and third panels will share the main findings of ExtremelyEunited campaigns with some critical suggestions. The contributors will discuss the campaigns’ aim with its results, showing how online tools and channels can be used to develop alternative narratives and discourses in strengthening youth resilience against hateful ideologies. The last panel will bring youth voice on extremism to understand how they challenge specifically with hate ideologies. 

Join to this conference from the link below

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82231831232

Opening

9.30-9.45

Leen d’Haenens, KU Leuven

Panel 1 

9.45-11.00: Online-Offline Strategies: Creating Resilient Communities 

Chair: Leen d’Haenens, KU Leuven, Belgium

Christophe Busch, Hannah Arendt Institute, Belgium

Us versus Them: polarisation as threat or enrichment 

Ans de Nolf, KU Leuven

The ‘Big Bad Islam’: how young Muslims cope with Islamophobia in Flanders

Abdelwahed Mekki-Berrada, University of Laval, Canada

Islam and “better-living-together” : A Sufi perspective from Montreal, Canada

11.00-11.15 Pause

Panel 2 

11.15-12.30: Alternative Narratives Against Extremism and Radicalisation 

Chair: Yoana Barakova, EFSAS, The Netherlands

Seyma Celem, IDP, Belgium

Back to the fact: Lessons learned about PVE  

Kamila Boukfouz &Ahmet Kaya INS, The Netherlands

The Art of living together in a diverse society 

Discussant: Alexander Ritzmann, Counter Extremism Project

12.30-13.30 Lunch

Panel 3 

13.30-14.45: Sacred Scriptures in Extremism 

Chair: Erkan Toguslu, KU Leuven, Belgium

Cenap Aydin Istituto Tevere, Italy. 

Italy revisiting extremism’s in Europe: Dialogue or not to dialogue 

Temir Naziri, ArcoForum, Spain 

Engaging youth with religious texts 

Discussant:  Christian Moos, EESC

14.45-15.00 Pause

Panel 4 

15.00-16.15: Being Aware: Engaging with Youth on Resilience Building

Marie Figoureux, KU Leuven, Belgium

Fight, flee or fuse: a guide to respond to polarising topics

Alexander van Leuven, KU Leuven

Participant valorisation as a means to improve policy: looking through the eyes of youth and their coping strategies on/with social media

Laura Imbrechts,  research assistant

Laila Oudriss El Bouanani, research assistant

Bilal Marchouhi,  research assistant

Ijlal Benkassem,  research assistant

16.15 : Connecting the Dots

All Panel Chairs