All resources for Online Community Engagement for PVE

When designing, implementing and evaluating your OCEAs, you will have to take into account that some participants may be at-risk individuals. This category mainly includes people whose socioeconomic grievances are likely to make them vulnerable to influence by VE groups, and those whose identities fall outside the dominant or common cultural, social, and political norms regarding race. Young people are, however, most at risk. They are the main targets of recruitment strategies and often fall victim to extremist violence. In these cases, high sensitivity is recommended. First, you will need to define the criteria which dictate who would be considered ‘at risk’ in your OCEAs. Is legislation in their country used to imprison people without due process, risking promotion of violent extremism by feeding into narratives of grievance? Have you made sure that their participation in your OCEAs will not put them further at risk, either of being victims of VE groups, or of retaliation by the government? Are you safeguarding them enough, should a threat of imminent violence or recruitment arise? Are you ensuring that no personally identifiable data is shared without permission and confidentiality is maintained? Are you able, through your OCEAs, to provide anger and stress management solutions to decrease the chances of radicalization? A best practice when dealing with at-risk individuals would be to engage in open discussions for critical thinking, creating space for alternative narratives to extremist ideas, and promoting tolerance in discussions.