Preventing radicalization in schools: A program proposal

How can signs of violent, Islamist radicalization be recognized in the school environment? And how can schools deal with radicalization and crisis symptoms? A program is presented to support schools recognizing and preventing Islamist radicalization among students. Combined with a general approach to crisis prevention, the program includes a 4-day training for crisis prevention teams in schools. The aim is to strengthen the assessment competencies and accuracy of trained participants in order to identify problematic radicalization processes or behaviors that possibly indicate a radicalization background at an early stage, to develop low-threshold and tailored interventions for the individual radicalization process and to carry out risk/threat assessments and treat management measures together with network partners. The program builds on the NETWASS approach (Networks Against School Shootings) funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Currently, a pilot implementation is realized, integrated into the EU-funded projects MINDb4ACT and PROPHETS. The program is outlined and the piloting of the training as well as first experiences from the implementation will be presented.