Becoming Journalists
Key message: Nowadays, we live in a multicultural world and young people need to know their environment and understand it. Both as preventive measures and in the case of young sympathisers or already affiliated to violent discriminatory groups, it is important for them to visualise other options of social action and establish contacts with groups of people who struggle for the rights of several collectives by the way of inclusion and non-violence.
Key words: community cohesion, sense of belonging
LessKey message: Nowadays, we live in a multicultural world and young people need to know their environment and understand it. Both as preventive measures and in the case of young sympathisers or already affiliated to violent discriminatory groups, it is important for them to visualise other options of social action and establish contacts with groups of people who struggle for the rights of several collectives by the way of inclusion and non-violence.
Key words: community cohesion, sense of belonging
Key message: Nowadays, we live in a multicultural world and young people need to know their environment and understand it. Both as preventive measures and in the case of young sympathisers or already affiliated to violent discriminatory groups, it is important for them to visualise other options of social action and establish contacts with groups of people who struggle for the rights of several collectives by the way of inclusion and non-violence.
Key words: community cohesion, sense of belonging
- Group size
- small
- medium
- Module
- Intervention
- Exit strategies
- Duration
- 1 hour
- Group age
- 16 - 19
- 20 - 24
Exercise Category: Activities / Exercises
CC - Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Purpose
- Have a reflection on one's own social concerns and also be aware of others' concerns.
- Know the work of several entities and organisations in the social area and strengthen the construction of a counter-narrative to the extremist speech.
- Develop the capacity to move from general concerns towards concrete questions.
- Promote young people identification and engagement with the Community.
Description
Introduce the activity by explaining and asking the group if they know what the local and community actors are and which do they know in their area. Encourage them to locate them on the map and inquire about them.
Step 1: Create small or subgroups or pairs (depending on the size of the group) and ask them to draw a map of their city or neighbourhood. Then they should try to locate those entities or community groups they know (e.g.: civic centers, youth points, children's protection association, etc.). Ask them to make a list if they know the name of some entities but do not know where they are located.
Step 2: Participants will draw their map and will present it to the rest of the group and note on the blackboard the agents and organisations located. The dynamiser person will gather on the board the groups and social issues mentionned (education, immigration, etc.). Guide the reflection towards the role of Youth in these fields and questions that could be raised to several key agents.
Step 3: Propose them to take the role of journalists. Ask them to prepare an interview to a key agent from some of the located entities and groups who interest them most (e.g. migrants or Human rights associations/organisations spokespersons): Which is his/her role in society? What is work is all about? What can he tells about the collective he/she represents? Are young people involved? Why? In which way? What are the obstacles you met? How do you react? Etc. Pool the answers obtained and try to identify common concerns and think about the role of Youth to become active in their own environment.
Optional development: Once elaborated, conduct the interviews to several key agents and social leaders. The teacher/trainer/educator is free to consider which is the most relevant way to make the interview, according to the resources of the Centre and the group: individual interviews with the key agents, various sessions with different organisations, organised visits to the proper entities, etc. It is recommended to start inviting some entities and actors to the centre and offer a space for young people to raise some of the questions elaborated in the previous session.
Materials needed
Paper, pen, list of entities and key agents.
Methodology
Discussion board
Advice for Trainer
- Prepare a list with the main Youth entities and key agents.
- In EXIT and de-radicalisation process: Present organisations and groups of non- violent juvenile social action existing in the environment of these youngsters (e.g. young Muslims groups, community centres, etc.) able to provide a counter-narrative to their group ideology.
Source / Literature
García A. (n.a). Materiales didácticos para trabajar la participación ciudadana. Institut Paulo Freire and Ayuntamiento de Sevilla. Sevilla