VISITING PUBLIC EVENT

• learn more about organization and functioning of extremist groups in general;
• learn more about local extremist groups;
• understand how they promote and justify their ideas (values) trought violent actions in public;
• observe how members of extremist group dress, behave in work in real life situation and how situations are consistent with the established structure;
• report about the results of their observations from the field;
• make a presentation with conclusions and reflect on how this could be resolved in the future.

Students in primary, secundary and third education level.

Part 1: Preparation for systematic observation

Step 1: Trainer/teacher write names of local extremist group and ask learners, if names are familiar to them. Those who asnwer with yes are invated to tell more about name(s), which they know.

Step 2:Trainer/teacher use puctures (or videos) to explains functioning and structure of extremist groups. The motives of the photos must contain:

• symbols they used and their meaning,
• dress code,
• hierarchy piramid with rules of conduct
• indirect communication strategies, which are used in public places (stickers on poles orbenches, graffiti, ownership of certain parts and pubs in the city
• events, where they take part.

Step 2: Analyzing websites

Part 1: Learners devide into 3-4 groups and search for informationas on websites of local extremist groups. First they need to make general research analysis at level 1, then they need to use it as base for questions at level 2 (synthesis). Level 3 include questions for furter research.

Level 1:

1. What is average profile of their member: gender, age, level of education, nationality, social-economical status?
2. Which is their symbol? From where is taken and what does it mean?
3. What is their slogan?
4. What they have been publishing recently on their webiste?

Level 2:

1. Which problems has been facing citizens with average profile of member in your city?
2. How is their symbol conected with their aims and acts?
3. Are they ideas similar with political objectives of certain programs?
4. What are they used to convince you into their right?

Level 3:

1. Which conditions can be matched by local groups that may be classified as a extremist?
2. Where they act differently?

Part 2.

Step 1: Visiting public event, f.e.: footbal match, protest, Pride parade

For answers in level 3 earners have the opportunity to attend public event, where one of the extremist group will be present. Since it is a public event, there will be also police, ambulance and firefighters to ensure safety visitors, which also include learners. Task include guided situational observation for which learners need to be prepared in advance and where they used structured observation forms.

Observation forms have a form of check list and are adjust for different aspects:

• symbols;
• functioning structure,
• communication with each other;
• communication with others;
• dress code;
• behave patterns
• type of violence acts

To ensure also further safety trainer/teacher can locate students out of immediate vicinity of the members and take care that they do not come into direct contact.

Part 3: Presentation of the findings and summary of conclusions

Step 1: Option 1: Learners read findings from observation form, trainer/teacher frontally complies check list in PP presentation.

Option 2: Leraners get access to data base and insert their findings in it at home. Teacher prepare animation with comparisons.

Step 2: Final part

1. What can we conclud on the basis of results? How behaviors in real situation consistent with the predicted one.
2. Can we generalized them to all? No, because we observed only one time and only one group at a single event.
3. Where it come to deviation? What can be reasons?
4. What has surprised you?
5. What were you expecting?

Discussion pannel, laptops/computers, internet, forms o with questionnaires observation forms.

Explanation, demonstration, work with pictures and videos, analysis, synthesis, observation with the participation, summarizing and draw of conclusions, public speaking.

If there are no local extremist groups trainer/teacher can take as an example the most known one on national or wordwide level.

If there is no chance for situational observations in the field, students can make an analysis of the video. Some of researches and scientist articles about extremism are available also on: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/

Original material developed for the purpose of the YCARe project.