Tunisia has a large number of young people and teens. Their prospects in the wake of the revolution have not improved. Far from it: the vast majority of people we speak to in Tunisia consider the economic, and often political, situation to be worse than before 2011. Young people are at risk and can easily give in to the temptations offered by extremist recruiters, who promise them not only a better future but also, and possibly most of all, the chance to take part in achieving a grand and noble cause and the opportunity to realize themselves through a truly cosmic project.

Young Tunisians are therefore at high risk of radicalization. The lack of opportunities for parents and teachers to talk about this openly in a safe environment and the refusal of some families to recognize that their children have problems often prevent early intervention. And that’s where our project comes in. Using a systemic approach, we offer parents and teachers at four junior and senior high schools themed discussion groups with experts so that they can gain confidence and a better understanding of the origins, signs and consequences of radicalization by extremists. How do I spot that my child is in trouble, how do I talk to them and where can I go for help? These are the types of questions that the discussion groups aim to answer, using a participative approach. These discussions will help us to identify the problem more clearly and to find out more about the needs of and the challenges facing parents and teachers. We then convert our findings into training, also aimed at parents and teachers, so that it can be made available on a larger scale.

Last but by no means least, we are also involving young people by financing four multiplier projects to prevent extremism among young people, for example, works of art, videos, personal stories, etc.