Ideas worth spreading

How young people join violent extremist groups -- and how to stop them

1,298,140 views | Erin Marie Saltman • TEDxGhent

Terrorists and extremists aren't all naturally violent sociopaths -- they're deliberately recruited and radicalized in a process that doesn't fit into a neat pattern. Erin Marie Saltman discusses the push and pull factors that cause people to join extremist groups and explains innovative ways of preventing and countering radicalization.

Terrorists and extremists aren't all naturally violent sociopaths -- they're deliberately recruited and radicalized in a process that doesn't fit into a neat pattern. Erin Marie Saltman discusses the push and pull factors that cause people to join extremist groups and explains innovative ways of preventing and countering radicalization.

This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxGhent, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TEDx.

Join YouthCAN. The Youth Civil Activism Network (YouthCAN) unites youth activists, artists and tech entrepreneurs from around the world to amplify efforts in countering violent extremism. If you want to use your skills (activist, artist, techie or otherwise) to challenge hate speech and extremism and would like to network and create content with others, please join!

Check out the counter-narrative toolkit, which includes guidance on how to plan, create and promote campaigns to challenge hate speech and extremism.

Join the Online Civil Courage Initiative. If you have content, campaigns or pages that challenge hate speech and extremism in whatever form and would like it boosted or promoted, the Online Civil Courage Initiative will help you reach target audiences.

About the speaker

Erin Marie Saltman

Policy researcher

See speaker profile

Dr. Erin Marie Saltman manages Facebook's counterterrorism and counter-extremism policy work for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

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Get inspired by a range of local projects and initiatives challenging hate speech and extremism in their own communities from all around the world. The Facebook counterspeech page highlights international programs and shares how local civil society voices can make big impacts.

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Online Civil Courage Initiative Information Pack on Counterspeech Engagement

The Online Civil Courage Initiative Information Pack on Counterspeech Engagement helps activists and online campaigners navigate how create and launch campaigns. Crucially, it also talks through how to respond to hate speech that might be aimed at your profiles or content.

Erin Marie Saltman and Melanie Smith | Institute for Strategic Dialogue | Article

"Till Martyrdom Do Us Part: Gender and the ISIS Phenomenon"

Learn more about the women joining ISIS (Daesh): why they join, push and pull factors around radicalization and case studies profiling the diversity among these female members.

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"One to One Online Interventions: A Pilot CVE Methodology"

The One to One Online Interventions: A Pilot CVE Methodology pioneers online interventions, creating a methodology around trained mentors doing online outreach to individuals undergoing a process of radicalization. Using the expertise of former extremists, this report shows the findings of Phase I outreach to both young far-right and Islamist extremist sympathizers. Phase II coming out shortly.

Jamie Bartlett and Alex Krasodomski-Jones | Demos, 2016 | Article

"Counter-Speech on Facebook"

The Demos report on Counter-Speech on Facebook maps an international comparative study about how campaigns and online engagement to challenge hate speech and extremism have common successes and challenges. This report gives best practices on how online campaigns can reach further than hate-based voices.

Erin Marie Saltman, Moli Dow and Kelsey Bjornsgaard | Institute for Strategic Dialogue | Article

"Youth Innovation Labs: A Model for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism"

Are you are interested in bringing groups of local activists, creatives and techies together to develop online content to challenge hate speech and extremism? This report gives a breakdown of how best to do it!

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This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxGhent, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TEDx.

Join YouthCAN. The Youth Civil Activism Network (YouthCAN) unites youth activists, artists and tech entrepreneurs from around the world to amplify efforts in countering violent extremism. If you want to use your skills (activist, artist, techie or otherwise) to challenge hate speech and extremism and would like to network and create content with others, please join!

Check out the counter-narrative toolkit, which includes guidance on how to plan, create and promote campaigns to challenge hate speech and extremism.

Join the Online Civil Courage Initiative. If you have content, campaigns or pages that challenge hate speech and extremism in whatever form and would like it boosted or promoted, the Online Civil Courage Initiative will help you reach target audiences.