Pushing the Boundaries (360G-HeartofEnglandCF-A472533)

Since January 2017, brap has been working in areas of Birmingham where young people are particularly susceptible to far-right or Islamist extremism. In doing so, we’ve been using a facilitation method called process work to have deeper conversations with people about topics like belonging and cohesion. Process work is a psychotherapeutic approach to dialogue that recognises the central role emotions play in the formation of views. It also recognises that conflict is a necessary part of democracy and as such doesn’t censor marginal or uncomfortable views. This work was based on the realisation that extremism is driven by emotion (fear, isolation, anxiety) and that we need facilitation techniques that surface these emotions and help people deal with them. There is more information about process work here: www.brap.org.uk/pushingtheboundaries Many of our partners have asked us to come back and deliver more of these engagement sessions. In particular, South and City College Birmingham (SCCB) have asked us to deliver sessions to a cohort of 16-18 year old students. So we are looking for funding to: • work with at least three FE colleges/youth clubs to deliver 20 engagement sessions to approx. 200 people aged 16-18 • set up a network of young people committed to breaking down cliques found in some of Birmingham’s colleges • deliver five workshops for teachers/youth practitioners on how to challenge prejudice Project objectives: • increase resilience to extremism by helping 16-18 year olds reflect on how their beliefs about politics, religion, and gender are formed • promote belonging by exposing the cohort to different views and help them understand more about their peers • help students promote values such as equality and decrease ‘segregation’ within their college by breaking down cliques • equip teachers/youth practitioners with the confidence to robustly defend values such as equality and tolerance