23-25 May 2016

This workshop aimed to: (1) identify lessons learned and good practices; (2) catalogue specific programming approaches to empower and support family members as P/CVE actors; and (3) create practitioner resources in this emerging field of CVE.

Families are vital to preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE). From shaping attitudes toward non-violence to serving as a “front line” actor in identifying signs of possible radicalization to violence, preventing such radicalization’s onset, and intervening in the radicalization process, families represent key, often under-utilized, partners in P/CVE efforts.

The workshop focused on issues such as the roles of cultural identity within family dynamics; the roles of wives, mothers, fathers and siblings in identifying, preventing and intervening in radicalization; the impact of social workers, religious and other community leaders on supporting families in their prevention roles; and CVE programs carried out by national and local authorities, as well as non-governmental actors, to support families.

The workshop format included panel presentations, case studies and small-group, practical exercises. Participants left with a set of tools and resources - programming approaches and examples, actionable project ideas and access to a network of like-minded counterparts. Additionally, the practical experiences, approaches and recommendations from the workshop on the Role of Families in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism will contribute to the development of a practitioner Toolkit under the cross-cutting Initiative to Address the Life Cycle of Radicalization to Violence (Life Cycle Initiative), which will be presented and adopted at the Tenth GCTF Coordinating Committee Meeting and the Seventh Ministerial Plenary Meeting in New York in September 2016.