School Based Extremism and Drug Abuse Prevention in the UK
Young people and teenagers are the most vulnerable group for radical influences due to the fact that they are the most energetic and dynamic social group prone to social protest and high risk behaviors. Another risk factor for young people to become involved in extreme activities is drug addiction. Extremism and drug addiction have common ground. Being global in nature, both phenomena have destructive character and serious consequences for humankind. Terrorism acts regarded as a form of violent extremism are often carried out by aggressors being drunk or under the influence of psychoactive substances. Drugs are a part of extremist organizations which are often funded by financial resources obtained from drug trafficking. Based on the position that radicalization is a process and not a one time event, it is possible to intervene to prevent problems that may arise. Therefore seems appropriate for a specific provision of prevention initiatives to be included in the educational process. Since drug addiction is one of the risk factors for experimenting with extremism, it worth using a public health approach to counter the extremist ideology in a similar way to safeguarding processes to protect students from drug abuse. The study considers the UK's successful initiatives such as "From one extreme to another" "Getting Together" and "Channel" that target students and teachers in order to increase their awareness of the risks of extremism and prevent violence.
V International Forum on Teacher Education