The Institute for Youth Ministry is partnering with Rē: The Regenerative School, to engage young people and faith communities across the USA in research and creating solutions to deep social divisions that can lead to violent extremism.
Violent extremists often target young people to recruit, exploiting their social and economic vulnerability and eagerness to find purpose in their lives. While youth are often portrayed as perpetrators of violent extremism, more recent strategies view youth as key stakeholders in interrupting the cycle of violent radicalization and preventing violent extremism (PVE).
The USA’s 350,000 religious congregations have the potential to be key allies in this work. Not only are they deeply invested in protecting their young, they offer long traditions of peacebuilding, and resources for strengthening our social fabric.
This conversation is a first step. Its specific goal is to help us learn from the international community’s long experience with young people as peacebuilders who are helping to prevent global violent extremism.
We are hosting five panels throughout the day that feature global changemakers, including young people themselves, committed to peace, justice, and youth-led change by launching grassroots movements, policy changes, and international collaborations.
Panel A - 10:30 am – 11:30 am EDT
A Church for Change: Religion as a Driver and Solution to Violent Extremeism: Analysis from the Last 20 Years
This panel will explore pertinent research from the last two decades linking religion to violent extremism globally, especially among youth. We hope to explore both the role of religion as a driver of, and as a solution to, global violent extremism. Parallels to the current situation facing the U.S. will be explored.
Moderator: Kenda Creasy Dean, Mary D. Synnott Professor of Youth, Church and Culture, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ
Panelists:
Panel B - 11:45 am – 12:45 pm EDT
Learning from Youth: Evolving Responses in Preventing Violent Extremism from Global Youth Peacebuilders
This panel will provide an overview of the global youth, peace and security (YPS) agenda which was formally launched in 2015 by the United Nations. These youth peacebuilders will discuss their on-the-ground experience of working to prevent violent extremism in unstable regions of the globe. We will look at the diversity and impact of these efforts to better understand the role young people can play in preventing the adoption of violent extremist ideologies among their peers.
Moderator: Felix Bivens, Co-Founder/Co-Director, Rē: The Regenerative School and Founder/Director of Empyrean Research, Fayetteville, Tennessee
Panelists:
Panel C - 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EDT
Research as a Resource: Engaging Youth in Participatory Action Research to Transform the Conversation
This panel will discuss the use of participatory action research (PAR) as a method that engages and empowers young people to propose data-informed solutions to domestic violent extremism by interrupting radicalization and defusing ideological polarization.
Moderator: Dayle Gillespie Rounds, Associate Dean of Continuing Education, Princeton Theological Seminary
Panelists:
Panel D - 2:15 pm – 3:15 pm EDT
Leading with Youth: Leveraging Congregations to Help Young People Prevent Violent Extremism through Youth and Community Development
This panel will explore the potential of Christian congregations to support young people leading in their communities in interrupting processes of radicalization and defusing ideological polarization through strategies such as youth development and community organizing, which have been shown to reduce ideological extremism. This discussion is both aspirational and descriptive; we hope to name new possibilities as well as lift up examples of congregations—and young people—already doing this work, perhaps unknown to one another.
Moderator: Kenda Creasy Dean, Mary D. Synnott Professor of Youth, Church and Culture, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ
Panelists:
Panel E - 3:30 pm – 4:20 pm EDT
We Make the Road by Walking: Toward a Congregationally-Supported, Youth-Led Peacebuilding Movement in the U.S. - Lessons and Experience from Afar
This panel consists of international peacebuilding organizations and lead project researchers, both to learn from the wisdom of global peacebuilders, and to imagine what next steps are called for, especially with congregations and young peacebuilders. In particular, we seek wisdom that might help us: 1) open discussions about these issues within faith communities, 2) empower young people to help their communities understand common factors that drive extremism and division, and 3) empower young people to create activities and interventions that counter the forces of violent extremism, in order to create a more resilient and peaceful future.
Moderator: Craig Barnes, President, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ
Panelists:
When: Available Now
Duration: 60-Minute Panel Discussions (5)
Format:Recording
Price: Free
Educators, researchers, scholars and the PTS community interested in learning about global efforts in youth-led peacebuilding as well as participatory action research, and how it can play a role in preventing violent extremism