The European Study of Youth Mobilisation Report

This report is the result of a collaboration involving a number of partners. The topic emerged in 2008 in the early stages of the British Council’s work supporting global citizenship in north, central and eastern Europe. In 2009, the British Council launched Active Citizens a programme which aims to build trust and understanding between communities and across borders of all types: geographical, ethnic, faith, gender. And an important part of this programme is to identify issues of current concern in Europe and through further enquiry and study to contribute to a better understanding. One area of common concern is the role young people play in our communities. Mobilisation around their beliefs and values is a common feature of young people in many countries and continents. Most enthusiasm fosters positive change, through and within their organisations, communities and societies. Increasingly, perhaps, violence is also being seen as a means for achieving social change. Over the last few months, the actions and reactions of young people in different countries and the way these appear through the filter of the media - where terms like “extremism” and “radicalism” are frequently employed - show that this subject is, if anything, becoming more relevant for the world we live in. The British Council commissioned Dr Jeffrey Murer of St Andrews University’s School for International Relations, to lead a multi-sited project involving the participation and cooperation of many people, to discover more about radicalisation and the perceptions of young people who see themselves as radicalised, including their perceptions on violence and violent activity. This report on The European Study of Youth Mobilisation (ESYM) is one of the products of that research.