Oct. 18, 2021

In the interventions 'VIP' and 'Me (yr.)' youth and children in The Hague education are made more resilient against influences with a possible radicalizing or polarizing effect. During the project, young people engage with important themes such as identity, fundamental rights and how they relate to others. I evaluated these projects together with RadarAdvies and the Verwey-Jonker Institute.

VIP, Me and Me Jr. make an important contribution to strengthening the resilience of young people in The Hague. The projects have a positive effect on the knowledge and attitude of participants on fundamental themes such as identity, diversity and the Dutch Constitution. At the same time, there are gains to be made in areas such as structure and behavioral change. In the report we make recommendations for the further development of the interventions.

For the evaluations, use was made of the 'Toolkit evidence-based work to prevent radicalization' of the Expertise Unit on Social Stability of the Ministry of Social Affairs and the NCTV. We conducted a questionnaire among 616 youths from The Hague, spoke with 41 students and observed 14 lessons. The application of the 'Toolkit evidence based working' provides very concrete tools for increasing the effectiveness of the interventions.

Read here the full research report. Contact Dr. Amy-Jane Gielen if you would like to learn how you can use the lessons from this research for your own policies.