We were at the Prevent 09 conference last Tuesday to help drum up support for this project from people working on preventing violent extremism. We ran a couple of workshops where we explained the programme and answered questions on a wide range of issues internet related. From tackling gangs in London to engaging with young people in the North there was a deep interest in what difference websites and blogs particularly could make. Hopefully we’ll be following up these discussions early in the new year.
Before the workshops started I was able to listen to John Denham, Communities Secretary, give us keynote speech. In it he addressed some of the criticisms that the Prevent project has attracted. Two phrases stuck in my mind:
“It is a crime prevention programme.”
“We must have complete openness and transparency.”
It is easy to make things complex. Particularly when they deal with complex issues. I liked Denham’s simplicity in his first phrase and the second is the starting point for building trust.
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