The ARMОUR project aims to address societal polarization caused by the adoption and spread of extremist ideologies by creating an interdisciplinary model of learning helping individual and mainstream communities build resilience to ideologies and behaviours specific to violent extremism. The project will help both existing and potential influencers to model opinions by integrating skills on how to:
create a message that deals with common concerns and interests of the middle ground society;
develop critical thinking so as to delineate propaganda from solution oriented discourse;
capitalise assertiveness and emotional intelligence into mediating speech that engages and connects with the diverse categories of the silent majority; and
use anger management and conflict resolution so as to contain and push back the discourse of the radical pushers and joiners.
ARMoUR targets a diverse range of potential influencers: middle ground people and first line practitioners in state institutions and CSO’s working with young individuals in the EU that are susceptible and vulnerable to radicalizing. It does so by providing individuals in the community and practitioners the know-how, as well as a toolkit consisting of an experimental creative lab architecture in which to create, test, and promote psychological and community behavioural and communication strategies aimed at correcting reactions to perceived or real grievances and thus promote resilience to push and pull factors involved in advancing radicalization and violent extremism.
The project is funded by the European Commission under the Internal Security Fund - Police, Grant Agreement 823683.
LIBRe Foundation participates in the project with 8 other partner organizations from 8 different countries.
The foundation’s team leads the activities covering dissemination and communication with stakeholders, as well as event organization within Work Package 6 ‘Communication, Dissemination and Leverage’. LIBRe Foundation is also an active participant in the research, the design of training activities and the implementation of the Experimental Labs.