Renaisi was commissioned by the London Borough of Waltham Forest to carry out an evaluation of the Young Muslim Leader’s programme (Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder), which has been running in the borough over the past year and has just completed its first round of funding.
The programme aimed to enable young Muslims to identify themselves as a welcome part of British society and to reject violent extremism ideology by providing courses in developing civic and religious knowledge as well as developing skills such as communication, conflict-resolution and leadership. It has funded two projects to date, which were aimed at children and young people, including young professional Muslims.
Renaisi held interviews and focus group sessions with key beneficiaries, project managers and partners. So far the evaluation has found that the project has had a positive impact on the lives of the young Muslim leaders. It has developed the capacity of the young people and helped them become skilled and knowledgable local civic leaders.
Renaisi’s consultant Adam Barnett, leading the evaluation work, said:
“The Young Muslim Leadership Programme is a really exciting development in preventing violent extremism and also in the wider field of community cohesion practice. It is creative, forward thinking, and highly innovative . The programme is helping to develop a sustainable framework for the council and partners to engage with the area’s diverse communities.”
The information gathered will be used to draw out best practice, identify challenges and lessons learned, and to look at sustainable ways to mainstream the project within the Council and the work of its partners.
For more information about the programme please contact Renaisi Consultant Adam Barnett on a.barnett@renaisi.com
