The Capacity Training session held in January 2023 in Brussels included senior members from various sporting associations throughout Europe. The countries represented during the training sessions included Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, the Netherlands, Denmark and Hungary. The expert who conducted the training session was a PhD researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Brussels; Younis Kamil Abdulsalam, who, in addition to his research at the University, is working for the Hannah-Arendt-Institute as a researcher for the Belgian Red Courts program (developing a program theory on football-based prevention of radicalisation), a Sports Scientist and licensed football coach. Mr Abdulsalam has been an integral part of the Radical Exchange project, having partaken in the Belgium focus group, attended the London conference and has been involved in the Handbook review.
The training session took the theory contained in the Handbook and gave a practical approach to the participants. It included a description as to what “radicalisation” is, including the definitions and theories around this, with a focus on the youth. Risk factors were also addressed. The session then addressed the general approach to prevent radicalisation, and special emphasis was placed on sport being used as a tool, including both the pros and cons of sport in this regard.
The training session was an interactive session, with a number of questions, and sharing of experiences. The feedback received from the participants was that the session was very informative and well received.
