A Mentorship Manual for Countering Violent Extremism in Kenya
Forming part of STRIVE II, this manual is intended as a practical guide for those running a mentorship programme for youth at risk of recruitment and radicalisation to violent extremism.
This manual is borne out of five years’ experience of supporting more than 300 at-risk mentees in Kenya under the STRIVE Horn of Africa and STRIVE II programmes, funded by the EU.
The manual is intended to assist practitioners and others who are seeking to design and implement mentorship programmes elsewhere in the world. As the most prominent violent extremist (VE) organisation in the region, Al-Shabaab’s extremist ideology and its recruitment methods reflect global trends in violent extremism. The Somalia-based insurgency has increasingly sought recruits and influence in the region and around the world, not least in Kenya.
The manual guides the training of mentors to support their mentees. It presents theory in a readable format and provides examples, specific tips, exercises and facilitation plans to support mentors in their engagement with at-risk youth. Many of the programme’s components are adaptable to other contexts, and its ideas will be helpful for others to consider.
FUNDED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION
WRITTEN BY
Dr Tina Wilchen Christensen
Associate Fellow - Expert in mentorship-based approaches to reintegration, radicalisation and risk assessment
Matt Freear
Associate Fellow
Khadija Suleiman
Mentorship Manager
RUSI Nairobi
