Eva, 28 (Albania)
Edyta, 35 (Poland)
Andrew, 27 (UK)
Lucie-Belle, 25 (France)
Giannis, 24 (Greece)Paul, 27 (Gibraltar)
Thomas, 23 (France)
David, 24 (France)
Andrej, 24 (Slovakia)
OUR TEAM
Following:
ü  Academic research
ü  Strategic implementation
ü  Measurements
ü  Feedback and Assessment
ü  What comes next?
EUnited Team has decided to be part of this counter-extremism project
in wake of the Paris and Brussels attacks that have changed European
perceptions of which forms can extremism actually take. 
In order to do that, we decided that raising awareness should be done
via a thought-provoking video (mostly implemented on Facebook) and
via an educational part: the “Human Library”. In each aspect of the
project, we try our best not only to raise questions, but also to answer
them; to break stereotypes and to empower people to be part of such
initiatives. 
We know that the momentum is favourable, but it can also be a
problem. Indeed, the media attention can make people be wary about
speaking up. 
Nevertheless, our team is motivated, competitive and international.
EUnited team is compose of nine members from six different nationalities
- which is our biggest strength, since we have a significant network both
in Europe and abroad. As a matter of a fact, this is also what helped us
having our video seen more than 74,000 times. 
We are convinced that our European backgrounds can  make a
difference in this competition that we hope to win.
ALARMING OBSERVATION
PREDICTIFYME
The dynamic process whereby an
individual comes to accept terrorist
violence as a possible, perhaps event
legitimate, course of action. This may
eventually, but not necessarily, lead this
person to advocate, act in support of, or
engage in terrorism.
The fact of someone
having beliefs that most
p e o p l e t h i n k a r e
u n r e a s o n a b l e a n d
unacceptable.
Source: OSCE, Definition, Preventing Terrorism
and Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism:
A Community-Policing Approach, February 2014, p.35.
FIRST
EXTREMISM RADICALIZATION MEAN
On February 23rd 2016, we visited the Geneva Center for Security Policy (GSCP, Switzerland)
to meet with Dr. Christina Schori Liang, Senior Programme Advisor and Senior Fellow for the
“Emerging Security Challenges” programme, to talk about the study she conducted and that
would shape our project:
Source: “Cyber-Jihad, Understanding and Countering Islamic State Propaganda”
By Christina Schori Liang, GSCP, February 2015.
Source: “Cyber-Jihad, Understanding and Countering Islamic State Propaganda”
By Christina Schori Liang, GSCP, February 2015, p.7.
Thanks to her help, we understood what is the real issue…
Dr. Christina Schori Liang provided us with
5 MAJOR KEY POINTS
The Islamic State has a sophisticated
and effective communication strategy
that uses online media tools to
disseminate its multidimensional
propaganda. It has populated social
media platforms and has attracted a
global network of supporters that
articulate, magnify and circulate its
violent extremist messages worldwide.
IS is strategically recruiting
young men and women
worldwide, using Internet sites,
online magazines but mostly
social media tools, including
Facebook, YouTube, Twitter,
Instagram and AskFM.
T h e o n l i n e i n t e r n e t
frontline needs to be
b e t t e r d e f e n d e d .
Censorship and removal
of extremist content is
ineffective.
Throughout the world, there
is a need to better address
the roots of radicalisation,
which is being driven by the
i d e o l o g i c a l a p p e a l
currently cultivated by
extremism groups online.
It is important to build
and extend international
cooperation to support
t h e c r e a t i o n a n d
dissemination of credible
content and positive
alternatives to counter
extremism narratives onand
off-line.
Source: “Cyber-Jihad, Understanding and Countering Islamic State Propaganda”
By Christina Schori Liang, GSCP, February 2015, p.1.
THIS
BATTLEFIELD
EMPOWER
INFORM
DECONSTRUCT
A two-minute video shows a white young
man with British accent, approximately 25
years old that bumps into a beautiful girl
while searching for company on social
media. Paul has just got fired and broken
up with his girlfriend. This series of events
made him feel frustrated, alone, and look
for a meaning in his life. He believes to
have found this meaning in the girl he
meets, Isis.. and gets ready to go to Syria.
Our strategy?
Using our thought-provoking video #Swipe Left On Extremism
FIRST OBJECTIVE: DECONSTRUCTING PRECONCEIVED IDEAS
RATIONALE
BEHIND THE #SWIPE LEFT VIDEO
The video is based on the notion of an allegory.
The little known and often unpopular notion that the
profile of those susceptible to being seduced by
extremism extends to all races, religions levels of
education and socioeconomic backgrounds.
The key factor, however, is alienation or the
perception of alienation that may drive an
individual to consider changing his or her current
circumstances definitely for something objectively
radical even violent. It is a modern tale of the ugliest
aspects of globalization and the immediate spread
of completely foreign yet attractive ideas via the
conduit of the internet and smartphone
communications.
“ IT MAKES IT FEEL MORE LIKE THE RECRUITER
IS JUST LIKE YOU,
A FRIEND”
Source: “The American Women of ISIS” by Kate Storey, Marie Claire, April 22, 2016.
Paul Pullman
A young white British male at university,
Paul represents the counter intuitive
subject for radicalisation and as such
attracts the viewer into the story from
the start. He is also likely to arouse a
discomfort in the viewer, as the target
audience are more likely to identify with
his circumstances than those of an
intuitive profile of someone likely to get
radicalised. Typified by a middleeastern
complexion and low socioeconomic
status.
'ISIS’ (disambiguation)
'ISIS' the 'girl' that swipes right on Paul
during his otherwise unsuccessful 'Sinder’
session represents the only thing or entity
willing to let Paul in when everyone else
shuts him out, namely his job and his
girlfriend. 'She' is the only one that gets Paul
and the struggle he is going through and
therefore wields a disproportionate power
in such a vulnerable state in his life.
Girlfriend
The girlfriend represents the
personification of rejection
and is the situation where
Paul experiences most of
the anguish visible in facial
expressions and aggressive
gestures of resentment.
Friend
The friend is the third real person to appear
in the story and is, in certain respects, both
the cause and saviour of Paul as he is the
trigger for Paul to come out of his delirium
for ISIS and decides not to answer the
Skype call and instead answer the door
where his friend is present. This presence
can be contrasted with the same friend's
lack of presence just when Paul needed
him the most and what led to the loneliness
that made Paul go on Sinder in the first
place.
Uncertainty
The story starts with Paul being informed that he has lost his job. Such a story is common
one for many young people in the midst of a global financial crisis and the subsequent
recessions that continue to affect Western economies. Such precariousness at work
causes a deep anxiety as to a person's role in society and notions of self worth. At the
heart of it all is uncertainty and the many certainties that radicals can offer their subjects
when convincing them to join their cause.
Isolation / Alienation
The concept of isolation is explored through
alienation. Alienation is the principal feeling
that Paul experiences and what takes him
to the lengths of considering 'turning' into a
radical.
The sources of alienation, aside from
rejections from work, girlfriend and friend, is
a general existential emptiness that is
characterised by the cinematographic
dark tones and which is retrieved in Paul's
close up to the camera just before he tears
the airplane ticket.
‘Crisis of Masculinity’
The choice of a male as the main character was not
an accident. Profiles of radicalized individuals show
an overwhelming majority of males. The reasons for
this is that there is a shift in traditional concepts of
masculinity. The traditional roles for men in society are
changing radically with greater gender equality and
less defined gender roles, men are feeling increasingly
insecure about their status.
As such, the attraction of 'traditional' conceptions of
masculinity where a man has a wife he takes care of,
a position of worthwhile work or being an instrumental
part of a larger project that means something.
Recruiters play on this deficit in masculinity by offering
young men immediately, all the trapping of traditional
masculinity immediately as opposed to the prospect
of a wife and powerful job not materialising at all in
their current circumstances.
Electronic Communications
Most of the communication in the story happens electronically. It
serves to highlight the hyper-connectivity of young people
nowadays and the accessibility that such communications provides.
The point of accessibility is an important one when describing the
phenomenon of radicalisation. Radical groups worldwide have
access to people anywhere in the world 24/7 meaning that ideas
and the sustained communications needed to radicalise an
individual are made easier with electronic communications. Gmail,
WhatsApp, and Skype as well as the ubiquitous Tinder are all used
by Paul in his journey towards radicalisation. Otherwise beneficial
technologies, become a burden of disappointment and a route
towards pursuing the wrong path either actively or passively.
Seduction
The creative idea behind using Tinder or 'Sinder' as a conduit for
radicalisation was not a literal one in that Tinder is not typically (as
far as we know) by ISIS or by any organisation for radicalisation.
However Tinder does represent the latest technologies in social
interaction online and its premise of material 'seduction' is one that is
transferable to the tactics employed by radicalisers in selling the
idea of an ideal life if he would only accept the solution offered.
Airline Ticket
The airline ticket is perhaps the most important
symbol of the story. Firstly, it highlights the facility
with which airline travel is available and the ever
increasing affordability of travelling long distances,
which make the radicalisers scope a greater one.
Secondly, the tearing of the airline ticket represents
the seminal moment in Paul's story as it is the
physical manifestation of an active rejection of the
path he was almost about to embark upon and
represents the breaking of the 'spell' under which
he had been in order to get to the point of having
purchased the ticket. This is accompanied by a
passive rejection as evidenced by the nonanswering
of the Skype call at the same time his
friend is knocking at the door.
SECOND OBJECTIVE: INFORMING PEOPLE
T h r o u g h o u r F a c e b o o k p a g e
“EUnited Against Extremism”, we disseminate articles from
various sources in order to let people know about
extremism and radicalization.
More specifically, we stress studies and articles that
contradict the preconceived ideas often heard. We make
sure to share information from expert websites such as the
“Radicalisation Awareness Network” or other source.
We verify our sources before posting any information and
try our best to answer every comment or questions raised.
We use our Twitter @Eunited_CoE as a second channel to
reach out to more people – especially the media - by
emphasizing specific hashtags.
THIRD OBJECTIVE: EMPOWERING PEOPLE BY LEARNING
As part of our campaign, we organized an informal ‘Human
Library’ conference on radicalization in Bruges on 20 April 2016.
The idea of a human library is to invite people who have been
affected both directly and indirectly by extremism to share
their experiences with students at the College and the wider
Bruges community.
At this “Human Library”, whose theme was “Extremism:
Challenge what you have always thought to be true”, a Syrian
student, the imam of Bruges community and our EUnited Team
leader talk about many people to raise awareness on what
Islam really is, what forms do extremism radicalization really
take and how life is in Syria.
RATIONALE
Sharing knowledge in an intimate format is
the best way to approach the topic, since it
can happen to everyone – directly or
indirectly. Proximity is key to legitimacy
when tackling the root causes of
radicalisation.
Encourage discussion, create bridges and
e n h a n c e c i v i c - m i n d e d p e o p l e ’ s
understanding of the topic.
A 90-minutes event in a cosy atmosphere, with tea and biscuits.
ü  Format
ü  Objectives
ü  Actors Invitation of non professional speakers
integrated in the local community was our
choice (the imam was actually a mechanic
and Ibrahim and Lucie-Belle are students in
daily life). In the end, the former person who
was radicalized and the mother of a victim
decided not to share their experience.
Likes 16,024
Total Reach 832,648 people
Video Views (+YouTube) 74,433
Page fans come from 45 countries
Visits 592
Followers 124
Impressions 31,2K
5326
4895
1690
940
876
722 102
90 20 16
14
8
Fans MENA
Pakistan Algeria
Iraq Morocco
Tunisia Egypt
Jordan Libya
Yemen UAE
Lebanon Saudi Arabia
381
269
115
73
Fans Europe
Belgium France
Italy Greece
Spain United Kingdom
Germany Poland
Slovakia Romania
Netherlands Others
74
33
6
10
6
5
5 3
3
Fans - Others
USA India
Canada Turkey
Afghanistan Australia
Armenia Georgia
Russia
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
Age
13-17
Age
18-24
Age
25-34
Age
35-44
Fans
Woman Men
% of fans in our defined target group
NB: Release of the video on April 11th & Advertising campaign from April 13th
Program budget ($1959 spent of $2000) Facebook coupon ($400 of $400)
Video: $1722
Thanks to Sky Robber Film & Aerial Production work,
we have benefitted from professional film-making
and editing for a student budget.
$160 for the EUnited Page to attract targeted
people.
$140 for boosting the video and generating likes
and shares.
Tee-Shirts: $168
Logo on the chest, slogan on the back and ecofriendly:
tee-shirts gave us an immediate and
positive recognition.
$60 for doping our Twitter account via Facebook.
$40 on articles about radicalization to raise
awareness on radicalisation phenomena.
Extra Facebook Ads: $70
q  Focusing on the return on investment of each dollar invested q  Maximising the visibility potential of each dollar invested
86%
EUnited Against Extremism
EUNITED
CAMPAIGN
A F r e n c h p r o f e s s o r o f
Philosophy in a Normandy
high-school wrote us after
debating during two hours
with his 18-years old students
o n e x t r e m i s m a n d
radicalization. We received
an overall feedback of the
students’ comments.
Our Team leader, Lucie-Belle
Dissirier, got invited to the annual
workshop of the Radicalisation
Awareness Network (RAN) Center
of Excellence, part of the
Directorate General Home of the
European Commission, to share
her experience working on the
topic (Vienna, Austria, 1 & 2 of
June).
The Bruges mosque decided
to open to the public after
the intervention of the imam
at the College of Europe in
order to reconnect the
dialogue and help people
discover Islam.
“Simple but effective.” (04/21)
“It’s catchy. It’s worthy.” (04/12)
”It’s the very first step to break out
from our own prejudices and
stereotypes.”( 04/27)
OVERALL MEDIA’S COVERAGE: UP TO 2 MILLION MONTHLY VISITORS 
We opened for a few days only an online survey to get feedbacks on our project. The results are
the following. Out of 100 answers:
q  3.7/5 for our video.
q  70% would like to be part of this project in the future.
q  80% thought a social media campaign was a relevant way to counter extremism and radicalization.
On a scale from 1 to 5, how would you evaluate the video?
(1 being the lowest grade, 5 the maximum)
RESULTS
“The film helped to take away prejudices I had.”
“The online articles were really useful to raise awareness.”
“I researched more about it after seeing your video.”
“I think that before I had a lot of stereotypes and thanks to this
EUnited project I discovered that there is no specific type, and that
it can happen to everybody.”
“I realized above all that everybody might be a target, and a victim
of extremism and radicalization.”
“I learnt lot, thanks to your articles, comments and links.”
“Yes, I think you did a good job trying to go beyond the
stereotypes.”
“I learnt more thanks to EUnited. Especially the video was
remarkable. The visualisation always works.”
(SurveyMonkey)
Dr. Daniel Keohane was former Research Director at FRIDE and is now a
Senior Researcher at CSS.
Radicalisation Awareness Network, European Commission
Ms. Margunn Bjornholt is a research professor at the Norwegian Centre
for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies, NKVTS.
Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe
Lucie-Belle, team leader:
“I am really proud to have participated in such a project. I think it should get more publicity so that
more youngsters join the initiative. I learnt a lot about the issue, but also about myself, as leader in a
team made of different nationalities and perceptions. It truly is a great human experience!” 
David, team member, in charge of the social network campaign: 
“Summing up these last months is a challenging task! I have naturally learned a lot about the topic, but
also about communication. I think the greatest memory I will have from this project is the incredible team
spirit we managed to set up. G.R.E.A.T. experience!" 
Thomas, team member in charge of the budget:
“The equilibrium between daily commitment to the team and one's courses was a real challenge to
match. Throughout the campaign, we have strived for coherence between targets, strategy and tactics,
which we eventually found; this is a very positive point. At times, communication was a bit lacking,
especially when each team member was given specific tasks and acted quite autonomously. The team
leader was absolutely instrumental to the success of the whole team.”
Eva, team member:
“At the beginning, I thought we would never converge our ideas. But in the end, everything worked out
pretty smoothly. Great team spirit!“
“It is well produced and looks professional. The emphasis on visuals rather than spoken language
makes it easy for anyone to follow the story regardless of their language.”
“The team demonstrated a firm commitment to make the most of the P2P initiative as an opportunity to contribute
to the fight against extremism, in Belgium and beyond and benefited from meetings with government officials and
experts involved in the field. Thanks to the team, the College of Europe opened its doors to the Flemish Muslim
community, which shared its views on extremism and terrorism with the students and the other participants in the
event.”
“Is there a typical foreign fighter profile? Why do social media campaigns succeed in seducing
new recruits? There is no one single pathway to terrorism. “EUnited against Extremism” calls on
fellow youngsters flirting with extremism to think twice about their choice: will this “jihad” give the
meaning to your life that you are looking for?”
“The Students of the College of Europe are are citizens, concerned with all the problems that
affect our societies today. Radicalisation is one, and the video of the College student team
demonstrates their ability to develop an original and powerful approach to this issue, and to
underline the fact that extremism is not only the problem of the others, but can affect anyone.”
THREE KINDS OF CRITICISMS WERE RAISED ON….
OVERALL PROJECT
VIDEO
TEAM
• Some said it is not the proper format to fight
extremism.
• Some said that extremism was not an issue
per se.
• Some blamed our choice of choosing a
white blond blue-eyed British.
• Some did not believe that ISIS could be
easily reaching out to people via dating
applications.
• Some said we were not legitimate to talk
about such an issue (European students in
private school from upper-classes...)
• Some insulted us in Arabic calling us “dogs”,
invoking “Allah’s curse” upon us.
CREATIVE BRIEF
q  A social media campaign
targeting the 18-25, digital natives.
q  Use of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
q  A 2-minutes catchy and easy-to-remember
video.
q  An educational part based on inspiring civicminded
individuals composed of 5 guests: a
refugee, an imam, a formerly radicalized, a
relative of a victim and the team leader.
ACHIEVEMENTS
ü First male and female audience reached : Age
18-24.
ü Facebook is the bulk of our campaign, Twitter
served to reach out key persons and the video
was posted on YouTube.
ü The 2.30-min video reached 73K views and
generated media coverage.
ü Organisation of a “Human Library” with an
attendance of 30 people, composed of 3
guests: a religious leader, a Syrian student and
our team leader.
STRENGHTS WEAKNESSESS
OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
Strengths
q  6 nationalities in the team, 53 at the
College of Europe.
q  European sensitivity to terrorism.
q  Expertise of the team leader.
Opportunities
q  The first topic on the agenda since
Paris and Brussels attacks.
q  Burgeoning of institutional and civil
society alike initiatives around the
European states.
q  Broad impetus for anti-radicalization
projects following the momentum
(Paris and Brussels attacks)
Weaknesses
q  Sharp time-constraint and heavy
workload besides the project.
q  No knowledge of Dutch language.
q  Legitimacy as students to be proven.
Threats
q  Attempts of decredibilization (“white
guys on anti-radicalisation”).
q  Security situation of the team and the
College.
q  Getting the refusal both from the
former radicalized and the close
relation to a victim, to come at the
Human Library.
Ø  Continuation of the Facebook campaign thanks to the +16,000 likes on the
page (new articles, associated events…)
Ø  Deepening of the media coverage (current talks with BBC World News).
Ø  New “Human Library” to be organized on November 13, 2016, one year
after the Paris attacks, either in Paris or Brussels.
Ø  The “Human Library” setting shall be duplicated and gain support from
schools, universities, public social services. In their respective environments,
each team member will try to engage with the local community on this
issue, to keep raising awareness and make EUNITED swarm.
Ø  We shall find financial sponsors in order to expand.