UMD students launch program to help prevent individuals from becoming radicalized

A group of students at the University of Maryland-College Park (UMD) recently developed a program for family and friends of individuals at risk of radicalizing, with a goal of finding new ways of challenging extremism in the United States.

The initiative, “It Takes Just One,” is a peer-to-peer program that aims to challenge extremism by empowering bystanders. The government-backed program is led by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and managed by the academic networking company EdVenture Partners.

The program focuses on an idea that it only takes just one person to prevent an individual from becoming radicalized. Students involved with the project said they began developing the initiative after interviewing a mother who had multiple sons leave the country to join the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

“Family members and friends often say, ‘I had absolutely no idea,’ or ‘I thought they were joking,’ or ‘I never thought it would come to this,’” Brittni Fine, one of the group’s leaders, said. “We hope that ‘It Takes Just One’ will foster understanding, provide support and educate people on proper intervention methods when faced with a family member’s radicalization.”

One project created by the group was a choose-your-own-adventure video game that centers on a player uncovering signs of radicalization to stop a hypothetical terrorist attack. In addition, the students helped develop a website and multiple social media accounts to provide individuals ways to interact with others who have had similar experiences.

Since its inception, the program’s Facebook group has more than 760 followers, while more than 30 individuals have participated in the “It Takes Just One” photo challenge, which displays pictures of people holding up a number one, signifying the group’s mission.