Raising Children to Become Democratic Citizens. Educational Initiatives for Preventing Extremism and Radicalization in Norway

Abstract

Norway is often highlighted as an outstanding democracy. Nevertheless, there is still a need to work on democratic issues to prevent radicalism and extremism. This chapter presents how a national prevention approach, Democratic Preparedness against Racism and Anti-Semitism (DEMBRA), is conducted in southern Norway. DEMBRA is directed at both schools and at teacher education. It highlights the origins of the DEMBRA programmes and how a regional peace centre (ARKIVET) and a local university (University of Agder) both work on the issues of radicalism and extremism. Finally, the authors draw some conclusions from the two different implementations of DEMBRA.