STAR-Ghana Foundation’s Building Resilience Against Violent Extremism (BRAVE) project has successfully equipped 465 at-risk youth from three border communities in Northern Ghana—Sapeliga and Garu in the Upper East Region, and Fielmou in the Upper West Region—with essential critical thinking and digital literacy skills. These trainings aim to fortify the digital resilience of both host communities and refugees, reducing their susceptibility to online radicalization and recruitment by violent extremist organizations (VEOs). Key training modules covered topics such as information dissemination in the digital age, understanding misinformation, disinformation, and mal-information, countering violent extremists' use of media, and developing verification skills to resist extremist propaganda.
Frederick Nuuri-Teg, STAR-Ghana Foundation’s Northern Ghana Projects Manager, highlighted the pressing issue of high youth unemployment combined with widespread smartphone usage, which significantly increases youth exposure to potentially harmful online content. These factors make young people more vulnerable to encountering and being influenced by content from VEOs. The BRAVE project’s training sessions aim to empower youth with the skills to critically evaluate the credibility of online information, make informed decisions, and practice responsible online behavior. During a community sensitization event preceding the trainings, Nuuri-Teg urged community members to monitor the online activities of their youth closely. The Chief of Sapeliga praised STAR-Ghana for this initiative, noting that the BRAVE project has not only educated the youth but also fostered social cohesion between community members and refugees.
One participant shared the transformative impact of the training on his ability to assess information critically: “Now I know the steps to take when I hear or see any information for the first time, such as verifying the source, understanding the background, analyzing the content, and knowing who to report to.”
Building on the success of these trainings, digital clubs will be established in these communities to promote peer learning and create resilient digital spaces for youth, ensuring ongoing support and development in their digital literacy journey.