Youth, Social and Behavioral Change, and Violent Extremism in Niger

In 2022, amidst a backdrop of growing violent extremism in the region, NDI launched a pilot preventing/countering violent extremism (P/CVE) program for youth in Abala, a commune in Niger. The program also integrated social and behavioral change (SBC) research and approaches in youth-political party programming from 2022–2023. The primary objective of the pilot was to establish youth as the experts on their lived experience of violent extremism. The pilot did so by bringing rural and village youth together to understand the intersectional risk of violent extremism in their commune and to design programming by and for youth to address that complex threat. With the understanding that women in Niger, especially in rural communities, were not bystanders in violent extremist operations (instead involved in recruitment and funding), gender was also a central aspect of this pilot’s intersectional approach. The program included a subsequent phase aimed at bringing youth leaders together with community and political party leaders to advocate for youth-led P/CVE analysis and programming. This phase held considerable risk due to the stereotypes and intransigent beliefs held by youth and political leaders in Niger. Acknowledging that these deep-seated stereotypes and beliefs presented real barriers to successful outcomes, NDI reached out to Beyond Conflict to work with local partner SOS Civisme to research, design, and integrate experimental SBC research and interventions. These included radio programming and community dialogues that targeted norms and beliefs concerning youth that were being perpetuated by elites to maintain their exclusionary systems of power, such as the notion that youth lack decision-making and leadership capacity. The programming also focused on the importance of youth leadership and agency in P/CVE efforts. Based on findings from this joint initiative, this policy note presents considerations and recommendations to better understand and address youth vulnerability to violent extremism in Niger. More broadly, the note demonstrates the under-utilized potential to incorporate behavioral science into P/CVE programming for greater, more durable impact.