Dear Friends,

Countering violent extremism online has become a global priority, given the social media–driven propaganda campaigns of extremist groups like Daesh. To counter these destructive messages, it’s important to understand how they work and to engage the people who are mostly likely to be their targets.

In the spirit of gaining greater understanding of the pressures these campaigns present, especially to youth in our communities, we invite you to attend “Lifting Up Youth Voices: A Chat about Technology, Countering Violent Extremism, and Free Speech.”

The forum will convene local and international experts, including representatives from Facebook, researchers, and youth advocates against extremism, to provide space for an open discussion about the challenges young people encounter in the face of extremism. We aim to identify opportunities to mitigate these threats, without impinging on free expression and other human rights. Participants at the forum will have the opportunity to contribute to the conversation.

We hope you will join us for this important discussion at Lebanese American University’s Adnan Kassar School of Business on Friday evening, April 15. In case you can’t make it, the event will also be livestreamed and Tweeted on the hashtags #HackingExtremism and إختراق_التطرف#.

We greatly value your participation and look forward to seeing you there.

Sincerely,
Mohamad Najem