TaasirLink launched in September 2019 was a 15-month project which aimed to create a network of social influencers, which positively influence youth attitudes and behaviors to build communal resilience to violent extremist radicalization and recruitment. Search worked with local partners, Jash-Niet and Step to Success, to implement alternative-messaging campaigns on and offline with social influencers to positively influence youth attitudes and behaviors nationally and in six target communities Saruu and Jeti-Oguz in Isyk-Kul oblast, Alle-Annarov and Nariman in Osh oblast, and Begabad and Arslanbob in Jalalabad oblast.
Context
TaasirLink sought to actively counter violent extremist narratives by empowering positive role models in the community and online to raise awareness and address driving factors which affect youth radicalization. The project builds upon Search’s extensive experience in Kyrgyzstan working with at-risk youth and research established by Social Media for Deradicalization in Kyrgyzstan: A Model for Central Asia (2016-2017)and #JashStan: Youth as Agents of Peace and Stability in Kyrgyzstan (2017-2018). Through these projects, Search has developed evidence-based conceptual approaches, instruments, and tools to understand driving factors of radicalization which effectively engage at-risk youth amongst other communities. The project especially highlights the critical role of media such as influencer videos and interactive social media campaigns to reach to youth via people-to-people campaigns in increasing youth resilience to radicalization and counter-messaging campaigns.
Theory of Change
IF cross-sector alternative and counter-messaging networks have increased their capacities through locally-resonant outreach campaigns, community-based intervention programs and services, and offline and online counter messaging campaigns THEN opinion leaders, trusted figures, and pre-existing social networks and community key stakeholder positively influence the attitudes and behaviors of vulnerable communities to build communal resilience to violent extremism and radicalization BECAUSE they are empowered on counter-messaging, developed constructive ways and opportunities to address grievances via conflict sensitive approaches and adapted community-based intervention programs for positive contribution towards preventing radicalization and violent extremism in the Kyrgyz society.
Core Objectives and Activities
The project title, TaasirLink, translates from Kyrgyz into impactful linkages. It reflects the premise of the project design: when individuals are shown that they are valued, included, and are connected to one another, transformation can take place. The project had three objectives which guided the project media campaigns online and offline:
- Identify networks of individuals, programs, and services that influence and interact with individuals vulnerable to radicalization and recruitment: Search conducted a social network analysis to identify local and national influencers in Kyrgyzstan. This unique study ensured the project media campaigns were able to reach a wider audience by leveraging the reach of these influencers.
- Increase the network’s capacity to design locally-resonant outreach campaigns that positively influence the attitudes and behaviors of vulnerable communities: Influencers identified through the social network analysis were trained by Search on designing and implementing media campaigns to prepare and co-design the project’s media campaigns.
- Community based groups implement offline and online counter messaging campaigns in their local communities: Media campaigns were designed based on positive messaging tools around five key topics: sense of belonging, critical thinking, proactiveness, women empowerment, and collaboration. The campaigns included national social media campaigns on these topics and sports events, art installations, eco-promotions, festivals, and educational activities and training in the target communities.
Results
The project was able to reach a large audience, with 14,000 followers in social media and more than 250,000 people directly reached in the six target locations. 95% of final evaluation respondents reported that they had heard of the project. Nearly all project participants considered that the media campaigns provided useful recommendations to the youth that was practically applicable to their lives. In the final evaluation, 81% of respondents said that they put in practice the knowledge gained through the campaigns.
“The TaasirLink page is a very useful page. It distracts me from useless, sometimes harmful information, which there is a lot of on the Internet. I learned to think critically with the help of TaasirLink.”
The presence of influencers positively influenced the promotion of content and the media campaigns of the TaasirLink project given high levels of trust and their ability to effectively promote campaigns to their followers, positively impacting participant willingness to participate in the project and by encouraging them to follow new opportunities and learn new skills. In the final evaluation, 73% of respondents said that the presence of influencers affected their decision to follow the project on social networks.
“After I started participating in the project as a national influencer, I realized that my actions greatly influence young people. I started to be more responsive about my social media posts. In order to properly influence young people with my actions, I began to develop every day. I have made reading a book everyday a habit.” – National Influencer, Musician
