The first HELP Training of Trainers (ToT) under the EU-funded Project “HELP Radicalisation Prevention” gathered some 18 participants from up to 9 EU countries in Strasbourg on 24-25 January 2019.

The purpose was to equip and certify future national tutors - most of them with expertise on the topic of Radicalisation Prevention - with necessary practical skills to effectively implement HELP online courses in their institutions.

HELP is the Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals Programme of the Council of Europe.

Successful participants will be ready to act as national tutors in their home countries and moderate the course/module(s) developed under EU-Council of Europe joint projects on “Radicalisation Prevention” and “HELP in the EU”. Those participants will be certified and included in the roster of HELP trainers which is available on the HELP website. Relevant EU National Training Institutions will be subsequently informed of the opportunity to select from this pool their trainers for national or international activities.

The two days were particularly focused on the new course on Radicalisation Prevention, although the trainers may be qualified to tutor any HELP course.

Eva Pastrana, Head of HELP Unit, opened the ToT session with words on the impact and expansion of the HELP European Programme since its establishment over a decade ago, and more particularly in the EU since 2015, when HELP availed of EU funded projects. Ana Maria Salinas, Professor at the University of Malaga and expert coordinator of the course on Radicalisation Prevention reviewed the pioneer work of the Council of Europe in this field, followed by actions and EU legislation. She, alongside Eva Massa, now coordinator of the EU-Council of Europe Project “HELP Radicalisation Prevention” and previously Course Manager at the Law Society of Ireland (including HELP courses), outlined the structure of the course/module(s):

• MODULE 1: Introduction: overview and concepts.
• MODULE 2: The International and European legal framework.
• MODULE 3: Generic module for judges and prosecutors on radicalisation prevention concerning issues related to criminal procedure.
• MODULE 4: Specific module for judges & prosecutors on the gathering and use of evidence in criminal cases.
• MODULE 5: Generic module for prison & probation staff on radicalisation prevention.
• MODULE 6: Specific module for prison staff.
• MODULE 7: Specific for probation staff.
• MODULE 8: Specific on foreign prisoners.

Among the attendees were those in professions specific to radicalisation prevention and whose expertise was crucial to the development of the course; senior corrections officers, prosecutors, prison managers and staff, as well as judges, lawyers, and civil service staff.

Participants revised the basics of the HELP training methodology before following practical instruction on fulfilling all functions as a HELP tutor and on using the online e-learning platform effectively, presented by Ana-Maria Telbis, “HELP in the EU” coordinator, project under which the module on “gathering and use of evidence in counter-terrorism cases” is developed.  

The session welcomed excellent presentations from experts who had been consulted during the creation of the new Radicalisation Prevention course. Rebecca Anne Gibbs and Kieran Cunningham from the Crown Prosecution Service described their work in tackling, preventing and prosecuting radicalisation in England and Wales. Stefano Piedimonte, Head of the Research Division of the Registry of the European Court of Human Rights gave an overview of the relevant case law on aspects related to radicalisation (particularly regarding freedom of expression and association), and Tanja Rakusic Hadzic, Head of Criminal Law Cooperation Unit, gave an insight into the work of the Council of Europe in approaching radicalisation prevention, links to prosecution reform and training initiatives.

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