The London bombings of 7th July 2005 and subsequent attempts on the 21st July 2005, the attack at Glasgow airport and numerous foiled national and international plots have highlighted that terrorism remains a major political and social issue for the U.K. in the 21st century. Moreover, the attempt bombing of a restaurant in Exeter by a young male in 2008 and numerous arrests of young people arrested and charged under terrorist legislation in 2008/9 only serve to highlight that these events involve young people at many levels.
Disenfranchised young people, issues of ethnicity, diversity and community integration have been high on the political agenda. New strategies have been developed and these are now being disseminated through local and national government authorities.
The new changes to the Citizenship curriculum (2008) encompasses a key counter terrorism government initiative, the ‘Prevent’ strategy. As a result of fast changing global events and the potential impact on the community cohesion around the U.K, a fourth strand ‘Identities and diversity: Living together in the UK’ has been added to the curriculum. Additionally in Oct 2008 the Department for Children School and Families announced that topics such as extremism and terrorism were to be actively discussed and taught in schools.
