Anti-radicalization workshop in Winnipeg focuses on families

Some Winnipeggers arelearning how to prevent and stop radicalization with the help of a German researcher who talks to the families of those who have been recruited by extremist groups.

Daniel Kohlerwas in Winnipeg on Thursdayto teach community members,including police, counsellors and Muslim leaders, how to look for signs that someone has been drawn to groups such as ISIS.

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He was brought to the city by the Islamic Social Services Association and the Canadian Muslim Leadership Institute.

"The conversation is very real, the concern is very real," said Omar Siddiqui, chair of the leadership institute.

"We want to be ahead of it, rather than be in a situation where we're reacting to something that's already happened."

Kohler is with Hayat, a Berlin-based program that aims to prevent and even reverse radicalization through family counselling.

"You have the demand. The families are out there who do not feel supported," he said.

"They are afraid, they are in panic of losing their families. They hear all the stories of the people who die, these youngsters who die in Syria, of fighting in Syria."

'You need to be involved'

Kohler said the parents ofpeople who may be attracted to extremist ideologies should talk to their children, monitor their online activity and pay attention to their views on Islam.

"Generally be interested; do not ignore what's important for your children. It's an emotional change when they convert to Islam or they recognize a new form of Islam for them, it's the most important thing in the world," he explained.

"So as parents, as family, you need to be involved. You need to ask questions, to listen a lot, to try to understand it, try not to impose your own parent-like opinion."

Kohler said he has worked with more than 100 families in the past four years, including Christianne Boudreau of Calgary, whose son, Damian Clairmont, died fighting with ISIS in Syria in January 2014.

Boudreau is helping other Canadian families through an online resource called Extreme Dialogue.Kohler will be supporting her and sharing his workshop in Calgary this weekend.