This manual serves as a practical guide for mentors and teams working with youth at risk of recruitment and radicalization to violent extremism. Drawing on five years of experience supporting more than 300 at-risk mentees in Kenya through the STRIVE Horn of Africa and STRIVE II programs, it provides structured guidance for delivering mentoring sessions, alongside key concepts and illustrative examples that can inform broader PCVE activities.
While primarily focused on youth mentoring, the manual integrates a gender-mainstreaming perspective. It highlights the need to be attentive to cultural norms and to ensure equitable participation of women mentees, particularly in conservative settings where social dynamics may limit their confidence or visibility. It also notes that men and women may bring different concerns to mentoring spaces and offers strategies for creating inclusive discussions. Although developed from the STRIVE programs in Kenya, many elements of the guidance are applicable to mentoring initiatives in other contexts.