FOUR former extremists have come together to support a new project launched in schools to help prevent young people from going down the same path.

A former female recruiter for an Islamist group, a former white supremacist from the United States, a former Irish Republican and a former Jihadi fighter were united by the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace to launch the 'My Former Life' multimedia education resource.

The documentary film shares the story of each extremist exploring their motivations, the consequences of their actions and their departure from the group that brought them to the brink.

For former Jihadi fighter Muhammad Manwar Ali, who had fought in the Afghan-Soviet war, it was the 9/11 bombings that helped make him rethink his involvement in international armed causes.

He added: "The process (of doubt) had started long before that but if you want a specific event where I said enough is enough, it was 9/11.

"Whether you're ex-IRA or a former gangster, everyone goes into with good intentions and think they're changing the world for the better but they need to learn from the experiences of others who are perhaps wiser."

Author of My Life After Hate Arno Michaelis, a former white supremacist, has been speaking in high schools across the north west including St Greg's in Old Hall about turning his life around.

The 44-year-old, who says he started out as bully, added: "In the late 80s and early 90s when rap became popular, if we found out a white kid was listening to Public Enemy that was justification to beat him because he was a race traitor.

"When I look back over those seven years there were many instances where I thought 'What am I doing?'

"But I suppressed those thoughts with alcohol and violent hateful music and yet the people I claimed to hate treated me with kindness which disarmed everything.

"It hit me after I had my daughter if I didn't change my ways death or prison would take me away from her.

"I love working with kids now and I think it's important to be open and honest with them when I'm talking about struggles."

The Great Sankey charity is aiming for every young person in the country to see the film and take part in a short project to raise awareness and understanding to help those vulnerable to radicalising.

Kelly Simcock, ‘My Former Life’ project leader added: “If we are to counter extremism that can lead people to turn to violence then we have to start early on the playground, in the classroom and youth groups, and provide young people with the resilience and abilities to think for themselves and reject the warped ideologies of violence and terrorism."

For more information visit myformerlife.org.