European Fair Skills
Exchanging good practice in strengthening community-embedded prevention of group-based enmity, hate crime and violent right-wing extremism
In the last years, cultures interactive has developed and tested many target group specific (model) project approaches and concepts as well as prevention work that is connected to the community. Whether it be workshops with young people, further training for education professionals or advising and coaching local civil society, political actors or administration, in order to act long term and sustainably against group-focused enmity, hate crime and violence motivated by right-wing extremism, a holistic community approach as well as offers tailored to different stakeholders is required.
Transferring approaches for community-oriented and target group specific prevention
During their involvement with the European Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN), Cultures Interactive came into contact with many prevention work practitioners. It was made clear that, until now, prevention work has been particularly underdeveloped in Central and Eastern European countries. However, in these countries it has been observed that discriminatory attitudes in certain parts of the society have strongly taken hold which are is made apparent by organised militant right-wing groups, anti-Semitic rhetoric, attacks motivated by homophobia or attacks on Roma settlements.
Thus, together with the non-governmental organisations Kontiki (Hungary), Eruditio Publica (Czech Republic) and REACH (Slovak Republic), cultures interactive ran the two-year project European Fair Skills starting in 2015. The goal of this project was to test transferring approaches for community-oriented and target group specific prevention work which have proven effective in Germany to different national contexts.
In cooperation with the partner organisations, the following three sets of measures have been implemented in each respective country:
- Fair Skills: training multipliers to implement a civil society youth culture work approach which also conducts on-site training with at-risk adolescents
- LocalDerad: further training aimed at educators and youth culture stakeholders for primary and secondary prevention work with youth
- Establish Round tables: to set up a regional network for right-wing extremist prevention with local stakeholders from the government, administration, civil society, social work, schools, etc.
With the same goal, to transfer knowledge and experience, our partner the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) has introduced further training on successful exit work approaches and methods for working with the members of right-wing scenes in three countries. In addition, they worked on developing further international networking, particularly in Romania, Bulgaria and Greece. As associate partners, Phineo (Berlin) and IMPACT supported this project by developing practice oriented tools for target and quality assurance.
To help stabilise country-specific multiplication and cooperation, Cultures Interactive also worked together with the Open Society Foundation, OSCE (TMT)-ODIHR, the Helsinki Committee, RAN and the European Forum for Urban Security (Efus).
Duration
January 2015 - December 2016
Funding
Co-funded by the Prevention of and Fight against Crime Programme of the European Union
