Outreach distancing work

Distancing work supports (young) people in distancing themselves from attitudes that are hostile to human rights and democracy, devalue certain social groups or contain so-called extremist views. These may be racially accentuated, anti-Semitic or ideologically or religiously based patterns of thought and action, but generally those that exhibit aspects of group-focused misanthropy, generalized devaluation constructs or ideologies of the inequality of people - and generally disregard individual freedom and social diversity. Gender and sexuality-related devaluations often play a special role in a wide range of ideologies.

Breaking away from worldviews of inequality and anti-democracy

Young people who stand out in schools or youth clubs can be approached as early as possible and encouraged to make personal changes. On an emotional level, they often show a tendency towards resentment, antipathy and hateful emotions, while on a cognitive level they are susceptible to conspiracy theories. Their internal social relationships are often characterized by dependency and abuse, while external relationships with out-groups are dominated by hostility and devaluation. Individually, there is often a range of psychosocial challenges relating to school/education, family, delinquency/criminal prosecution, (mental) health/substance abuse and others - and socially, these are linked to challenges of socio-economic inequality and social cohesion in the community.

High standards of quality and professionalism in the work

The following applies to good practice in distancing work: the earlier and more systemic the measures start, for example linked to schools and youth and family support, the better. This is because the biographical and habitat-related causes continue to exist - and must therefore be proactively included. The most important effective factor is the establishment of a long-term, sustainable and trusting working relationship, especially as the young people concerned are often characterized by experiences of relationship breakdown, mistrust, fear and loss of control. This is achieved by adopting a basic attitude of personal approachability, sincerity, sociable criticism and transparency, as well as an individually adapted, needs- and solution-oriented approach - and above all by maintaining absolute confidentiality when handling all personal data. The approach is fundamentally open to process and results, but is always based on individual target agreements.

Ideological, religious or ideological topics in the narrower sense are put aside for the time being. The focus is initially on relationship-supported, trust-based (re)development and life-history self-reflection. The personal and social experiences of the young people are worked on in a critical and attentive manner and in a narrative dialog mode - the questioning-narrative conversation (for example through biography work, dilemma questions, variable group settings, joint constellations and others).

Intensive political education thus promotes social and emotional intelligence, especially in the areas of fear, aggression, guilt and shame - and in the individual patterns of emotional regulation of the self and one's own relationships. The person as such is always valued. At the same time, misanthropic or unequal ideological attitudes can be confronted all the more easily, i.e. questioned in a respectful and reasoned manner, because their personal contexts have already become recognizable. All the more reason why participation in distancing work must be voluntary and self-motivated or - especially in the case of referrals from state institutions - the motivation for personal change must be supported first.

Good practice in state program design

For a good institutional framework, a cross-phenomenal perspective on all forms of hostility towards democracy and humanity is important, which also avoids stigmatization of certain client groups. Furthermore, in desirable cooperation with state (security) authorities, completely unbreakable confidentiality about personal information is essential, as is the rejection of all tendencies towards 'securitization'. This is why distancing work can basically only be carried out by independent, civil society-based experts who are not bound by official directives.

Ultimately, the sustainable implementation of outreach distancing work requires good embedding and links with the regular municipal structures - schools/school social work, youth work, social services, local civil society and others. This is the only way to reach young people directly on site and at the same time always involve and develop the social environment of the municipality.