Fachstelle Rechtsextremismusprävention (Center for the Prevention of Right-Wing Extremism)

Consulting, training and exchange for pedagogical professionals

The Fachstelle Rechtsextremismusprävention (fa:rp) is active nationwide. The fa:rp team advises, supports and trains employees from schools and youth work in the pedagogical handling of phenomena that threaten democracy and phenomena of group-hatred. fa:rp is also working on the further development of effective methods to counter right-wing extremism preventively and through approaches to outreach distancing work. In online working groups and various event formats, fa:rp contributes to the qualified exchange of expertise and the transfer of practical experience. To this end, fa:rp develops and updates action plans, particularly for schools and youth work. In doing so, it incorporates current scientific findings, social backgrounds and its own monitoring and case studies - and uses its own self-evaluation tools in addition to the external evaluation by the Deutsches Jugendinstitut in order to be able to check the effectiveness of its own approaches and advance them further.

What problems does fa:rp address?

Effective promotion of democracy and prevention of right-wing extremism are becoming ever more complex and increasingly challenging to implement in Germany, but also globally. Various factors play a role here, such as the newly strengthening right-wing extremist youth scenes and the corresponding milieus in which anti-democratic and anti-human attitudes are becoming increasingly widespread, as well as the range of increasingly normalized extreme right-wing parties and adult environments.

As a result, young people today are exposed to right-wing extremism in very different ways. Many are at risk of verbal and physical abuse. Attitudes of group-hatred of classmates determine their everyday lives - and they want support and effective protection from the responsible adults in their environment. Other children and young people, however, adopt nationalistic, authoritarian and racist attitudes, for example because they feel attracted to the locally very effective youth-oriented activities of right-wing extremist groups or because they have already grown up in right-wing extremist environments. In doing so, they sometimes put themselves at risk in terms of criminal law and health or are restricted in their personal development opportunities - and put a strain on the social environment.

It depends on schools and youth work

This sometimes makes it very difficult for school and youth work staff to fulfill their legal mandate to teach democracy and human rights. Yet it is precisely their offers and attitudes in schools, youth leisure facilities, social and vocational training or in street and school social work that can strengthen adolescents and make them resistant to anti-democratic attitudes and phenomena of group-hatred. After all, it is the institutions and employees in education, upbringing and vocational preparation that can make democratic and social participation, mutual respect and tolerance tangible and anchor them personally. Dealing with incidents of right-wing extremism and group-hatred at schools and in youth work is a very important element of this, as it is the only way for children and young people to experience directly that the protection of democratic and human rights attitudes is guaranteed.
This work on the ground can make a decisive difference for children and young people and is indispensable. This is where fa:rp supports.

fa:rp offers:

• Specialist advice in the context of schools and youth work for an initial exploration and to find the right contact person in your area
• Individual specialist support for special needs, for example if there is a lack of appropriate services locally
• Direct outreach prevention and intervention services for schools and youth work
• Further training and qualification courses for the pedagogical handling of attitudes of group-hatred and anti-democracy
• Further development of practice-oriented action concepts for the prevention of right-wing extremism for schools and youth work
• Nationwide (online) professional exchange on the prevention of right-wing extremism for youth workers and local actors from the German ‘Partnerships for Democracy’
• Cross-phenomenon exchange of expertise on approaches to dissociation work / secondary prevention

The Fachstelle Rechtsextremismusprävention has been in existence since 2020 and has its own website where you can find out more about its services. In addition, the Cultures Interactive distancing work unit is affiliated to fa:rp.

The cooperation network "Competent in the prevention of right-wing extremism (KompRex)"

Together with fa:rp, Cultures Interactive is one of the six supporters of the cooperation network "Competent in the prevention of right-wing extremism (KompRex)". Amadeu Antonio Foundation, BAG Kirche und Rechtsextremismus, Bund der Alevitischen Jugend­lichen in Deutschland, Gesicht Zeigen! and Bildungs­stätte LidiceHaus have joined forces in this network to tackle the new challenges posed by right-wing extremism and group-hatred. The focus of Cultures Interactive is on the prevention of right-wing extremism in youth work.

The Partners

Amadeu-Antonio-Stiftung
Bund der Alevitischen Jugendlichen in Deutschland
Bundesarbeitgemeinschaft Kirche und Rechtsextremismus (BAG K+R)
cultures interactive e.V.
Gesicht Zeigen!
Lidice Haus

Project duration

2025 - 2032

Funding