In our counselling work, we experience social conflicts in concentrated form. The increasing polarisation and radicalisation of society are leading to an increased prevalence of extremist currents. Although they differ in their expression, these currents share common characteristics: they represent ideas of inequality, reject state institutions, democratic values and classical media, and show a fundamentally anti-pluralistic attitude. They are often associated with a willingness to use violence or justify violence as a means of political enforcement. This results in isolated milieus with closed world views, in which established mechanisms of conflict resolution are rejected and pluralistic decision-making is prevented.
Against this social background, a wide range of challenges arise for exit and distancing work. As a nationwide infrastructure, dist[ex] addresses these challenges and pressing questions:
- How can cooperation at the various specialist interfaces – such as child and youth care, health services, security authorities, as well as science, research and politics – be improved and expanded? We discuss this central challenge for practitioners in the dist[ex] network and develop concrete solutions.
- In Germany, a highly specialised and qualified prevention landscape has developed over the past few decades that is unique internationally. The dist[ex] network is committed to further developing this landscape both in terms of specific phenomena and across the board, to interconnecting stakeholders and to creating sustainable synergies for practitioners.
- Social developments and the associated need for advice have given rise to different approaches when working with target groups. Some approaches focus on individuals who are being radicalised or have already been radicalised, while others concentrate on their environment and family. While some concepts rely on voluntariness, others aim to reach individuals who are not (yet) motivated to seek advice. In order to do justice to dynamic social developments, these approaches must be able to learn from each other.
dist[ex] is continuously working on these and other social and professional challenges. We develop competencies, concepts and structures to meet these challenges even better and to further qualify counselling practice. The focus here is on interconnecting disengagement and exit projects with each other and with other relevant actors and target groups.
Our goal is to create a network by 2028 that structurally integrates all central stakeholders and serves as a platform for innovation and exchange. We focus on further developing practical methods and sustainably promoting interdisciplinary cooperation.
dist[ex] is a cooperation network founded in 2025 that is dedicated to strengthening and connecting distancing and exit work throughout Germany. Violence Prevention Network gGmbH, Legato/Vereinigung Pestalozzi gGmbH, Grüner Vogel e. V., Interdisciplinary Centre for Radicalisation Prevention and Democracy Promotion e. V. (IZRD) and BAG Ausstieg zum Einstieg e. V. are working closely together with the aim of building a network together with civil society organisations, projects and experts in the field of disengagement and deradicalisation from all over Germany. This network promotes professional development and exchange in the field of work, expands cooperation with relevant interfaces in the regulatory structures and acts as a civil society lobby group. Violence Prevention Network gGmbH is coordinating the cooperation network.
