Extremism and radicalisation of young people do not stop at borders. Therefore, it is all the more important to find solutions that not only work on a national level, but also across multiple nations. Violence Prevention Network has already been active on an international level since its inception. The international work covers the following core areas:
One focus of our international work is networking with other organizations and institutions to target radicalisation prevention and deradicalisation. We rely on a combination of established and far-reaching network structures and smaller networks in which innovative forms of exchange of ideas and vision are developed.
As part of the consortium tasked with the organisational implementation of the European Commission’s Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN Practitioners), we support the exchange of knowledge and experiences among 6,000 practitioners working in the P/CVE field (Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism) across Europe. More about RAN.
Within the scope of a European multi-agency approach, we work with our partner organisations in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany to evaluate, network and mentor various stakeholders. The goal of the project is to develop an exchange format within Germany and at the European level, which will facilitate mutual learning in the field of violent radicalisation and allow us to improve the local cooperation structures.
Mutual knowledge transfer is the second cornerstone of our international work. From our point of view, transnational cooperation works more effectively and sustainably when they are run in a joint collaborative process: Even though we already have many years of expertise in deradicalisation work, the respective cooperation partners are experts for the local matters. Only when both sides work together can an effective work approach be developed for specific local and situational circumstances.
Through coaching and participation in conferences and workshops we also want to share our expertise, learn from other approaches and share ideas across borders. To promote a European approach, we emphasise two-way knowledge transfer and open discussions about different methods and approaches. Therefore, we present and discuss our work regularly, e.g. on behalf of the Federal Foreign Office abroad, at conferences and in front of international delegations. Through training sessions and workshops we support and qualify local organisations in the fields they desire.
Our third type of international engagement is political advice. Our aim is to contribute the findings of our practical work in various international committees and organisations. We work with various organisations and NGOs, including the UN, the OSCE, Impact Europe and the European Commission, as well as Hedayah and the Global Centre on Cooperative Security. In addition, we advise think tanks and research institutes.