This webinar will be held in English

We are pleased to invite you to attend the RAN webinar on “Digital exit work”, 24 June 2021 - 15:00 to 16:30 CEST

Background and aim of this webinar

Most existing deradicalisation or exit programmes are founded around concepts of in-person interventions where trust, respect and a personal connection are seen as essential elements. In this context, digital platforms and tools may serve as means to establish contact and to facilitate an offline in-person meeting. Several extremist or terrorist cases in recent years, however, have shown that a segment of individuals is not interested in offline contact, whether with fellow extremists or with exit workers.

Target groups comprised of “digital natives”, who grew up with “social media” to build emotional connections or of individuals with social phobia might either not see or feel a difference between online and offline in terms of the value or depth of human connections or they might prefer a digital exchange in principle. Also, a digital setting can offer anonymity which might help overcoming stigma and shame of clients.

Since the effectiveness of P/CVE interventions is based on an in-depth understanding of the relevant target audiences, and in particular of the needs of individuals, this webinar will discuss existing lessons learned and good practices in reaching and working with those target groups using only or mostly digital means. The webinar will also draw from findings regarding the acceptance and effectiveness of psychotherapy sessions via digital tools.

In doing so, this webinar will provide an opportunity to explore the following key questions with on-topic experts on the digital dimension of exit work:

• What are the relevant differences between “offline exit work” and digital exit work?
• What are the experiences and limitations with digital exit work? (How) does it (seem) to work?
• How do we get individuals into digital exit work?
• The in-person alliance-building and social activities, e.g. supporting the (new) social networking through activities, can be more difficult in solely/mostly digital settings. Which good practices or lessons from adjunct fields do exist?
• (How) can risk assessments be done digitally?

The webinar will feature expert input by Robert Örell (International expert, co-leader RAN Rehabilitation), Helena Löfgren (psychotherapist, Löfgrens Analys, SE) and Brad Galloway, (Case Worker, Organization for the Prevention of Violence, Evolve Program, Canada) each with a different thematic focus. The discussions will also feature findings and outcomes from recent RAN events and publications on digital exit work.

The target audience: practitioners and researchers working in the area of prevention and intervention of violent extremism in the digital space, including sociologists, psychologists, communication experts, social and youth workers as well as law enforcement professionals and representatives from social media companies, video sharing platforms, messenger services and video game platform

How to register for this webinar?

• If you wish to attend this webinar, please register via this link. This link will redirect you to a page on which you will find a button ‘register’. Please click on this link and sign up with the email address with which you will attend the webinar.
• Shortly afterwards, you will receive a registration link in your email by Webex which will lead you to the webinar environment. If you do not receive an email, please check your spam box. Since this is a webinar, you do not need to respond to this email.

If you have any questions or remarks, please contact Maarten Briedé.