Prevention of Right-Wing Extremism, Xenophobia and Racism in ...

One reason for this confusion is that practical pedagogical programs addressing right-wing ex- ex-
tremism and xenophobia among young people are diffi cult to evaluate. Unresolved questions
remain as to how to best measure effectiveness in the fi eld of social and pedagogical work.
Other problems arise from insuffi cient resources and skills. Pedagogues and social workers
for example most often concentrate their capacities on their pedagogical work with clients.
Moreover, most of them have not received training in documentation and evaluation. The
situation is quite different when it comes to special governmental programs. Although such
recently implemented programs are documented and evaluated, it is still too early for valid re-
sults. However, one issue that that already stands out is that the heterogeneity of these programs
makes it diffi cult to compare particular projects, thus making it impossible to acquire results
about programs as a whole.
Another reason for the lack of reliable information is the fact that pedagogical and social
work strongly depends on the particular conditions and needs in the institutions and the
com munity where they take place. An important role is also played by the personality of pedagogues
and social workers as projects are shaped by their particular capacities and limita-
tions. This fact severely limits the ability to transfer certain approaches to another context.
This is the reason why the capacity of numerous collections of “good” or “best” practice to
guide the development of prevention and intervention of right-wing extremism and xenopho-
bia among youngsters is sorely limited.
Challenges for the future
A comparison of past and present pedagogical efforts to curb right-wing extremism and xenoxeno- phobia in Germany reveals various aspects in which there is room for improvement.
1. Conditions of pedagogical work: Professional management of right-wing extremisms and
xenophobia depends on substantial knowledge of these phenomena as well as the pres-
ence of preventative and interventionist methods in the education and training of social
workers, teachers and other pedagogues. It is necessary to provide professionals working
in this fi eld of prevention with better working conditions in order to increase the retention
of experienced pedagogues to this diffi cult fi eld, thereby fostering continuity and stability
in the work with youngsters. Finally we need special programs both for the development of
new forms of pedagogical and social work as well as stable continued support for estab-
lished approaches to prevention and intervention.
2. Implementation of new pedagogical approaches: it became apparent in various fi elds that
effective prevention requires new approaches. We need special measures for young males
who suffer through unreliable relations with men and therefore lack stable masculine role
models. We need intercultural encounters that promote cooperation and contact between
members of the majority and members of the minority – especially in regions where such
contacts face substantial diffi culties such as is the case in East Germany. Pedagogical work
with disadvantaged youth similarly demands special methods and at the same time should
Juvenile Right-Wing-Extremism and Xenophobia in Germany
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