Violent Extremism and Polarisation

Democratic societies are immersed in a process of increasing politicisation. Political mobilisation around highly divisive matters has resulted in a questioning of the fundamental pillars of our political systems, as well as the polarisation of the societies we live in. Antagonistic ideological projects are currently generating greater confrontation in societies that are seeing the emergence of new dividing lines due to socioeconomic disparities, migrations, rejection of traditional political institutions or the interrelationship between territories.

Such divisive dynamics often lead to an oversimplification of increasingly complex realities, in the form of populism, and they can give rise to processes of retrogression that endanger the foundations of liberal democracies. The slow, deliberate and constructive debate between antagonistic political positions increasingly becomes the first victim in a climate of constant polarisation. Confrontation grows while the prospect for compromise dwindles. The democratic quality of our societies and institutions is degraded, and thus the possibility of advancing constructive dialogues that effectively address the current concerns of democratic societies.

In this context, AHEAD has been involved since 2017 in a series of youth work projects, several of them in the Euro-Mediterranean area, addressing the prevention of negative polarisation and the rise of violent extremism in our communities.

Depolarisation Youth Work Practices

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