The symposium was opened at the Bavarian State Ministry for Family, Labour and Social Affairs in Munich by Bavaria’s Minister for Social Affairs, Ulrike Scharf.
Prof. Dr Mehmet Kart, Professor of Social Sciences in Social Work at OTH Regensburg, delivered the keynote address on the topic of ‘Radicalisation as a challenge for child and youth welfare services’. The focus was on the importance of prevention, the early identification of radicalisation processes and the options available to educational professionals.
Kart particularly emphasised the importance of a nuanced perspective: educational professionals should be attentive to changes in young people’s behaviour without resorting to hasty stigmatisation. He stressed that specialist knowledge, strong educational relationships and collaboration with specialised counselling and support services are crucial. In the subsequent panel discussion, ‘Science Meets Practice’, he discussed educational approaches and intervention options with Prof. Dr Janine Linßer from Augsburg University of Applied Sciences, Jörg Breitweg from Aktion Jugendschutz Bayern and Christian Mätzler from the Nuremberg Youth Welfare Office.
Further presentations covered Bavarian counselling structures, cooperation with security authorities and data protection issues. In the afternoon, participants explored topics such as the role of social media, the family environment and opportunities for early intervention and networking in practice-oriented workshops.
The symposium made it clear that preventing radicalisation is a joint responsibility of child and youth welfare services, the education sector, families, academia and specialist counselling services. To fulfil this role, educational professionals require practical knowledge, specialist support and the confidence to take action.
Prof. Dr Mehmet Kart conducts research and teaches at OTH Regensburg on topics including radicalisation and prevention, extremism, anti-Semitism, racism and social participation. As part of the research project ‘Educational Practice in the Context of Anti-Semitism in Bavaria’ (PHAB), he is currently investigating challenges and prevention strategies in Bavarian child and youth work.
