Exit Hate is a charity that aims to reduce extremism, via education, understanding, and compassion, educating people on the dangers of far-right extremism and supporting people to leave the Far Right and their families, so that all can rebuild their lives free from the influence of extremism, which harms, the victim, perpetrator, and their families.
Exit is unique, with many of those working with Exit being former Far Right members themselves, parents who have had a loved one involved themselves, or trained counsellors with expertise in how to engage and support vulnerable individuals.
Vulnerable Support Champions
As a charity supporting individuals to leave ERW (Extreme Right-Wing) groups, we have noticed that over the last 3 years, we have mentored many people who have identified themselves as vulnerable, including having having Autism, (our current support rate is 38% who have notified us that they identify as autistic.)
Seeking to support vulnerable communities we want to develop the specialist skills of dedicated support workers and give them the knowledge to challenge this extremist activity and offer people help to either get a safe way out of extremism or educate people about the dangers of ERW extremism, so they do not get involved in the first place and be used.
Highlighting concerns around homelessness, we are aware ERW activists are offering food to homeless people and including extremist propaganda that seeks to blame people from other nationalities, ethnicities, and religions for the homelessness of indigenous white Britons. This is a callous attempt to take advantage of vulnerable people suffering and what we want to do is educate key workers working in this field, so they can explain to people that these extremists don’t care and are seeking to manipulate and use them. By doing this we hope to reduce tension and potential racial attacks, which may escalate from this approach by the ERW who are seeking to build hate amongst homeless Britons against other communities.
The session
Workshops will include:
– Introduction to workshop facilitator. All facilitators are either former ERW (Extreme Right Wing) activists or mentors who currently engage with people to leave ERW extremism.
Highlighting their lived experience will help gain the attention of participants and demonstrate their authority to speak on ERW extremism, which will help to ensure that participants are receptive to workshop content, highlighting what works and what doesn’t.
– Awareness raising of ERW activism specific to the locality in which the workshop is based. This will build knowledge of participants of the extremist messaging and methods of promoting this messaging within local communities. Prior to workshop delivery, we will use online research and consultation with local authorities, community groups and the police to build an understanding of any local extreme right-wing activity, including any specific grievances, in the locality that is being used.
– Awareness raising of the impact of ERW activism on those involved in extremism and their families through sharing real case studies, this will motivate participants to support people away from extremism. This will include a newly produced film between the mother of an ERW activist and a mother whose son joined ISIS and sadly passed away. This film will highlight all extremism is wrong and the clear need for early intervention and support and why this is so critical before things develop into terrorism and people loose their lives.
– Guidance on how to spot the signs that an individual is on the path towards extremism (e.g. hiding phone/laptop, withdrawing from family activities etc)
– Guidance & information on how and when to seek help from the authorities/other support agencies because evidence indicates that communities often lack this knowledge (“64% of Londoners would not know how to seek help from the authorities”, The London Countering Violent Extremism Programme Report 2018-2019).
– Coaching on how to deconstruct and discredit false narratives and negative stereotypes.
– Coaching on how to have difficult conversations that challenge extremist messaging whilst avoiding confrontation.
– A call to action for participants to develop their skills and network so they can advise others of the dangers of ERW extremism and support people away from extremism, including signposting people to specialist support services.
– Development of a bespoke online vulnerable support worker hub, which would keep people updated on ERW developments and allow training attendees to engage with each other following the course and empower each other. This would continually be supported by Exit staff who would continue to update attendees on ERW developments and alternatives to extremist messaging, so people have the latest information on what the ERW is doing and how to counter it.
Please do let us know if you are interested, – it’s a first come first serve, and we have a couple of sessions left now.
I have attached a leaflet here with contact details that you may also wish to share.
