On Thursday, November 14, 2024, the streetwork@online symposium, a project by AVP e.V., took place under the title “Navigating Digital Streets: Methods and Perspectives in Online Extremism Prevention” at the silent green venue in Berlin. The project is funded by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF). With approximately 200 participants—half attending in person and half online—the event was a great success.
The event began with a keynote speech by Dr. Özgür Özvatan from Humboldt University Berlin, focusing on the accelerated processes of online radicalization. This was followed by Petra Risau, an expert in online communication, who provided insights into the possibilities and challenges of digital counseling. In the third presentation, Mara Stieler explored how interpersonal connection and trust can develop in digital spaces, highlighting the opportunities and risks associated with online anonymity. Dr. Mohamed Shehata, a Ph.D. graduate from Al-Azhar University in Cairo, then presented his approach of countering religiously motivated radicalization using theological content, offering an intriguing alternative to dominant secular strategies. Finally, Lars Wiegold, project manager at RadiGame, examined the dissemination of extremist content on gaming platforms and in digital spaces.
The symposium was moderated by Stefan Kühne, who guided the audience through the presentations and facilitated the concluding panel discussion. The panel provided fascinating insights into the practical work of prevention actors. Participants included digital youth counselor Meike Krämer (VPN), Mehmet Koc (@netzpädagoge), and Navid Wali, an educator specializing in extremism prevention. They shared their daily challenges and successes, emphasizing the critical need for increased financial and personnel resources to ensure the sustainability of projects like streetwork@online.
