Projektpräsentation
Europe@DJHT
Cultures Interactive e.V.
The method of narrative group work with students is explained, including exercises on narrative dialogue, practical work experience and a case story – promoting 'intensive civic education' to build rapport with difficult-to-reach, at-risk young people, veering towards (self)hatred.
The workshop conveys the intensive-educational format of narrative group work (NGW) in an exemplary way in school settings: In one hour per week of regular teaching time for at least one semester, half of a school class (8-13 pupils) are accompanied in a free group conversation by a tandem of young extracurricular facilitators (students of social work/educational science etc.) - assisted by school social workers and municipal social services. Relationship building, narrative dialog, a tailored setting that can be changed flexibly, complete openness of topics and an accompanied time-out area enable confidentiality, voluntariness, personal willingness to talk and a safe narrative space. Experiences of exclusion, bullying, group-related devaluation, so-called extremism and violence are also discussed and dealt with together. The young people learn to share their own experiences, to listen to and understand each other, to question and scrutinize each other in an attentive manner, to develop strategies together at the school or youth facility for a more non-violent, respectful coexistence - and to find effective and networked solutions for situations with a threatening character.
It is explained how and why pupils at particularly challenged (hotspot) schools need a moderated and protected space for open-topic - and taboo-free - speaking/thinking and to what extent such intensified group conversation formats are increasingly indispensable as a factor in the community based promotion of democratic personality development of young people. After all, it has been foreseeable since the 1990s that the threats to democratic society are massive and constantly increasing and that schools, youth (social) work and, in particular, civic education systems need to show greater methodological concern and willingness to innovate in order to effectively alleviate these threats and, above all, promote resilience and intelligent engagement among young people.
The NGG's decidedly transdisciplinary approach includes an interface to targeted interventions by child/youth/family support, in particular also to distancing/exit work, and implements psychosocial prevention. A further interface to systemic school counseling "from below", i.e. from the young people (possibly also from local counseling) supports the handling of institutional problems. Advocacy in education and social policy is committed to perpetuating narrative discussion groups in schools (NGG).
The presentation of an exemplary group process around a brazen Holocaust denial illustrates the effectiveness and potential of NGG.
(cultures-interactive.de/en/projects.html; farp.online; oppattune.eu )
Further information
https://www.cultures-interactive.de/en/narrativegroupwork.html
Host
CI has engaged in the prevention of (right-wing) violent extremism in Germany and Europe since 2003. CI provides community intervention plans, psychologically based “narrative group work” for schools, and expert consultancy.
Project / department
Projekt Narrative Gesprächsgruppen / Narrative Group Work