Competence to act in educational hotspots

In times of increasing polarization and the rise of extremism, imperial citizenship and conspiracy ideologies, educational professionals are faced with the question of how they can respond effectively and professionally to challenges in everyday educational life. Confronting ideologies that question basic democratic values ​​not only requires a high degree of sensitivity, but also concrete action strategies to ensure the well-being of children and young people and to promote tolerant, open coexistence.

The exemplary situations make it clear that educational professionals are regularly confronted with attitudes and behavior that contradict a democratic social order. These range from the rejection of conventional medical care to the relativization of historical crimes to the presentation of self-made identification documents. Such incidents not only pose a challenge to everyday school life, but can also pose a serious security risk.

Reflection and positioning

The first step in dealing with these challenges is to reflect on your own professional attitude. Educators must be aware of their values ​​and draw clear boundaries against positions that are inconsistent with their mission. A strong value base makes it possible to respond appropriately to problematic behaviors and thereby send a signal to others that certain attitudes have no place in the institution.

Promoting democracy and diversity

It is essential to actively advocate for democracy, cosmopolitanism and diversity and to anchor these values ​​both in educational work and in interactions with parents. By creating alternative experiences and strengthening media and source skills, children and young people can learn to critically question simple worldviews and see diversity as enrichment.

Dealing with parents and institutional strategies

Clear communication is crucial when dealing with parents. While it is important to firmly reject ideas of inequivalence, cooperation in the best interests of the child should still be striven for. Institutionally, mission statements and house rules can help to strengthen one's own position and create an environment that leaves no room for discrimination.

Questions and answers about dealing with extremism

Question 1: How should one respond to a child expressing extremist views?
Answer 1: It is important not to leave these views uncommented in order not to give the impression of agreement. Instead, contradictions should be highlighted and a culture of diversity and equality promoted.

Question 2: How to deal with parents who represent extremist ideologies?
Answer 2: Set clear boundaries without questioning the parental role. Cooperation should always be aimed at the child's best interests, and problematic attitudes must be clearly rejected.

Question 3: What to do if internal school measures are not sufficient?
Answer 3: It can be helpful to take advantage of external advice and support and to build a network of allies in order to take stronger action against extremism.

Question 4: How can the resilience of children and young people towards extremist ideologies be strengthened?
Answer 4: By strengthening media and source skills, conveying democratic values ​​and highlighting contradictions in extremist worldviews.

Question 5: What role do educational professionals play in the fight against extremism?
Answer 5: They are crucial actors who convey values ​​such as tolerance, diversity and democracy through their daily work and therefore represent an important pillar of prevention work.

Conclusion

Dealing with extremism, imperial citizenship and conspiracy ideologies requires educational professionals to have a high degree of reflection, sensitivity and action competence. By clearly conveying values, promoting democracy and diversity, and working with parents and institutions, they can make a significant contribution to strengthening a democratic society. It is essential that educational professionals are supported and given access to resources and training to be able to meet these challenges professionally.

To continue to stay up to date and educate yourself on these topics, we recommend signing up for the Mimikama newsletter attending our online lectures and workshops

You might also be interested in:


If you enjoyed this post and value the importance of well-founded information, become part of the exclusive Mimikama Club! Support our work and help us promote awareness and combat misinformation. As a club member you receive:

📬 Special Weekly Newsletter: Get exclusive content straight to your inbox.
🎥 Exclusive video* “Fact Checker Basic Course”: Learn from Andre Wolf how to recognize and combat misinformation.
📅 Early access to in-depth articles and fact checks: always be one step ahead.
📄 Bonus articles, just for you: Discover content you won't find anywhere else.
📝 Participation in webinars and workshops : Join us live or watch the recordings.
✔️ Quality exchange: Discuss safely in our comment function without trolls and bots.

Join us and become part of a community that stands for truth and clarity. Together we can make the world a little better!

* In this special course, Andre Wolf will teach you how to recognize and effectively combat misinformation. After completing the video, you have the opportunity to join our research team and actively participate in the education - an opportunity that is exclusively reserved for our club members!


Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )