RAN FC&S Working Group meeting - Trust-building and the context of the P/CVE practitioner, Lisbon 28 & 29 May 2024

On 28 and 29 May, the last RAN Practitioners meeting of the Families, Communities & Social Care Working Group took place in Lisbon (Portugal). The meeting brought together social care professionals, youth workers and other professionals who work in the field of preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE). 

During this meeting, practitioners explored the challenges they encounter to build a trustful relationship with their target audience, reflected on their own perspectives and their unconscious biases towards the people they work with, and exchanged on inspiring trust-building approaches on a personal, organisational and macro level. 

In short, conversations included the following points: 

• Reflect on (the impact of) unconscious bias. Everybody has unconscious biases and they can serve people in many ways. For P/CVE practitioners it is however also helpful if they are: 
  1. able to self-reflect on their own biases and stay open-minded; 
  2. aware of the impact of their own worldview and the perception of their target group; and 
  3. able to reflect on their role in the system/community they are working in/with. 
• The following recommendations on different levels can contribute to a solid ground for a trust-building process. 
  • Personal level: Be authentic and open-minded and create a reciprocal relationship. Keep in mind
    that empathy is not necessarily the same as sympathy.
  • Organisational level: Make sure an environment is created where there is a safe space for discussions with your peers or colleagues, that mistakes and risk-taking (to some extent) are allowed, and that practitioners’ safety and resilience are protected. 
  • Macro level: Keep in mind that the target audience may feel the impact of the public discourse. Also take into account your own role on the macro level and be aware that, for example, your (social) media presence can influence the relationship with individuals. 

This paper outlines the highlights of the discussions during this meeting, followed by key recommendations, relevant practices and suggestions for further reading.