Exit Sweden

Exit was developed in Norway to disengage and de-radicalise people from the right-wing scene. In Sweden it was implemented in 1998 to help young people leave the white power movements. The programme helps people leave a white supremacist movement behind and build a new life. The kind of support provided both consist of practical matters to start a new life as counselling and training or for example social skills. The length of the support differs from individual to individual (mainly between 6 and 9 months, sometimes a few years). Participants who follow the programme should do so voluntary. Radical beliefs and ideology are not central in the approach as Exit views the reason for getting into extremist groups as mainly caused by other reasons (like personal grievance of socio-economic circumstances). It is also thought that too much empha-sis on ideology might provoke a defensive attitude. The Exit project team consists of several ‘formers' (people who used to be in a white power group themselves) in a combination with professionally trained staff such as therapists. Finally, the programme also has a preventive side to it by cooperating with schools and local governmental authorities to prevent people from joining extremist groups. In 2010 Exit Sweden expanded to Passus, targeting disengagement from criminal gangs, building on the work and experiences of Exit Sweden.

Contact details:

Mårtendalsgatan 6
Box 92022
120 06 Stockholm
Sweden

Robert Örell
Email: robert.orell@fryshsuet.se 
Tel. Office: (+46) 8 691 72 66
Tel. Mobile: (+46) 739 502266