Judy Korn has been working in the prevention of extremism since the age of 15 and has more than 35 years of experience in deradicalization and reintegration of (violent) extremists. Twenty years ago, she founded Violence Prevention Network Germany, which is now the largest nonprofit organization in Europe dedicated to preventing and countering violent extremism, with over 150 staff. The success of the approaches developed by her organization has been made possible in large part by Judy Korn’s persistent advocacy of a collaborative approach. “Only the continuous exchange of knowledge and expertise between the professional groups involved enables us to keep adapting our approaches to the changing needs of the evolving extremist scenes,” is one of Judy Korn’s guiding principles. Because extremism is an international phenomenon involving transnational actors, Judy Korn supports international networks for collective action and support and is also frequently asked to advise ministries and institutions on the development and implementation of deradicalization and prevention approaches.
My network of professionals working on countering hate in all its forms grew exponentially after attending Eradicate Hate in 2021. The myriad voices represented at Eradicate Hate, from big tech companies to academic researchers to those with lived experience, reinforced to me the importance of cross-cutting and collaborative approaches to counter hate and its devastating impacts on society. I’ve been fortunate to sustain and build those networks with many of those I met at Eradicate Hate in 2021.
