Preventing Violent Extremism through Mentoring? Outcomes and Insights from a Quebec-Based Program
Keywords:
Violent Extremism, Mentoring, Tertiary Prevention, Quebec, CanadaAbstract
Although research on the tertiary prevention of violent extremism has increased over the past decade, clear benchmarks for best practices remain scarce. Existing studies often suffer from methodological and ethical limitations and seldom incorporate the perspectives of those most directly affected—namely, the individuals targeted by these programs. Nevertheless, a growing body of literature highlights the promise of social rehabilitation approaches, such as mentoring programs. This article examines a mentoring program developed by a Quebec-based clinical team specializing in the prevention of extremism and violent radicalization. It explores the program’s impact from the perspectives of mentees, mentors, and clinicians. Based on a qualitative analysis of 15 individual semi-structured interviews and 2 focus groups, the study identifies the program’s strengths and limitations. Overall, participants viewed the mentoring program positively. Among the positive effects was the creation of a secure relational space that enabled some mentees to break out of isolation through meaningful interpersonal engagement. However, the mentoring relationship also presented challenges, including the potential for mentees to reproduce or reinforce past negative relational experiences. Robust clinical support is therefore essential to mitigate these risks and to safeguard the well-being of both mentees and mentors.
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