Life After Hate leads to violent intervention across the United States. The first US non-profit to help people leave violent far-right hate groups and abusive internet environments, its work improves society because of its core values. Compassion, empathy, honesty, atonement, and accountability drive everything they do. Life After Hate clients, staff, board, and community embody these ideals. Helping violent far-right extremists deradicalize is difficult. Complex, risky, and messy. But it’s vital.
Compassion and second opportunities can only enhance society. Our worst moments should never define us. We must learn from our mistakes, take responsibility for our past mistakes, and strive for constructive transformation. Late After Hate will give that to those who need it.
Former violent right-wing extremists founded Life After Hate. They struggled alone to escape that life and redeem themselves. Twelve years ago, a group of them decided to form an organization to help others like them leave Hate. It has grown from a peer support group to a violent intervention organization with licensed healthcare experts, social workers, and former extremists. Life After Hate leads the US in deradicalizing violent extremists.
Making Living Worthwhile All Along
Life After Hate pioneered this work. As violent extremism in the US has increased, more people have seen the necessity for Life After Hate. Yet, many wonders if American Nazis are worth the time, effort, and money needed to help people accept responsibility for their sins, recognize that there are ways to repent, and write the future chapters of their life with hope and constructive influence. If people don’t give violent extremists a chance to change, they push them deeper into hate and despair.
Hate is unavoidable. Life After Hate can help violent extremists leave. As violent extremism in the US rises, from racism to antisemitism to misogyny to xenophobia, there is an increasing need to show people that they may change and be forgiven.
Concurrence With The Values
Life After Hate leads the industry in accountability, professionalism, and data-driven decision-making. They feel obligated to improve this essential work as the first U.S.-based organization. That means always searching for ways to use technology to broaden our reach and improve information and engagement.
Life After Hate will incorporate more asynchronous learning and LMSs. They developed an asynchronous learning course for law enforcement this fall to assist them in comprehending the violent far right and how to deal with them. The Life After Hate team can scale some of its education offerings with these self-paced courses.
Life After Hate will leverage its law enforcement experience to design and implement similar education and engagement programs for military personnel, mental health students, and even family and friends of violent far-right extremists. They intend to increase the market using asynchronous learning, modeled after short, effective YouTube videos.
Counting Each Second Chance
Life After Hate evaluates itself objectively and qualitatively. Quantitatively, millions of people are ingesting their messaging and public education efforts, realizing there are second chances. They must evaluate their clients daily. Life After Heat’s mental health professionals and peer “Exit” specialists offer unmatched support. The team knows how to help a violent extremist depart. The team uses those skills daily to help those abandoning life as they know it to create a better life with no guarantee of social approval and success. The team strives to utilize those lessons and best practices to improve the field.
Life After Hate started using a decision tree last fall to decide whether to pursue a new idea. That includes having serious talks about what the concept solves, its potential impact, whether others are working on it, purpose alignment, money, and whether they are the appropriate organization to take it on. They may not be the best company to execute a fresh idea. The Life After Hate team maximizes its effect and manages money by asking these challenging questions from the start.
The Differentiating Factor
Deradicalization and disengagement are complicated. Any organization in this sector needs more than good intentions. Three recent commitments make Life After Hate the market leader. Last year, they analyzed all programs and customer data to focus on the most impactful work. Second, they believe in transparency, recognizing they must share good, terrible, or ugly data with the field to enhance the sector. Finally, and most importantly, licensed mental health experts and social workers must be involved and trained to recognize and handle concerns. Try-hards cannot accomplish this work. The data shows that their clients are increasingly suicidal, self-harming, and violent. Trained medical specialists must work in this area.
These commitments define Life After Hate. Life After Hate has the most positive impact in the space because its clinical personnel and Exit specialists deliver on these commitments.
The CEO And The Vision
Patrick R. Riccards, CEO of Life After Hate, says, “I am successful as a CEO, in part, because of my ability to tell a compelling tale. Life After Hate succeeds in telling the stories of former violent far-right extremists. We will release a new film series later this year with numerous “formers” explaining why they joined the violent extreme right and why they left. These honest, emotive, personal stories illustrate the real people affected by violent extremism and help us connect as we work together to find real solutions and treatments. Respectful, meaningful storytelling is required. That is the only way we can support people who want to leave the violent far right and give second chances to those who deserve them.”
He continues, “Life After Hate assesses its achievements quantitatively and qualitatively. Quantitatively, millions of people are ingesting our messaging and public education efforts, realizing there are second chances. We can and must evaluate our clients daily. Our mental health and peer “Exit” specialists offer unmatched help. We know how to help someone leave a life of violent extremism. We apply such teachings to those who are abandoning life as they know it to live a better life with no guarantee of social approval and success. We strive to apply those lessons and best practices to the field as a whole.”
The Road Ahead
Life After Hate aims to expand in 2023 and beyond. One must lead national public engagement initiatives to educate communities and understand what to do when someone is considering joining a violent extremist movement and when they want to leave. This year, Life After Hate will include teaching campaigns targeting friends and family, law enforcement, military veterans, and extremists. They will raise awareness of violent extremism and how to help individuals considering leaving through video stories, social media, and other engagement platforms. Only more knowledge, understanding, and compassion can solve such a vile problem.
Conclusion
Compassion, empathy, integrity, atonement, and accountability underpin Life After Hate. Former violent extremists must adopt such ideals to leave Hate behind. They are also the company’s values, which they expect from all workers and how they operate with clients.
Their company’s success is due to their team’s dedication. Life After Hate workers live the mission. They all want to enhance society, communities, and individuals.
Working with violent extremists is difficult. Mentally and emotionally draining. Compassion and second opportunities drive Life After Hate. They all want to improve the world but realize they can achieve more together.
Their team determines their success. “I am privileged to work with an extraordinary team of brilliant, ambitious, committed individuals at Life After Hate; each makes us successful,” says the CEO.
