FROM VULNERABILITY TO RESILIENCE: PREVENTING YOUTH RADICALISATION IN SLOVENIA | Final Event of the EU-GlobalAct Jean Monnet Module
May, 2026
On 15 May 2026 in Ljubljana, the round table From Vulnerability to Resilience: Preventing Youth Radicalisation in Slovenia – How Can We Recognise Distress and Respond in Time? brought together experts from security, law, psychology and education to discuss one of the most complex challenges facing contemporary societies.
Organised within Global Social Nexus 2026, the event also marked the final event of the EU-GlobalAct Jean Monnet Module – EU as a Global Actor in a Fragmented and Traumatized World, implemented at the School of Advanced Social Studies (FUDŠ).
The round table was moderated by Dr. Janja Mikulan, whose research on radicalisation, violent extremism and trauma provided the starting point for a broader discussion about what vulnerability and prevention mean in the Slovenian context.
While Slovenia is not a country characterised by high levels of terrorist activity, this does not make it immune to the processes that can contribute to radicalisation and violent extremism. Contemporary radicalisation is increasingly complex and cannot be reduced to ideology alone. Young people may encounter intersecting experiences of loneliness, exclusion, anger, identity insecurity, lack of belonging, psychological distress and social frustration, while online environments can provide communities and narratives that offer simple explanations for complex personal and social problems.
The discussion therefore moved beyond the traditional understanding of radicalisation as primarily a security issue.
Radicalisation is also a developmental, psychological, educational, family and community issue.
This interdisciplinary perspective was reflected in the composition of the panel:
• Robert Zlobko and Marko Škvarč, Criminal Police Directorate, Department for Terrorism and Extreme Violence, contributed the perspective of law enforcement and discussed contemporary manifestations of radicalisation, violent extremism and terrorism.
• Urša Regvar, PIC – Legal Centre for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment, addressed prevention, human rights and the importance of developing approaches that recognise risks without stigmatising young people, communities or different forms of identity and belonging.
• Matic Munc, psychologist, brought attention to psychological distress, dangerous behaviour among children and adolescents and the importance of recognising vulnerability before it develops into more destructive forms of behaviour.
• Katarina Goričan, Čuteča šola, highlighted the role of schools, relationships, emotional safety and belonging, and the importance of creating educational environments in which distress can be recognised early and young people can feel seen, heard and connected.
A central question throughout the discussion was:
How can we recognise vulnerability early enough to help transform it into resilience rather than allowing it to develop into isolation, hatred or violence?
The speakers explored how radicalisation rarely develops in a single environment. Family, school, peer groups, online communities, mental health, social exclusion and wider societal frustrations can interact in complex ways. Effective prevention therefore requires cooperation across sectors rather than isolated interventions.
Particular attention was given to several challenges: how to recognise early signs of distress without stigmatising young people; where to draw the line between legitimate prevention and excessive securitisation; how schools, families, civil society, mental-health professionals and security institutions can cooperate more effectively; how to respond to online hate, violent narratives and closed digital communities; and how to strengthen belonging, resilience and constructive ways of expressing frustration.
The event also reflected one of the central ideas developed throughout the EU-GlobalAct Jean Monnet Module: contemporary security challenges cannot be understood separately from their wider social, psychological and political environments.
Throughout the Module, students and wider audiences were encouraged to consider the European Union not only as an economic or political actor, but also as an actor operating in a world shaped by fragmentation, insecurity, polarisation, trauma, radicalisation and rapidly changing global challenges. The final round table brought this perspective directly into the Slovenian context and connected academic knowledge with the practical experience of professionals working with young people, communities and security challenges.
Perhaps one of the most important conclusions of the discussion was that prevention does not begin when someone becomes dangerous.
It begins much earlier—with relationships, belonging, trust, emotional safety and the ability to recognise what lies beneath visible behaviour.
In a world increasingly shaped by technology, artificial intelligence and online interaction, human presence remains irreplaceable. Technology can help us identify patterns and communicate, but it cannot replace the ability to listen, understand nuance, establish trust and recognise another person's distress.
As the EU-GlobalAct Jean Monnet Module comes to its conclusion, this event represents both an ending and a beginning: the conclusion of an important period of teaching, research, dialogue and knowledge exchange, and hopefully the beginning of further cooperation between researchers, practitioners, institutions, schools and communities.