Description
This project will involve groups of students from secondary schools in Poland and in Norway identifying manifestations of hate speech and fighting against it online, at school and in their communities. They will develop e-campaigns against prejudice and exclusions to influence public perceptions, including their own peers. In addition, they will get involved in local anti-discrimination activities, identify allies in the local community and will become agents of social change and founders of the ‘Hatred: I am Against’ leadership network. The Centre For Citizenship Education will provide mentoring, e-coaching training, expert consultation and local workshops. The tools and types of support will be developed jointly with European Wergeland Centre, Norway. Students and teachers will develop and validate (online and in daily life) various models of counteracting hate speech and acts. Best practices and outcomes will be disseminated in Poland, Norway and the Council of Europe states.
Summary of project results
"According to research, the level of prejudice towards ""the others"" is the highest in Poland and Hungary out of eight countries. (Ebert Foundation Report, 2011). Hate speech is observed on the web, in media and in everyday situations. It is very common among young people, who have difficulty defining the very concept of hate speech, research suggests. They exclusively associate it with vulgar attacks on the Internet but fail to see the connection with discrimination. According to a report published by the Anti-discrimination Education Society, schools in Poland are not equipped to counteract hate speech. The project aimed at engaging with youth to encourage action against hate speech and help develop skills of 'critically reading' xenophobic, racist, anti-Semitic, anti-Roma, homophobic or sexist content. Project participants, mainly middle school students, learned to identify manifestations of hate speech. They launched peer-to-peer initiatives in their own schools and communities as well as online actively standing against hate speech. The project was implemented in 150 schools. Young people organised an Against Hate Speech Day in each school. A number of activities and campaigns were organised, including meetings with educators, researchers, community activists, representatives of religious, ethnic and cultural minorities and hate speech experts. Street performances were staged to promote tolerance. Young people produced or contributed to videos, blogs, murals, communication campaigns, poems, concerts, training courses and education materials on fighting hate speech. Project beneficiaries included students of middle and secondary schools in Poland and Norway. The partnership with the European Wergeland Center from Norway helped include the project in the Council of Europe ""No Hate"" campaign. Moreover, the Wergeland Center delivered a training for student group leaders and contributed to developing education materials based on similar projects implemented in Norway."
Summary of bilateral results
In order to establish contact with Icelandic organisations dealing with combating hate speech among children and youth at schools, a study visit to Iceland (to meet the Safer Internet and Save the Children organisations) was organised for Foundation representatives and for teachers participating in the thematic project. Visit participants were presented with Icelandic solutions in the field of hate speech and cyberbullying prevention (such as the "red button" system operated at selected schools in Iceland), and implemented selected work methods at their own schools.