Back Stop the Hate, do not hesitate!

Education Association, Novi Sad
This project saw the training and development of a team of young people in youth work and the combating of on and offline hate speech and violence.

Training Course
Impact Long-Term
Youth Led
Combating Hate Speech

 The trained young people then conducted workshops with their peers in schools and NGOs across the Vojvodina region of Serbia.  The secondary target group were young people in NGOs and schools across the region.

The initial target group for this project were 30 young people aged 15-30 coming from the Vojvodina Province of Serbia. The secondary target group were young people in NGOs and schools across the region. The young people who participated in this developmental programme were selected by the quality of their applications. The target was for youth leaders with a lower level of experience. The application consisted of a simple set of questions where the applicants were asked to describe their motivation for participation and inner-readiness for active participation and learning.

The key needs the project addressed were related to the safety of young people online in general and specifically in their use of social media. Many young people are leaving themselves vulnerable and at risk particularly in their use of social media. This was linked to the rise in the hate speech and negative attitudes towards ‘others’ by young people both on and offline.

This was a project founded on the principles and values of youth work. Each participant was encouraged to reflect on and question their own values and attitudes toward topics like peace, hate, communication, intercultural learning and identity.

 

The aims of the developmental programme

 

  • Develop young people as leaders in combating hate speech online and offline
  • Promote and inform about the values and principles of nonviolent communication among young people
  • Apply ERYICA (European Youth Information and Counselling Agency, Luxembourg; see more on: http://eryica.org/) methodology of youth information work as a tool for appropriate information processes on social networks among young people
  • Detect, prevent and make interventions regarding hate speech on the internet among young people, by young people

In November of 2012 the participants for the project were selected, this was followed by a celebration of Volunteerism at an open space meeting on December 5th on the International day of Volunteers. This was designed as an introduction activity for the participants, to introduce them to each other, to the team of youth workers and trainers, and to the themes of the project.

 The project continued with three educational modules for the participants, each of three days
  • Basics of nonviolent communication and intercultural learning
    The aim of this module was for participants to explore new models of non-violent communicating. They explored cooperation approaches with on both a peer-to-peer level and with adults. They learned to reshape their usual communication models, to practice non-violent culture, to learn about intercultural learning, and acceptance of differences among each other.
  • Basics of ERYICA youth info work (need to explain what this means)
    This module aimed to explore the concept of ‘youth info work’ in line with ERYICA’s standards and approach. The participants looked at information, how it can be used constructively and how it is misused.
  • Social networks and violence on the internet-detection and prevention
    The focus of this module was the introduction of different social networks, their structure and how they function. They looked at how to detect hate speech online and practice nonviolent models of reaction, including reporting to different community standards on the social networks. One of the aims of this module was on how to use social networks in establishing partnerships in combating hate speech and how to network with different groups and individuals in online communities.
Following these three modules there were a series of meetings for preparing the participants for the work they would be undertaking and to provide them with mentoring support. Throughout 2013, the young participants ran 15 workshops across Vojvodina in different NGOs and schools. The theme was on the combating of and prevention of hate speech on and offline. The participants worked in small teams to develop their workshops. They were also responsible for making contact with and establishing partnerships with the hosting schools and NGOs.

There were four additional outcomes from the project. The first, although not officially part of the project, was a flash mob on the theme of combating hate speech in Novi Sad. This was not in the plan of the project but was an idea that was developed and implemented by the participants.

Second was a roundtable discussion. This was on “how to prevent hate speech online among young people in Vojvodina province?”. The young participants developed, organized and moderated the roundtable and were responsible for inviting speakers from the youth work sector, from the wider community and the municipality.

Thirdly, the project created a youth friendly guidebook for young people on best practices for combating hate speech on and offline. The guidebook included the recommendations and reflections of the participants and the project team.

The fourth element was the Facebook group ‘Activists of the Western Balkans for a Culture of Peace Online’. This has attracted 300 young activists to follow and join it from across the Western Balkan Countries. This provides a platform for young activists to report, discuss and work actively against groups and pages on Facebook who are promoting hate speech. The group is also monitored by the Youth Peace Ambassadors Network representatives.


  Innovation and Impact

Once trained the young participants became responsible for the organising of and preparation of the workshops in the schools and NGOs. The innovative element here was that the workshops had to be led by the young participants, it was their responsibility to develop the workshops, it was their responsibility to organise the workshops in the different schools and NGOs and it was their responsibility to promote the workshops to the young people in those communities. It was the role of the project team to take a step back after the initial training programme for the participants was concluded.

The impact of the project was on several levels. The project gained recognition from the Ministry of Youth and Sport. It was also recognised by the national committee of the No Hate Speech Movement. On a more personal level the impact has seen the majority of the participants continue to be motivated and engaged in other projects and NGOs afterwards. Many continue to react and intervene on hate speech cases on social networks. The project has also seen some of the young participants become independent and competent youth leaders and youth workers with their own initiatives and projects.

After the project and its successful outputs, the project team developed a follow up project with the Provincial Secretariat for Youth and Sport of Vojvodina. This new project was titled, ‘Peace Activators’. Here 50% of the original participants applied again wanting to continue to deepen their competences as peace activists. This project met the need of the young people for further development in peacebuilding education and practical skills in facilitation and workshop implementation.

In 2014, a one-day workshop titled ‘Trolling vs. Hate Speech’ was facilitated in the Youth Information Centre of ‘infopolis’ in Novi Sad. Eleven young people were discussing about the new phenomena on Facebook called ‘trolling’ how to react on it and distinguish from hate speech. This workshop was an outcome of an online discussion regarding some reported trolling on the Facebook group ‘Activists of the Western Balkans for a Culture of Peace Online’. The facilitator of the workshop was a young student of law from Novi Sad who is today a specialist for rights on social networks.

 

  Link with the Council of Europe

European Youth Foundation:  The initial project was funded and supported by the European Youth Foundation

  Partners and Contacts

Further information

Contributors

  • Branislav Trudic, youth worker and coordinator of the Responsible Youth Programme
  • Gordana Novakovic, junior trainer and assistant on the Responsible Youth Programme
  • Igor Acimovic, president of Education Association and project coordinator
  • Milica Paskulov, EDIT organization, youth worker and trainer
  • Jelena Vukicevic, EDIT organization, youth worker and trainer

 

 

 

 

 


Novi Sad, Serbia 2012 to 2013
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