The Council of Europe organised a Training of Trainers on preventing hate speech through awareness raising and education from 3 to 6 February 2026 in Strasbourg.
The training gathered 32 participants, trainers and multipliers who assist civil society organisations and other stakeholders in using counter and alternative narratives (CANs) and human rights education (HRE).
Four participants from Donor Countries of the EEA and Norway Grants had the opportunity to participate through the Mission-Driven Initiative (MDI) “Enhancing multi-stakeholder responses to hate speech and hate crime” and exchange with participants from Beneficiary States, including Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Slovakia. It was a tremendous opportunity to encourage informed dialogue and active engagement, learning and practicing counter and alternative narratives and human rights education to prevent and combat hate speech.
READ THEIR TESTIMONIALS:
I had the opportunity to attend the Training of Trainers course on behalf of Samtökin '78, the Queer Organisation of Iceland. The training was an intense four-day session, with lectures, exercises, and group work on the definitions of hate speech, the frameworks in place, and guidelines and toolkits for counter- and alternative narratives. For Samtökin '78, the additional knowledge on hate speech and the skills acquired through the workshops on counter- and alternative narratives will be useful in the coming months as the organisation prepares for municipal elections in Iceland and as we move forward in tackling hate speech. There is a concrete impact on the value derived from the Council of Europe training course, both when campaigning for the human rights of LGBTI+ people and in strengthening our toolkit for the community in Iceland.
As a participant, I found the training course and the group’s exchanges both warm, fruitful, and inspiring. Meeting participants from all around Europe is motivational for me to keep going, keep fighting, and is a reminder of how strong we are together. Meeting the group gave me hope that, even though times are tough and we’re seeing attacks on democracy, freedom of assembly, and expression, we can keep going with hope, joy, and love. As a queer person, hearing the stories, experiences, and realities of other queer people is not only necessary but also a source of inspiration to keep going, remembering the encounters and moments that brought us into this field of work to begin with.
The training course strengthened my understanding of the Council of Europe standards on combating hate speech, particularly how Recommendation CM/Rec(2022)16 on combating hate speech and related human rights frameworks translate into concrete educational and awareness-raising practice I can bring back home. The training course showed me how to systematically design counter and alternative narratives (CANs) rooted in human rights principles, and how to better align online and offline engagement to increase effectiveness. In my school dialogue project bringing together students from opposite sides of the city, I gained participatory HRE methods and structured approaches to designing CANs that engage emotionally, encourage critical reflection, and lead to action. As a Digital Rights Champion with Amnesty International Norway, the course deepened my capacity to connect platform governance debates with human rights standards. It also informs the student toolkits I develop and strengthens how I strategically design and share CANs on TikTok and in collaboration with other content creators navigating algorithm-driven spaces.
The exchange with participants from Croatia, Armenia, Greece, Poland, Romania and other countries facing different political climates and levels of institutional support gave me comparative perspectives on hate speech, democratic backsliding and minority protection. It was particularly valuable to discuss multi-stakeholder responses across contexts; how CSOs, equality bodies, regulators and educators cooperate, and where cooperation is fragile. The diversity of experiences made the concept of a “community of practice” tangible. Professionally, the exchange expanded my network of experts I can consult when developing youth strategies, CAN campaigns or training modules on social media particularly. Personally, it reinforced my sense of shared cross-border responsibility to safeguard democratic participation and inclusion.
Through Counter and Alternative Narratives, the participants gained new perspectives and a new lens for understanding how hate speech operates and spreads in society. It has the potential to change how we work against hate speech, both through campaigning but also in recognising the strategies being used to spread hate and taking a step back to better understand before making a strategic response. Knowing how different messages affect us and apply to our emotions and the underlying stories that are promoted through oppressive and hateful narratives. Participants left the training with new tools and plans for campaigns and actions they could apply in their national context.
Through the Training of Trainers course, I deepened my understanding of how to design and facilitate learning processes on counter and alternative narratives (CANs). The trainers provided us with the in-depth analysis of differences between counter and alternative narratives, how to work with different target groups, use emotions and needs in the analysis of different discourses. We have had the opportunity to design small campaigns in groups and provide feedback to each other. For my daily work in Stopp hatprat, this added value is concrete: we are preparing and designing a course in Norway where we will share the tools and support other groups in tailoring their local CANs.
The exchange with participants was a wonderful experience. Engaging with practitioners from diverse contexts expanded my understanding of how differently people work against hate speech across Europe and how local realities shape responses. I have met a group of creative and brave people who shared their experiences, ideas and even small dances in between the sessions. I left the seminar with new connections and friends whom I hope to meet and work in the future.
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