First of all, how was this project possible to be organized, coordinated and made? It was all possible with the help of the EU and more precisely Erasmus+. Erasmus+ is a European Union program that supports education, training, youth, and sports activities in Europe. One of the activities that Erasmus+ supports is Youth Exchange, which brings together young people from different countries to participate in non-formal learning activities and to promote intercultural learning and social inclusion.
As part of the Youth Exchange program, participants receive a Youthpass certificate, which recognizes the non-formal learning outcomes of their participation. The "Youth Against Online Hate" project, which took place in Hundslund, Denmark between 27.03 and 04.04, was a Youth Exchange project that aimed to address the issue of online hate and cyberbullying among young people.
Online hate refers to any form of hate speech, discrimination, or bullying that takes place online and can have serious consequences for the mental health and well-being of young people or just about everybody exposed to the internet.
Our Social Media Campaigns:
To address this issue, the project organizers designed a series of activities that aimed to promote awareness, prevention, and response to online hate and cyberbullying.
The activities included icebreaker games and energizers, team-building activities, workshops and presentations, short skits and group discussions, debates and a cultural night. The icebreaker games and energizers were used to create a positive and fun atmosphere and to introduce the participants to each other.
Those activities were mainly placed in the first two days of the project period but as well as during some of the other days too just to see if everybody is on the same page. The team-building activities aimed to encourage teamwork, communication, and cooperation among the participants, and to promote a sense of belonging and solidarity. Moreover, to get the participants closer to each other with their similarities and get to overcome any difficulties that might rise from their differences, language barriers and cultural diversity.
The workshops and presentations were held to increase awareness and knowledge about online hate and cyberbullying. These sessions covered topics such as the forms and consequences of online hate, strategies for preventing and responding to cyberbullying, and legal aspects related to hate speech and discrimination.
The short skits that the participants created presented different scenarios related to online hate and cyberbullying. These skits were then used as a basis for group discussions on how to prevent and address these issues. The debates were organized on various topics related to online hate and cyberbullying encouraged critical thinking and reflection, and helped participants to develop their communication and argumentation skills. The debates were rated highly among the group and marked as a great activity that gave insight to everybody’s point of view of how do they perceive online bullying. During the project participants also had the opportunity to meet the leader of UNIG (youth organization based in Copenhagen, Denmark) and have a talk with him, ask him questions, find about future projects UNIG are preparing and received an official invite from them to come and visit their facility whenever they wish to.
Our Handbook (Have a look!):
Members of this project also had a free-of-activities day when they could go and visit the locals or another city, to have a walk or to rest if they wish to. That way, the facilitators promoted the opportunity for participants to go around and discover the local Danish culture, go sightseeing and explore the architecture of Denmark.
After the first two teambuilding days, each country organized an intercultural night. That way, each participant could grasp a small side of the culture, traditions, customs, food & national dances from other countries that took part in this project. The cultural nights were sided with presentations using multimedia & projector, kahoots, quizzes, interactive games and many prizes.
That added the needed flavor and atmosphere to provide everybody with a feeling of being a part of multicultural environment. Last but not least, the organizers provided us with a real-life example in the shape of a movie named “The cyberbully” starring famous actress Maisie Williams and produced in 2015 by Ben Chanan.
The full playlist of video masterpieces created by our group!
It definitely showcased one of many ways online hate can be applied and made us all reconsider some of our past actions.
At the end of the project, participants were given the opportunity to reflect on their learning and experiences and to receive a Youthpass certificate, which recognized the non-formal learning outcomes of their participation.
The "Youth Against Online Hate" project provided a safe and supportive environment for participants to share their experiences and ideas, and to develop their skills, knowledge, and attitudes towards online hate and cyberbullying. By empowering young people to become active agents of change in their communities, the project aimed to promote a culture of respect, tolerance, and inclusion.
The Italian Team Testimonials!
Andrea Imparato
"I had the opportunity to discover other countries' ideologies and cultures. I had the opportunity to visit Denmark and its landmarks."
Gaia Montaldo
Lakshit Bahl
Olga Pepe
Raluca Andreea Ferent
Rosanna Davoli
Smeet Nilvarna
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