The HATE-LESS Project
The project aspires to dismantle hate speech, disinformation, and entrenched racist narratives by amplifying and making
visible diverse counter-narratives.
Project Description
Modern technologies, digital tools, and social media have come to permeate our daily life, bringing about several benefits, as well as many flaws. Far too often, the digital world has turned into a sounding board for hate speech and fake news. In the European context, this situation is all too heightened due to the misperception and lack of knowledge of the migratory phenomenon that is becoming increasingly worrying. This trifecta of hate speech – disinformation – relentless racism can arguably be considered as yet another tool to target vulnerable groups in society, such as migrants. The European Parliament recognised the ‘weaponisation’ of disinformation against minorities in two Resolutions (10 October 2019 and 15 January 2020) condemning media propaganda and disinformation against minorities and calling for establishing safeguards against hate speech and radicalisation, disinformation campaigns and hostile propaganda.
While social media played a fundamental role in enhancing democracy and activism and giving voices to marginalised groups, through social media platforms, it is still of utmost importance to ensure that youth workers and young learners, who don’t have a good understanding of media literacy, have access to learning material and training opportunities to increase critical understanding and build capacity on deconstructing and tackling (online) hate and disinformation.
The project aspires to dismantle hate speech, disinformation, and entrenched racist narratives by amplifying and making visible diverse counter-narratives. These include the testimonies of young individuals encountering the “other,” thereby shining a light on alternative perspectives and challenging harmful assumptions. The project intends to foster the wilful use of technologies and their potential as inclusive tools when addressing sensitive topics: digital and multimedia tools become means for the creation of an inclusive and multicultural community, combating messages of hate, whilst promoting values of active citizenship and democracy among young people, including youngsters with a migrant background, who are important carriers of meaning in their families, communities, etc. Through activities focusing on media literacy and education, participatory approaches and production of participatory videos, young people will narrate their stories promoting diversity and inclusion.
If non-formal education and youth work are to play any role in the life of the hardest to reach youngsters who are furthest away from mainstream provision, the design and delivery of the educational process needs to be completely rethought. In that sense, the partnership is motivated to deliver useful learning and training material and to produce a non-superficial narrative on migration, promoting human rights and intercultural dialogue, together with increasing knowledge and building capacity on media literacy for the promotion of diversity in our (youth) communities.
Addressing Priorities
Priority 1:
HATE-LESS strengthens the connections between policy, research, and practice by integrating them into its core activities. Through addressing issues such as hate speech, disinformation, and racism, the project aligns with broader policy objectives focused on social cohesion and inclusion. By conducting focus groups and developing methodological guidelines, research informs practical interventions, ensuring they are evidence-based and targeted. Practical implementation is facilitated through the development of pilot schemes and toolkits, which translate research insights into actionable strategies for youth workers and young people. Furthermore, advocacy campaigns and dissemination activities bridge research findings with policy recommendations, influencing decision-makers and wider audiences, thus reinforcing the link between research, policy, and practice.
Priority 2:
This project enhances the quality, innovation, and recognition of youth work through several key mechanisms. Firstly, by providing training to youth workers and young people in media literacy and critical thinking skills, it elevates the standards
and effectiveness of youth work practices. Secondly, the project introduces innovative approaches such as participatory
video production, fostering creativity and engagement among participants. Lastly, through advocacy campaigns and dissemination of media outputs, the project raises awareness of the importance of youth work in addressing social issues,
thus contributing to its recognition and appreciation at both local and international levels. Overall, these efforts contribute to
the advancement and professionalisation of youth work, promoting its value and impact in society.
Priority 3:
This carefully designed project aims to create inclusive learning and training environments based on robust evidence appraisal and methodologies that enhance: the capacities of first responders (youth workers/trainers), the voices of those who did not have the opportunity to actively engage in capacity building (youngsters) and the sense of responsibility of those having privileges and power (stakeholders and policymakers). In that sense, all project activities aim to bring about acceptance of existing diversity by including all voices through acquiring media literacy skills and participatory action and video production skills. The project advocates for using technologies as inclusive tools when addressing migration topics: digital tools become means for the creation of an inclusive
Objectives
Our objectives are:
- To combat hate speech and disinformation through media literacy awareness to tackle the spread of fake news and promote alternative narratives about migrations
- To improve the provision of media and digital literacy into youth work and non-formal education by training youth workers and young people to acquire critical thinking skills that will allow them to deconstruct narratives that promote hate speech, disinformation, fake news and racism
- To mobilise youth workers and youth organisations/bodies, as well as youngsters to strive for more inclusive and diverse societies through their continuous engagement with participatory methodologies, approaches, and new technologies.
- To strengthen social and civic competences through fostering knowledge, understanding and ownership of fundamental values; promoting mutual respect and intercultural dialogue; and combating discrimination on all grounds.
