how to address hate speech and cyberbullying?
Each of us has probably seen hate online, even been a victim of hate, or knows a friend who has received hateful comments or messages, but how many of us actually did something about it? Maybe not many. At Crossing Borders, we developed the Hatebusters project to help you recognize hate speech and cyberbullying and give you simple actions you can take to stand against hate and with the victims.
This workshop aims to offer theoretical and practical knowledge for the recognition, identification, and classification of different forms of hate speech and its impact on young people, introduce the central elements of society against hate and equip students with the know-how, tools, and methods for building a bottom-up campaign.
Content of the workshop
In the workshop, we explore the concept of hate speech and what it encompasses. The term, in fact, covers more than ‘speech’ as it is perceived in common sense and can be used in relation to other forms of communication such as videos, images, music, lyrics, etc. Secondly, the term can be used to describe very abusive and even threatening behavior as well as comments which are ‘merely’ offensive that can be passed as ‘opinions’. Hate speech is intended to injure, dehumanize, harass, intimidate, debase, degrade and victimize the targeted groups, and to foment insensitivity and brutality against them.
We then explore why we should act and fight hate speech. If hate speech is unchallenged, it drives human rights abuses further: negative stereotypes are disseminated throughout society, groups become increasingly marginalized and isolated, conflict and division grow, and abuse or threats increase. In the worst cases, mere ‘expression’ begins to translate into physical abuse. Hate crimes, including genocide, are always accompanied by hate speech. Not all hate speech results in hate crimes, but hate-crimes always involve hate speech.
Finally, we explore different and concrete ways to combat it. By understanding mindfulness and self-regulation, we can develop skills on a personal level and also help others to control our emotions and think before we act, both in terms of participating in and reacting to hate speech. If we understand human rights more clearly and combine this with a better knowledge of digital youth work, young people and youth workers can both fight hate speech and cyberbullying from a position of added strength. Together, we have to learn to use the internet responsibly and inform others of these issues. That’s why this project aims to provide young people and youth workers with a checklist for organizing just this. We can work together to bust hate and cyberbullying all across the world!
LEARNING METHODS
This workshop offers a combination of activities, including presentation, keynote speakers, storytelling, real-life simulations, role-play.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students will understand and explore how hate speech and cyberbullying can take place and affect young people in real-life situations. They will learn to use the internet responsibly and inform others of these issues. This workshop aims to provide young people and youth workers with a checklist for organizing the most appropriate response to online hate speech and stigmatization.
