ICT Tools
against Hate Speech

Project partners are going to develop an online platform.

The #hatetrackersproject online platform serves as an “online safe space” where these groups can meet, discuss, train new members, and share their own best practices and solutions to counter this issue also with their peers in the partners’ countries.

#hatetrackersproject puts a strong emphasis on the storytelling methodology as a tool to empower the victims of hate speech. Through video-interviews, live videos on Instagram, podcasts and articles, #hatetrackersproject wants to share the experiences of these people presenting them not just as victims but as activists who have been able to use their suffering and transform it in a positive reaction to hate speech.

So, project’s innovation elements are:

  1. The creation of SGUs and a European network of activists
  2. Social engagement platform to speed learning and project sharing
  3. Social learning, learning through the comparison of the other participants

Community work

#HateTrackers, besides its actions aimed at raising awareness on the complex issue of hate, presents an innovative approach to counteract this phenomenon that is the creation of Semiological Guerrilla Units (SGUs), groups of people with deep knowledge and strict connections to a given territory / neighbourhood / small city, who have been victim of hate speech and activists who will be trained to counteract actively to hate speech episodes both the in online and in the offline world.

SGU’s are the realization of an Umberto Eco’s idea of the early ‘70s, that is the possibility to create group of citizens who could, in each neighbourhood of the Italian cities, deconstruct the propaganda propelled by the television. Within this context, SGUs aim at alphabetize local communities about the messages and meta-messages propelled by the media in general, and social media in particular.

In each project country 1 SGU will be created with young people aged 19-28.

Such activity is going to be implemented in different steps:

01

Training of trainers (ToT)
September 2024

such training aims to share the knowledge about the community-based approach SGU methodology among the partner and the first 5 SGUs members selected by the project organisations.

02

Completion of the SGUs

20 youth per partner country (between 19-28 years old and coming from various gender, sexual identity, ethnic, national and migrant background). The purpose of this unit is to ensure active participation and empowerment of youth in taking action for an issue (in this case the issue of hate speech) impacting their lives

03

National replication of the training

each project partner will have then to replicate the training, as in Torino, in their national context to trigger a cascade among young people interested in join a SGU.

04

Empowering local communities

Each SGU will become the main point of the hate speech referral system for local organisations, schools and communities to tackle and answer hate speech episodes. The referral system will be publicized in an EU level conference, as well. All the partner organisations will be involved coordinated by CIFA.

To know more about your local SGU, go check the PARTNERSHIP page and contact any of the project’s organization.