In an evolving digital landscape, the spread of online hate represents a significant challenge. Discriminatory and violent messages can profoundly impact the well-being of individuals and groups, particularly young people and minorities, undermining safety and social cohesion. It is to address this need that Centro per lo Sviluppo Creativo Danilo Dolci ETS, in collaboration with five European organizations, launched SMASH, an initiative aimed at providing concrete tools to tackle and counter online hate speech.
SMASH aims to strengthen the digital skills and awareness of young people and youth workers through an innovative and multidisciplinary methodology. To initiate this process, the project partners met for an initial discussion, which was essential to define and test some non-formal methodologies, useful to dismantle the existing harmful narratives one may encounter when surfing the web.
Starting with an in-depth analysis of national, European and international regulations useful to identify and counter forms of online abuse and violence, we experimented with methods such as Margalet Cohen-Emerique’s Critical Incidents Methodology and Theatre of the Oppressed. The first method encouraged a reflection on the role that cultural shocks can play when people from different background come into contact with each other on the web. With the Theatre of the Oppressed, we worked on the emotional response triggered by discriminatory and offensive interactions. These approaches, combined with an in-depth study of regulations, are fundamental components of the integrated methodology that will enable those who use it to acquire innovative tools to initiate individual or community actions to prevent and contain cyber-hate.
SMASH intends to contribute to the development of effective educational strategies to counter hate speech and promote a conscious and inclusive use of digital tools. To this end, in the coming months we will start a series of activities aimed at young people with migrant background, youth workers, educators and and community leaders. The aim of this course is to create content and tools and to initiate a common reflection on the concept of discrimination and the fears often provoked by diversity and the unknown.
We will soon publish the methodological manual, which will be available online in Italian, English, Lithuanian, French and Spanish. We will also start the first training sessions to experience the SMASH methodology together.
Would you like to take part in the trainings, receive the educational materials and check out all the news? Follow SMASH on Facebook and Instagram or contact Giulia D’Annibale: giulia.dannibale@danilodolci.org.
SMASH – Journalistic theatre for Social Media Action against Online Hate Speech is financed by Erasmus+ programme, KA2 Partnership for Cooperation: Cooperation Partnership (Youth).
Partners
- Coordinator: Associacio La Xixa Teatre, Spain
- Centro per lo Sviluppo Creativo Danilo Dolci – ETS, Italy
- BĮ Panevėžio teatras „Menas“, Lithuania
- UAB Theoria, Lithuania
- Respect Zone, France
- L’ARC Taller de Música Fundació Privada, Spain
For further information follow us on Facebook and Instagram or contact giulia.dannibale@danilodolci.org.