Newsletter N° 59, June 2017

On 19 May, the Committee of Ministers, composed of the representatives of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe, adopted the Action Plan on protecting refugee and migrant children (2017-2019).
Among others, it aims to enhancing the integration of refugee children. Hate Speech targeting refugees and the narratives of intolerance and violence that it justifies, remain a barrier to integration. It also leads
to fear at a time when these children and youth need acceptance and protection the most. The Youth Department contributes to the plan
with policy guidelines on minors in transition to adulthood.

Stand #Withrefugees, speak out against hate speech on 20 June, World Refugee Day. On this day many national campaigns
and activists will take action for refugees, see Counter Hate Speech targeting Refugees.

On 6-7 June seven campaign activists spoke out for human rights and youth participation at the European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG) meeting in Tallinn, Estonia. The
campaign coordinated a plenary debate on treats of ‘fake news’ and how to respond. Recordings of this
and all other sessions are online clicking the video icon in the programme.

A case example illustrating the step by step guide in We CAN! is published
together with 20 examples of campaign activities using counter narratives. The manual in the meantime has been reprinted and updated.  Check
or download We CAN! and Alternatives, its French version.

Major social media platforms agreed on a code of conduct with the European Commission about taking down of illegal hate speech. The evaluation after one year shows progress but also identifies areas where more must be done. For example, not all reports are reviewed within 24 hours, especially those submitted by the general public, and the quality of feedback
on the assessments must still improve.

On 31 May the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted the Recommendation to the Council of Europe member states on youth work.
The recommendation calls for more support for Youth work because it contributes to stability and social cohesion in society. Youth work develops critical thinking, increases the sense of belonging, and strengthens young
people’s capacity to resist negative influences and behaviour.

On 20 June Infinite Opportunities Association will launch 20 stories of migrants in
the detention centre of Busmantsi, Bulgaria, volunteers and representatives of social groups working in the migration field. Check the #dreamswithoutborders campaign teaser.

With his video Dislike (in Dutch) Timon Verbeeck aged 14 won the Weetwa competition 2017 organised by the Flemish campaign in Belgium. Timon speaks about his experiences with hate speech as the young vlogger Zoom. Vlogger Sarah’s Spark was voted
winner by the Youtube community with her song Spread a Little Love (in English)

On 25 - 28 May the Slovenian campaign organised a national training course for 25 youth workers
from all regions of the country. The participants strengthened their competences to use Compass, Bookmarks and become involved in the campaign.

On 9 June 25 youth workers completed a pilot training to learn to deal with hate
speech among participants in international youth work projects. An expert meeting evaluated the pilot, reviewed other practices, and drafted the outlines for a future manual. The events were organised by the International Youth Service of the Federal Republic of Germany (IJAB), member of the German national campaign.

The Media Diversity Institute Western Balkans and Serbian Youth Umbrella Organisation KOMS started the ‘Stop the Hate’
project to enable young people to recognise, understand and combat online hate speech by developing meaningful and nonviolent counter narratives. The project builds on the MDI guide “Tips to Counter Hate Speech on Twitter”.
It runs until September with support of the EYF.

From 17 to 20 June the Norwegian campaign and European Wergeland Centre will organise a Nordic training course on counter and alternative narratives based on We CAN!. The Course precedes the Nordic conference on hate speech gathering Nordic and international experts, researchers, civil society activists, media and government representatives on 21 June.

From 28 to 31 June the Romanian campaign and the Ministry of Youth and Sport will host
the 5th Coordination meeting of national campaigns and online activists in Bucharest, Romania.

On 23-29 June the Association KVN from Ukraine will organise Art-Actions “Youth against Hate” in various cities in Donetsk and Lukgansk region. The workshops and art exhibitions promote dialogue and stop hate speech between
communities affected by conflict.