28 representatives of Slovakian youth organizations, the Ministry of Education and UNESCO’s NET-MED Youth project gathered in Modra, Slovakia last week to participate in a seminar on countering online hate speech and preventing the radicalization of youth.

 

The seminar, organized by the Slovak Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport, the Slovak Commission for UNESCO and the Regional Youth Council of Zilina focused on sharing knowledge, experiences and good practices on an important issue that is increasingly impacting young people from all over the world.

 

Seminar Slovakia

 

The outcome of the seminar was the creation of a set of tools and methodologies for human rights education that have been disseminated to both formal and non-formal educational providers. Participants also visited a center for asylum seekers to gain a better understanding of some of the issues facing refugee youth.

 

“It is vital that we continue to employ critical thinking to address issues currently affecting young people, particularly given the recent trend in youth support of far-right political parties,” said Dean Res from the Regional Youth Council.

 

Seminar Slovakia

 

“This partnership between Slovakia and UNESCO to address xenophobia through education is a great example of how countries can benefit from the organization’s expertise to develop coordinated youth strategies,” said Eva Masarova, Director from the Slovak Ministry of Education’s Youth Department.

 

 

Further action in this area is foreseen within the framework of the upcoming Slovak Presidency in the Council of the EU later this year. In addition, North/South exchanges and interactions between youth organizations will be supported as part of the NET-MED Youth Project.

 

The event was organized as part of the Council of Europe's No Hate Speech Movement and was made possible thanks to support from the EEA Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2009-2014 as well as to the cooperation of the NET-MED Youth project.

 

Seminar Slovakia

 

See PDF below for the French version.

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