Our research indicated that young people from Dąbrowa Górnicza (Śląskie Voivodeship) belong to a social group most often confronted with hate speech or discrimination within their community. Even though the young people were able to point out some of these instances, they did not possess the tools to counteract them. In some cases, they treated hate speech as an expression of free speech.
That was the motivation behind workshops for students from secondary schools in Dąbrowa Górnicza. These classes allowed them to develop skills and competences to act against hate speech. During our meetings we have discussed attitudes of respect and tolerance, as well as working against stereotypes. Next, with the help of our moderators, the participants implemented four civic initiatives. We have also organized eight instalments of “Breakfast Beyond Divisions” events with special guests from other organizations. The participants were able to discuss important civic issues. The youth worked as the Dialogue Ambassadors and co-organized school debates to prove that mutual respect and conversation are possible despite the difference of opinions.
There were four debates in total and they touched on issues such as: industrial animal farming, the status of individuals seeking refugee asylum in Poland, abortion, and the question of the right to decide about one’s medical care at the age of 18. The debates were prefaced by preparatory seminars for the interested participants that included both the students and the teachers. Finally, the project was concluded by a conference attended by both the students and other members of the community.
The municipality of Dąbrowa Górnicza was our project partner. It made an event space available for us, as well as helped with marketing of the event, and the members of the local government participated in the events.
Thanks to these initiatives, the youth strengthened their collaborative competences, learned how to counteract hate speech and discrimination and how to lend support to their peers. Thanks to the debates between different schools, participants learned how to make arguments and experienced a respectful argument despite the differences of opinions. Their leaderships skills improved as well.