Outside In – Transforming Hate

We live in a world where sexist jokes, xenophobic graffiti or racist speech by politicians have become an everyday experience. Too often, we do not even register it, if it does not target us directly.  

Outside In – Transforming Hate was a two-year project which ran from 2017 to 2018 and aimed at tackling hateful speech and behaviour and making youth work in Europe more inclusive. Over the two years, five partner organizations from Finland, Ireland, Portugal, Scotland, and Slovenia, co-created a European network of trainers and experts. They can provide quality training and tools for youth workers to recognize, manage, and transform hateful speech and behaviour in their everyday work with young people. 

The project involved 25 trainers and youth workers from five countries, and it included training for trainers in transforming hate in youth settings, production of a manual, and creating an online platform with an international Pool of Trainers.  

Most project’s participants came from different marginalized or minority groups and they have first–hand experience in racism, homophobia, and faith-based discrimination. As a result, they have a strong understanding of the topic, and their contribution to developing methods and providing training has been incomparable.  

Suki, from Scotland, wanted to bring home as much knowledge as possible to share with her colleagues working with young people: ”I have gained knowledge from all the different national contexts that other people are dealing with. I would also say I have gained confidence in my own ability to deliver training, understanding the issues, but I also can feel that I’ve picked up lots of useful tools really in a practical way, which I can implement in my day-to-day work,” she summarized her learning process at the end of the project. 

To complement the practice manual guidebook for tackling hate speech, the team produced an online material bank with useful links and vocabulary for trainers and youth workers. The manual is designed to support youth workers engaging with young people who express hateful speech and/or behaviour.

You can find Outside In Portal here.