SOFIA DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION was founded as non-profit organization with the decision 348
of the Sofia Municipal Council to work for the sustainable development of the capital.
LEAD ONLINE SUCCESS STORY PRESENTED IN BRUSSELS
“Projects like LEAD Online are important as they address the root causes of hate speech and build awareness about the magnitude of the problem,” said Tommaso Chiamparino, policy officer in the Fundamental rights policy unit at the European Commission, Directorate-General for Justice, in his opening address to the international valorisation conference, organized by Sofia Development Team in Brussels on February, 6 2024.. The project has been very successful in building local multi-stakeholder partnerships in each of the seven partner countries, coordinating the efforts of various actors to tackle hate speech online in an engaging, informative, and effective way.
Hosted in the premises of the Regione Umbria in Brussels, the conference gathered more than seventy participants for a full day of panel discussions, interactive presentations and networking. Partners of the LEAD Online consortium highlighted the project achievements, an online hate speech self-assessment tool, ‘digital gardening’ trainings, local talks for raising awareness of hate speech online, and much more. Over 4000 people participated in activities and over 100,000 have been reached through social media and online publications.
The star of the day was the interactive online game, HateOut! Game, which features animated scenarios enabling players to recognize hate speech incidence and to select the most appropriate response in each case.
The speakers and participants shared important insights about their experiences with cyberhate and the ways to inform and empower people, especially young students, to report and counter it. Key points highlighted in discussions focused on the need to combine online interventions with face-to-face learning events which engage participants in real-life interactions to counter hate speech and help to foster a sense of belonging amongst learners. Building inclusive, responsive digital tools and games is equally important: co-creating open educational resources with the participation of young people, especially from hard-to-reach groups and marginalized communities is critical for improving the efficacy of online hate speech/cyberhate interventions and reducing the creation and/or consumption of hateful content online.
After two years of intense collaboration, the LEAD Online project, coordinated by Sofia Development Association team has come to an end, but the consortium partners are already gearing up for new, more joint initiatives ahead. Follow the project at https://www.lead-online.eu/ ;https://www.facebook.com/LEADOnlineEU, check out our tools and games, and do reach out if you’d like to become part of an ambitious, knowledgeable community of like-minded people who are working to make our online and offline communities safer and more tolerant places.
Presentations
- Learn, Engage, Act: Digital tools to prevent and counter hate speech Online | LEAD-Online
Denitsa Lozanova, LEAD Online Coordinator, Sofia Development Association
- Prompting Awareness: The Hate Speech Self-Assessment Tool
Konstantinos Mantzos, DAISSy Research Group, Hellenic Open University
- Hate Speech ontologies and Hate Speech Self-Assessment Tool
Sylvia Liuti, FORMA.Azione - Italy
- Learn, Engage, Act: Digital Tools to Prevent and Counter Hate Speech Online
Amina El-Gamal, project coordinator, ZARA, an Austrian counselling centre AgainstOnlineHate and AgainstRacism
- LEAD-Online I Hate Out! Game / PLAY AGAINST HATE: ONLINE GAME TO DETECT AND COUNTER HATE SPEECH ONLINE
Konstantinos Potsis, Project Manager, DAISSy Research Group, Hellenic Open University
- Panel Discussion - LEAD-Online: Championing a Hate-Free Digital Future
- Learn, Engage, Act: Digital Tools to Prevent and Counter Hate Speech Online
Maria KORECK, project coordinator, DIVERSE Association, Romania
- Learn, Engage, Act: Digital Tools to Prevent and Counter Hate Speech Online
Summary and Way Forward
Facebook @LEADOnlineEU
Instagram leadonline_eu
Twitter @LEADOnlineEU
The project is funded by the EU’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE LEAD-ONLINE VALORIZATION CONFERENCE ON THE INTERNATIONAL SAFE INTERNET DAY FEBRUARY 6, 2024, IN BRUSSELS!
The LEAD-Online - Learn, Engage, Act: Digital Tools to Prevent and Counter Hate Speech Online valorization conference aims to celebrate achievements, share valuable insights, and inspire discussions on shaping a safer and more inclusive digital landscape, respecting human rights and dignity and fostering opportunity to scaling up good European practices.
Event Highlights
Showcasing Innovation
Highlight the innovative digital tools and strategies developed by the LEAD Online project that empower individuals to counter hate speech online, interactive exhibition featuring project achievements and a digital "Hate Out!" game.
Panel Discussions
Engaging talks on digital literacy, the role of media, strategies to counter hate speech and scale up working solutions.
Lessons Learned and Reflections:
Join us in a thoughtful exploration of insights gained from the LEAD-Online project.
Networking Opportunities
Facilitated sessions for idea exchange and collaboration.
Call to Action
The event concludes with a collective commitment to combat online hate speech, encouraging ongoing efforts.
The LEAD Online project is co-funded by the European Union, CERV Programme. It is implemented in 7 EU countries by Sofia Development Association (lead partner)– Bulgaria, ZARA - ZIVILCOURAGE UND ANTI-RASSISMUS – Austria, Forma.Azione – Italy, Hellenic Open University – Greece, Center for Peace – Croatia, FutureNeeds – Cyprus, Associatia Divers – Romania.
The event will be held in Brussels, on 6 February2024, from to 9.00 am to 16.30. Working language: English.
Register here to attend the conference in person:
Presentations
- Learn, Engage, Act: Digital tools to prevent and counter hate speech Online | LEAD-Online
Denitsa Lozanova, LEAD Online Coordinator, Sofia Development Association
- Prompting Awareness: The Hate Speech Self-Assessment Tool
Konstantinos Mantzos, DAISSy Research Group, Hellenic Open University
- Hate Speech ontologies and Hate Speech Self-Assessment Tool
Sylvia Liuti, FORMA.Azione - Italy
- Learn, Engage, Act: Digital Tools to Prevent and Counter Hate Speech Online
Amina El-Gamal, project coordinator, ZARA, an Austrian counselling centre AgainstOnlineHate and AgainstRacism
- LEAD-Online I Hate Out! Game / PLAY AGAINST HATE: ONLINE GAME TO DETECT AND COUNTER HATE SPEECH ONLINE
Konstantinos Potsis, Project Manager, DAISSy Research Group, Hellenic Open University
- Panel Discussion - LEAD-Online: Championing a Hate-Free Digital Future
- Learn, Engage, Act: Digital Tools to Prevent and Counter Hate Speech Online
Maria KORECK, project coordinator, DIVERSE Association, Romania
- Learn, Engage, Act: Digital Tools to Prevent and Counter Hate Speech Online
Summary and Way Forward
#LEADOnlineConference #DigitalFuture #NoToHateSpeech
The project is funded by the EU’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme.
WE PRESENTED THE LEAD-ONLINE PROJECT AND THE HATE OUT! GAME INFRONT OF AN INTERNATIONAL CROWD IN SOFIALAB
On 9 November we once more presented the LEAD-Online project and our game HATE OUT!
We presented our HATE OUT! game to the guests of SofiaLab - representatives of different NGOs and educational institutions from Denmark, Poland, Greece, Portugal and Bulgaria, who are part of "Educating Adults Against Stereotypes - EASY" - a project that aims to promote understanding of age and gender stereotypes that can lead to discrimination in different sectors of society.
We discussed the process of creating the game, the selection of the scenarios in the game, the challenges and successes in its dissemination and its technical parameters. We also had a session where we played through several of the scenarios together and discussed the results.
Our work within LEAD-Online continues!
The LEAD-Online project is co-funded by the EU.
SGN 2023: LEAD ONLINE TALKS IN SOFIALAB
On 4 November 2023 we became part of Sofia Game Night 2023's family with our LEAD ONLINE TALK! Throughout the day, more and more people came to our innovation lab to participate in the three themed events related to games and their role in creating skills, building communities and raising awareness among youth.
We hosted the ARC Academy, which brought together parents and experts for a discussion on innovation in games, the digital world and how video games can go from a hobby to a profession. The end of the event turned into the presentation of our game HATE OUT!, which we developed within the LEAD - Online project, and presented and played with our guests. During the presentation, we discussed what hate speech is, how to recognize it and respond, and how to build strategies to counter hate speech. Our guests immersed themselves in the nine scenarios from our game and together discussed what is the best possible response to strengthen community bonds and weaken hate speech. The entire Saturday afternoon was dedicated to our other partners, MindHub, who ran a treasure hunt with robots, digital tools and games for kids and teens.
The project is co-funded by the EU Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme.
HATE OUT! GAME IS NOW HERE AND OFFERS INTERACTIVE TRAINING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO COMBAT HATE SPEECH ONLINE
Sofia Development Association announced the official public launch of the game Hate Out!, created within the LEAD - Online project.
Hate Out! is an online role-playing game that will help players better understand hate speech online. The game shows realistic hate speech scenarios using simple graphics.
The player assumes the role of a community builder in the form of a robot who witnesses various instances of online hate speech in which members of his small, simulated community are victims targeted by the online hate speech monster and are required to react according to their beliefs.
Depending on the player's reactions, in each scenario the community bonds may gradually become stronger, or the community may split and incite hostility. Reactions that allow hate speech to flourish will cause the hate speech monster to grow and the community builder to begin to deteriorate, while reactions that promote respect and free speech will have the opposite effect.
The game is suitable for young people in the school stage, as well as for trainers and educators working with young people, representatives of the NGO and media sector and citizens.
If you want to test your reactions to hate speech, play Hate Out! here. The rules of the game and more information on how to play can be found here.
The LEAD-Online project is со-funded by the CERV programme of the European Commission.
LEAD ONLINE PARTNERS GATHERED IN PATRAS TO LAUNCH THE PILOT PHASE OF THE ONLINE GAME HATE OUT!
