On the occasion of the International Day For Countering Hate Speech, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) organized in Sarajevo, in cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of Italy and the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, as part of the “Youth for Inclusion, Equality and Trust” project, an event entitled “Innovations in Peace Education - Tools for the Future”.
The objective of the event was to present four innovative tools developed within the project, which bring new approaches to conflict resolution and peace building. The presented tools include: a virtual training programme for the development of non-discriminatory media content, a guide for witnesses in situations of violence, an innovative game for young people in schools, dedicated to tolerance, and a youth competition in public policy development.
These tools are designed to improve young people's understanding of how to recognize and counter hate speech, and to create platforms for achieving sustainable peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina through learning and work of the educational system, civil society organizations and the media.
“In the past period, we implemented five online modules with the aim of preventing hate speech, providing basic information and interactive tools that will be available to students in all majors on the university platform. These modules allow young people to learn techniques for recognizing and preventing hate speech through fact-checking and analysis of multimedia content, developed in cooperation with Al-Jazeera Balkans”, said Amra Kapo, PhD, professor at the Department of Management and Information Technologies of the School of Economics, University of Sarajevo.
Harun Karčić, of Al-Jazeera Balkans, added, “With joint efforts, we have prepared a manual that will be useful to all content creators, media workers and journalists. It is our duty to educate future generations in the fight against hate speech”.
Testing of the innovative game for young people dedicated to tolerance was held in 18 schools and 14 local communities across BiH, bringing together a total of 301 participants.
Marko Petrović, a 13-year-old student from Ribnik, who attends the “Nikola Mačkić” Elementary School, shared his impressions about the innovative, tolerance-oriented game for young people in schools: “We worked with our teacher, and the game was extremely interesting. Through the game, I learned a lot about our country and its rich history. I really liked the game because it allowed us to expand our knowledge in a funny and interactive way. It was especially useful for me that through the game we could explore and learn about different aspects of our country, which is a truly invaluable experience for us, students”.
The event gathered around 50 representatives of educational institutions, the non-governmental sector, journalists, peace activists and young people, whose participation was crucial for the successful development of the presented tools.
“In Bosnia and Herzegovina, we work with young people in order to fulfill their potential and strengthen mechanisms to realize that potential in their own country, instead of going abroad. Also, our work includes the creation of programmes that enable young people to recognize and counter hate speech, both online or in real life, thereby contributing to the building of a peaceful and inclusive society”, said Marina Riđić, UNFPA Assistant Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
