Preventing discrimination and hate crime among young people by co-creating restorative, participatory and creative approaches that strengthen social safety, inclusion and support in schools and communities.
Context
Children and young people across Europe increasingly experience racism, xenophobia, LGBTQIA+ discrimination, gender-based intolerance, hate speech and hate crime, both online and in educational settings. These experiences undermine wellbeing, academic success and participation, while growing polarisation and social fragmentation intensify tensions. SPARK responds to the need for early, positive and locally adapted interventions that help young people and professionals identify, discuss and address discrimination before it escalates. The project will be implemented in schools and communities in Greece, Sicily, Hungary and the Netherlands, combining restorative approaches, youth participation, creative methods and attention to online behaviour.
Objectives
- To prevent and reduce discrimination and hate crime affecting children, adolescents and students, with a focus on safer and more inclusive educational environments.
- To strengthen the capacity of teachers, youth workers, university staff and community professionals to respond to discrimination, hate speech and related incidents through restorative and inclusive approaches.
- To empower young people and students as active change agents through participatory and creative methods, including dialogue, peer mediation and youth-led action.
- To support systemic improvements and European-level advocacy by generating transferable tools, policy recommendations and stronger networks for prevention, victim support and social safety.
Activities
- Mapping national policies, practices and research on discrimination and social safety in the participating countries and co-develop a common framework combining restorative approaches and creative youth participation methods.
- 2 information sessions per country with teachers, youth workers, victim support professionals, social workers and university staff.
- Training of teachers, youth workers and university staff in restorative practices, inclusion and responses to discrimination.
- Exchange visits for professionals to Greece and Italy to exchange best practices in addressing and preventing hate speech in different contexts.
- Delivery of structured sessions with children and young people in schools and educational settings, using dialogue, restorative methods and creative activities to address hate speech and discrimination.
- Child- and youth-led campaigns on the prevention of hate speech and hate crimes including co-creation workshops.
- Joint hybrid final conference in the Netherlands
Resources
- Baseline mapping reports on key challenges, gender-sensitive needs, and opportunities for restorative and participatory approaches in schools and universities.
- Framework for pilots in schools with practical exercises and theoretical inputs
- Good Practices Toolkit from the Study Visits with professionals.
- Curriculum on participatory and creative learning methods for children and young people
- Child- and youth-created materials and awareness campaigns
- European policy paper on project’s findings regarding education, hate crimes, racism.
Impact
- Greater awareness and increased understanding of discrimination, hate speech, and social safety among 660+ young people and 200+ professionals directly engaged through pilot sessions, capacity-building workshops, and exchange visits, alongside over 1,000 members of the wider community reached through peer-to-peer dissemination, youth-led campaigns, social media reels, webinars, and the final conference.
- Empowered young people and students, including 160 active youth ambassadors across 4 countries with increased confidence, awareness, and opportunities to address discrimination
- Strengthened skills and capacities of 200+ teachers, youth workers, university staff, and professionals to prevent, identify, and respond to discrimination and hate speech through restorative and inclusive approaches.
- Stronger cross-country cooperation among 70+ key stakeholders and professionals through mutual learning and exchange activities, including 2 transnational exchange visits in Athens and Palermo.
- Enhanced capacity and policy dialogue among key decision-makers and the broader public, engaging 100 participants through an international policy webinar on racism and hate crime, and 300+ attendees at the final international conference.
Partners
- Avans University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands, coordinator)
- CESIE ETS (Italy)
- Terre des Hommes Hellas (Greece)
- Egyutt Az Interkulturalis Akcioert Alapitvany / UNITED for Intercultural Action (Hungary)
