OURACHIEVEMENTS CAPACITY-BUILDING

During 2018-19, WSCF-Europe organised two capacity-building trainings, focused on developing the awareness and skills of members of Student Christian Movements (SCMs). Equipping young people with this knowledge was essential in ensuring that difficult topics, such as hate speech and youth extremism, are then discussed within local/national communities in a meaningful manner

Training Event "SPOT IT, STOP IT: Media literacy to combat negativenarrativesondiversityandinclusion"

6-11May2018,Palermo,Italy

Our capacity-building training, focused on media literacy and hate speech, was delivered in May 2018, in Palermo, and ran alongside our Staff and Officers Meeting 22 delegates, representing 13 different countries from across Europe, attended the training on the Italian island of Sicily The event was hosted in the building of the Centro Diaconale “La Noce” – Instituto Valdese, an organisation that does significant integration work for the local community. The training was financially supported by the European Youth Foundati of the Council of Europe and Otto Per Mille the Waldensian Church of Italy

The main aim of the training was to equ participants with the right questions and to that allowed them to think critically about t ways in which the media portrays certa groups and individuals, and how these c lead to stereotyping and a perpetuation prejudices already existent in our societi These misrepresentations can span a range topics and local contexts – from anti-LGBTQI+ rhetoric to negative portrayals of refugees, in countries around Europe

Most of the training was delivered and guided by Cécile Goffard, animator, educator and coordinator of media education projects, who is a speciliast in the topics of anti-racism, discrimination, intercultural communication. The WSCF-Europe Preparatory Committee also delivered a number of sessions during the training, and took care of the practicalities involved in hosting the event.

The participants had the chance to hear from a number of other speakers. Torsten Moritz, Secretary General of the CCME - Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe, talked to them about human rights and the situation of refugees and asylum seekers in Europe Alberto Mallardo talked about Mediterranean Hope, a project of the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy, which involves work with refugees and asylum seekers in Lampedusa and Sccili, Italy.

"I'velearntalotthisweek.Throughouttheweek wehadagoodmixofdiscussions,groupexercises andlecturesonvarioustopicsrelatedtothemain theme(medialiteracy).Wesatindifferentgroups eachtime,whichhelpedusgetfamiliarwitheach other,andlearntalotfromandabouteachother. I'velearntalotaboutatopicIneededtobecome moreawareof.

Thisconferencehasalsogivenmetheopportunity tobuildrelationshipswithpeoplearound Europe.Ithasbeenveryhelpfultohearthe experiencesofothers,howtheydothings,andI haveagreatdesiretovisitmanyofthe movementsI’veheardabout,tolearnevenmore aboutwhattheydo.WhatiscertainisthatIhave noregretsaboutattendingthisconference. Sometimesyoujusthavetojumpintothe unknowntolearnandexperiencenewthings..."

This work includes: analysis and information on migration flows via the Mediterranean, reception and orientation of migrants and asylum seekers, integration programs, and action aimed at promoting effective migration policies that respect human rights

The event concluded with an action planning exercise, through which participants were encouraged to think about the activities, events and actions that could be delivered in their local community, through their local or national SCM or other means, in order to combat some of the negative narratives surrounding different groups and individuals