UNITY: Uniting youth power against intolerance
UNITY Uniting youth power against intolerance Project Name: UNITY: Uniting youth power against intoleranceProgramme: Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV)Priorities: Protecting EU values and rights by combating hate speech and hate crimeProject ID: CERV-2024-CHAR-LITI-SPEECH Website: Coming soon Social media: Coming soon Duration: 24 monthsTopics: Hate speech, hate crime, youth perpetrators, prevention of hate speech & hate crime, support for victims of hate speech & hate crime, policy development on hate speech & hate crime, awareness-raising Project Description This project tackles the rising challenge of hate speech and hate crime in six EU countries—Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Romania. Despite EU-level guidance, national responses remain limited, with gaps in legislation, victim support, education, and public awareness. The project takes a comprehensive approach, combining research, education, victim support, advocacy, and public campaigns. It aims to prevent hate among youth, support affected individuals and organisations, and promote stronger, more inclusive policies. Civil society plays a central role, both as a driver of change and as a group needing protection from hate-based threats. Project Consortium Project Coordinator:Bucovina – Romania Partners BOLD – Bulgaria Connectus – Greece EDUGEP – Portugal LSS – Netherlands Mvidee – Netherlands Open Education Hub – Belgium Project Results WP1: Project Management WP2: Knowledge and Education WP3: Support and Empowerment of Victims WP4: Multi-stakeholder Engagement and Advocacy WP5: Communication and Dissemination Our role Connectus will lead the WP4 that contains two activities from the call, namely supporting the enforcement of existing legislation and creating/activating national coalitions and action plans through effective advocacy and working with public authorities. We will help organize and facilitate coalition meetings, contribute to the creation of joint policy recommendations, and assist in planning and promoting advocacy events. Additionally, Connectus will play a key role in enabling cross-country collaboration and the exchange of best practices among project partners. Also, Connectus will host the second project meeting in Greece, welcoming two representatives from each partner organisation. The meeting will focus on reviewing the completed country studies, planning the next phases of the project, and sharing good practices on victim support, training, advocacy, and coalition building. Impact The project will build knowledge and capacity among experts, educators, CSOs, and policymakers to better understand and address hate speech and hate crime, particularly among youth. In the short term, it will improve access to data, educational resources, victim support services, and policy insights across six EU countries. Medium-term impacts include the use of these tools in real-world settings, stronger national coalitions, more informed policy proposals, and improved support systems for victims. In the long term, the project aims to reduce the prevalence of hate speech and hate crime, enhance victim protection, and contribute to greater social inclusion, equality, and respect for fundamental rights.