The project brought together youth workers from Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Armenia. The main goal was to equip participants with the skills and confidence to identify human-rights violations, apply rights-based methods in their work, manage conflicts, promote inclusion and advocate for positive change in cooperation with their organisations. 

About the project

“Breaking the Silence” was designed for youth workers who want to take a more active role as human rights defenders in their communities.

Throughout the course, participants explored:

• How to recognise hate speech, bullying and discrimination;

• How to respond safely and constructively;

• How to use rights-based approaches in non-formal education activities;

• How to support young people in dealing with conflicts and exclusion.
  
  

Through workshops, group work and interactive methods, youth workers received practical tools they can now apply in their daily work with young people. By the end of the training, they were better prepared to create safer, more inclusive spaces where every young person feels seen and heard.

The experience

Beyond the sessions, the project was also about human connections, shared learning and meeting people from different cultures.

Nikola Nanov

“The organization of the project was perfect – clear and well-structured. I had a lot of wonderful experiences. I was a little nervous when I had to find the location of the project, but after that I didn’t have any bad experiences. I met many new people from different countries and learned new things about international laws, which was very interesting because I didn’t know much before.”

Maria Kovacheva

“Amazing venue and organisation, very interesting topics for the workshops.”

Between workshops, participants had time for informal talks, cultural exchange and reflection on how the topics connect to the realities in their own countries. This mix of structured learning and informal moments made the experience both meaningful and memorable.

Why it matters

For CEGE Association, “Breaking the Silence” is an important step in strengthening our capacity to address discrimination and human-rights violations at local level.

The tools and methods shared during the training will help our youth workers to:

• better support young people who face exclusion or conflict;

• encourage them to speak up when they see injustice;

• create activities that promote empathy, dialogue and understanding.
  
  

We are grateful to our partners and hosts in Slovakia (European Dialogue) for this opportunity and we look forward to turning the learning from “Breaking the Silence” into concrete actions in our future projects and local initiatives.