Project name: Stop to Hate

Reason for doing the project: Media and information literacy is a key to ensure a healthy and safe environment for youth and all the people live peacefully together in the new era of globalization. The local community where I belong most of the people don’t know much about concepts such as ‘freedom of speech’, ‘respect for others rights and freedoms’, ‘restrictions that apply to freedom of speech’, ‘media and information literacy’, ‘dangers and risks of media’, ‘hate speech’. All over the world intolerance on social media is considered a serious challenge to freedom of speech. The situation of very high level of dissemination of insulting and hate speech is very concerning in Armenia which is mainly prevailing in social media. This vicious phenomenon has reached inadmissible proportions on social media. Most particularly serious is aggression that is spread by fake users and groups. 

Project purpose: The project aims to promote Media and Information Literacy in youth through emphasizing the importance of MIL in the context of combating Hate Speech. The project’s target is the exclusion of Hate Speech with the help of promotion of Media and Information Literacy. 

Project activities: Awareness raising activities:

• developing materials for the training based on the research

• introducing the project to the competent authorities and getting a permission to carry out the training course

• organizing materials and planning the training course by defining the key topics and planning the techniques that will be used for the training

• conducting the training course

Scope and result of the project: 

Successful fulfillment of the awareness raising activities through the participation of 100 young students aged 14-18 years old from the Marmarashen Secondary School named after Andranik Barutyan to the training sessions.

The participants:

• are aware of their rights and the importance of being media literate.

• are encouraged and motivated to be a global citizen and to learn to live together, live in a healthy and peaceful environment and accept cultural diversity.

• have attended and participated in the training and understand and have knowledge on at least 80 percent of the training content. The results are found out through pre and post surveys.

What problem did you face during the project implementation? 

Difficulties with promotions on social media, the person that was in charge can’t help with the social media management. So, this led to not the results that I was expecting. 

What advice would you give to young people who want to influence their society?

Be active and passionate about what you do.