How much can our words influence the way we view and relate to others? In schools, on social media, and in youth spaces, language, images, and conversations constantly contribute to shaping how we perceive individuals and groups. However, they can sometimes reinforce stereotypes and prejudices, fueling exclusion and discrimination.
It is within this context that hate speech emerges: expressions and content that degrade, discriminate against, or promote a negative view of individuals or groups based on characteristics such as origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or other personal traits. These phenomena can spread both online and in daily life, impacting relationships and community participation.
In Bologna, Milan, Naples, and Turin, institutions, civil society organizations, schools, educators, and youth entities are confronting these dynamics and the need to build shared responses. While there is valuable local experience and expertise, there is a need for greater opportunities for collaboration, common tools, and networks that connect those already working on these issues.
This need inspired ROOT – Reinforce Online & Offline Ties with young generations to counter hate speech, a project funded by the European Union’s CERV – Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values program, which promotes collaboration across regions and generations to prevent and combat hate speech.
Coordinated by ICEI, in partnership with WeWorld-GVC and cheFare, and in collaboration with the Municipalities of Bologna, Milan, Naples, and Turin, ROOT puts young people and local communities at the center. The project enhances existing local experiences and creates opportunities for listening, training, dialogue, and collaboration among institutions, civil society, the educational world, and the new generations.
The objective is to build more aware and connected local networks capable of recognizing the dynamics that fuel hatred, preventing them, and jointly developing concrete responses while promoting dialogue, participation, and democratic coexistence.
European Union — CERV Program (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values), CERV-2025-CHAR-LITI
ROOT aims to empower the communities of Bologna, Milan, Naples, and Turin to better recognize and address online and offline hate speech, starting with young people and the adults who accompany them daily: educators, teachers, and third-sector operators. The project fosters skills and awareness among the younger generations, builds stable alliances between local institutions and the educational community, and supports youth leadership in shaping responses to hatred and discrimination.
ICEI coordinates the consortium and specifically oversees participatory pathways involving young people across the various project phases, from needs assessment to the definition of local action plans.
ROOT primarily targets young citizens aged 14 to 25 in Bologna, Milan, Naples, and Turin, with a particular focus on those facing situations of fewer opportunities related to gender, sexual orientation, migratory background, or disability, among others.
Youth workers, educators, teachers, and other members of the educational community are also directly involved, alongside representatives of local authorities. Over the 24-month project period, ROOT aims to engage at least 260 young people in the participatory diagnosis on hate speech, train over 200 youths and 60 third-sector and educational operators, and reach more than 7,500 citizens through local pilot actions. Over 6,000 people will also be involved in the two public project festivals.
Project activities
ROOT follows a path that starts with listening to local communities and leads to action, putting young people at the center.
The first phase involves mapping local stakeholders and conducting a participatory diagnosis on hate speech in the four cities. This work lays the foundation for Trust Networks—local networks connecting local authorities, schools, youth organizations, and the educational community.
Building on this, training pathways are developed for the educational community, youth workers, and young activists, alongside a Digital Activism School and a National Youth Camp, to develop tools and skills for recognizing and tackling online and offline hate.
Across the four areas, young people, institutions, and civil society work together to define Local Action Plans through participatory No-Hate-Speech Labs. These plans translate into pilot actions conceived and implemented through youth leadership, accompanied by monitoring and shared reflection moments.
The pathway concludes with youth-led communication and dissemination activities: a call for artists, a public festival, a dedicated Youth Media Team producing original content, and local and national conferences to share results, lessons learned, and tools with a broader European community of practice.