Embracing identity

These are our three international volunteers within the Love&Hate: Youth for On-line Tolerance project: Carmen, Inga and George. During the next couple of months they will devote themselves to promoting tolerance between young people in the cyber space! They have already been in Bulgaria for more than one month, discovering the depths of anti-discrimination tools in Bulgaria.. Read the passages below to get to know the people who are trying their best to raise the awareness of international internet users about the consequences of hate speech.

1. Where are you from?

Carmen: Malaga, Spain

Inga: Lithuania

George: Cyprus

2. Tell us about yourself?

Carmen: I am 28 years old I have received a Degree in Journalism and a Master in Cooperation for Development, Asylum and Refugee polices. Nowadays I am following studies in Social work from distance. My tasks in this project consist on collaborating in the online awareness raising campaign against all kind of discrimination, in the frame of the Council of Europe Program “No hate speech Movement”. I am also taking part in the creation of awareness materials related to this topic in different online social media (Facebook, blog, twitter), and making some interviews to people connected with this reality.

Inga: I'm an inquisitive person with a lot of interests. But most of all I love traveling, snowboarding and music.I'm fascinated about the different cultures and people.

George: I love Art, Photography, Design and video games! On my free time I listen to music or traveling around or in front of a TV playing video games.

3. Have you dealt with volunteering before and what you did?

Carmen: I have taken part in different volunteering programs, most of them related to education and immigrants. I have been teaching Spanish to immigrants in different NGO'S during two years. The most recent one was in Málaga Acoge, an association focused on the support of immigrants, providing them social care, education, and psychological and legal assistance. My role there consisted on teaching Spanish to a group of ten migrants who where serving their last year prison sentence, in order to facilitate their future social reintegration and their job seeking.

Inga: I do not have a lot of volunteering experience. EVS will be the most serious volunteering experience for me.

George: I have never been a volunteer before. This is my first time.

4. What’s the reason for you to make this decision and came here in Bulgaria ?

Carmen: I chose the project I am currently working on. Bulgaria just came randomly, although I was willing to know more about this region after taking part this year in some Training Courses in the Balkans. I am passionate about Human Rights, anti-discrimination, multiculturalism, minorities...and I am making researches and creating materials about all these topics every day. Furthermore, the campaign is directly connected with my previous and current studies. Thanks to EVS I can travel, know new realities, meet new people, learn languages... Great experience.

Inga: There were a lot of reasons. Now I cannot even remember all of them. But as I mentioned before one of the reasons was a will to know other cultures. And the other reason of course was the theme and field of the project.

George: The reasons that I made this decision are: Escape from the bad media routine, be creative once again and enjoy a new experience!

5. What is your first impression of Bulgaria and would you come back again?

Carmen: To come back again? I don't want to leave! I am learning a lot. In general, I would describe Bulgaria as a wild, green and gray, strong and sometimes hard country.

Inga: First impression - interesting. Sofia is still a place where I can get lost every day searching for the same place. Still a lot of things left to discover and learn about Bulgaria. The thing that I like the most in Bulgaria is nature. Nature here is amazing!

George: My first impression that I had since I stepped my foot here is the nature that Bulgaria has. You can see green everywhere! I will come back from more experiences and because it’s nice here!

6. By participating in our project, what will be the benefits for you?

Carmen: I would gain experience in awareness anti- discrimination campaigns, language skills (English and Bulgarian), deeper knowledge of the South Eastern European countries, multiculturalist skills, IT skills, leadership and working in team skills and the most important for me: friends, contacts, people, conversations, experiences. It is being a daily learning process.

Inga: I can name a lot of benefits. One page I guess woud not be enough :) But not to make it long I could say that participation is this project gives me new perspectives in professional life, new experiences and knowledge, and of course new friends, possibility to know Bulgaria.

George: Show my creativity, step into new experiences, increase my knowledge, get awareness of the project.

  7. What do you think is the attitude of people in Bulgaria about the project? What is your attitude?

Carmen: Other people’s attitude...I think they don't see it clear. When we meet some Bulgarians and we tell them what we are doing here, in general, they tell us there are more important things to do than this campaign. In my opinion this project is necessary, and maybe more here, in the Balkans. However, I think the clue for its success is to reach the “computers” of the people who really need this kind of information, and manage to implement the messages and theories we are spreading online, also in real life. We can post one thousand videos or slogans, but if nobody see them, or they remain in the same “antidiscrimination freaks network” (to which I belong), there is no point in doing it. That is why I think it's really important to reach people who are actually discriminating against others in the online or offline reality, bringing the campaign to the streets, closer to schools and universities, leisure and working places...Joining people to our message, having an online and offline repercussion. Also, we are living in a society that tends to discriminate the difference, and this is reflected as well in the online life. Nowadays is very easy to post or share a “funny” video, for instance, that discriminates against one group, and reach millions of people in half an hour. Actually it happens every day. From my point of view, what we have to do is to use this “power of spreading” to do exactly the opposite, create awareness about what discrimination is and how can we combat it.

Inga: Attitudes of the Bulgarians differ. One of them say that it is really important to raise awareness on this issue. The others think that there is no need to do it. I think that discrimination is an important issue all around the Europe and world. People need to be informed.

George: I think that the young people here eager and interested to learn about the project. I am learning even more during this project and I'm really excited to be a participant.

8. What advice would you give those around you to get involved in the campaign?

Carmen: In my opinion sharing thoughts, experiences, feelings, ways of understanding and living with others is the best way to learn and grow as a person. During the sharing process a lot of prejudices and stereotypes can be broken, and new knowledge can be created through the promotion of critical thinking. And all this facts lead to multiculturalism and peaceful coexistence. But there is no real share if there is not respect between the people who are sharing, and there is not respect when there is hate speech. That is why I think it is really important this campaign. Because it allows you to go out of your personal and limited world, to experience, understand and enjoy others, and maybe fight or at least be aware of the rights you have and others don't have. I am really concern about discrimination because I see it as a fact that violates the human rights of millions of people every day.

Inga: Just do it! You have nothing to lose, only to learn something new and get new experiences.

George: Look around and think!

9. If you had to describe Love&Hate: Youth for On-line Tolerance project with one word, what would it be?

Carmen: I would say “convivir” (one word in Spanish and two in English “live together”), as for me, the only valid way to live together with someone goes through enjoying the same rights.

Inga: Multiculturalism

George: Life

Three different young people, with different nationalities, personalities, and views of life...., but united by one idea Love&Hate: Youth for On-line Tolerance project.

Аwesome!

interview by Gabriela Paneva, IOA