Empowering Youth to Take a Stand
Between May and November 2025, young representatives from Romania, Egypt, Italy, France, Tunisia, and Morocco joined forces through the No Hate Embassy Fellowship — a six-month international program dedicated to combating hate speech and promoting tolerance, empathy, and inclusion.
Each national team focused on a specific form of hate speech relevant to their local realities. In Romania, the fellows chose to address hate speech against Roma communities — one of the most persistent and harmful forms of discrimination in our society.
The Beginning: Training in Filadelfia, Italy
The Fellowship officially began in May 2025, when all participants gathered in Filadelfia, Calabria (Italy) for an intensive training hosted by the project partners.
Over several days, fellows explored the roots of hate speech, human rights frameworks, and non-formal education tools to tackle discrimination in their communities. During the training, each country team selected its campaign focus, defined objectives, and designed local activities to be implemented during the six months of the Fellowship. This collaborative environment fostered intercultural learning, peer exchange, and a shared vision: creating communities free from hate.
Raising Awareness: From Online Campaigns to Local Actions
Throughout the Fellowship, participants implemented both online and offline campaigns to raise awareness about the dangers of hate speech and promote respect for diversity.
On June 18th, marking the International Day Against Hate Speech, the Romanian team launched its national campaign focusing on the Roma community, announcing their commitment to fighting discrimination and amplifying underrepresented voices.
👉 Read more about the launch here
Taking the Conversation Offline: Youth Picnic in Bucharest
On August 2nd, the Romanian fellows organized a community gathering in Parcul Izvor, Bucharest. The event — “Let’s Take the Conversation Offline!” — brought together young people for an open-air youth picnic featuring interactive games, reflection sessions, and open dialogue about hate speech targeting Roma people.
The discussions were honest, creative, and solution-oriented, as 12 young participants shared personal experiences, ideas for change, and ways to build stronger, more inclusive communities. The meeting was led by Ioana, Maria, and Cătălin, the three Romanian fellows of the No Hate Embassy program.
Bridges for Inclusion: The Second Local Event
The second national event, “Bridges for Inclusion”, took place on November 7th at Colegiul Național Ion Neculce, Bucharest. Over 60 participants — high school students, teachers, and university youth — joined to explore stories of inclusion and resilience through a Living Library format.
Four guest speakers shared their real-life experiences, while participants rotated between discussion corners to engage in meaningful dialogue. The event highlighted not only the importance of empathy and dialogue but also the need to confront hate speech through education and storytelling.
Organized by the Romanian fellows Maria Cristu, Ioana Samoilă, and Cătălin Cismaru, this event concluded the national chapter of the Fellowship — a true celebration of youth-led civic engagement and solidarity.
The Journey Continues: Final Conference in Morocco
The No Hate Embassy Fellowship will officially conclude with the Final Conference in Marrakech, Morocco (November 28 – December 3, 2025). Here, all six national teams will reunite to share results, exchange experiences, and showcase the outcomes of their campaigns.
The conference will serve as a platform for reflection, cross-cultural learning, and planning the sustainability of the No Hate Embassy network beyond the project’s lifetime.
About the No Hate Embassy Project
The No Hate Embassy is an Erasmus+ KA2 Capacity Building project, born from the growing need to counter hate speech, xenophobia, and discrimination across Europe and the Mediterranean region.
In a context marked by rising hate crimes, extremist ideologies, and polarization, the project unites six youth organizations — from Romania, Italy, France, Tunisia, Egypt, and Morocco — to foster youth empowerment, intercultural dialogue, and peace-building.
By using non-formal education, creative campaigning, and international cooperation, the project supports young people in becoming agents of positive change. It combines training courses, guideline publications, and a youth fellowship program to promote tolerance, inclusion, and diversity — both online and offline.
🌍 Learn more:
Through this journey, the Romanian fellows learned that fighting hate is not only about awareness, but also about connection, empathy, and collaboration. Every conversation held, every story shared, and every small action taken contributed to a broader mission — building bridges for inclusion and a more compassionate society for all.
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