SOFIA DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION was founded as non-profit organization with the decision 348
of the Sofia Municipal Council to work for the sustainable development of the capital.
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SDA INVITES YOU TO AN INTERACTIVE SEMINAR ON COUNTERING ONLINE HАTE SPEECH AND CREATING POSITIVE MESSAGES
Sofia Development Association invites you to an interactive seminar on countering online hate speech and creating positive messages.
Date: 23.11.2017
Time: 10:00 – 16:00 hrs.
Place: Sofia, 1 Parizh Str., http://bit.ly/2h3i2Rk
In September 2016, we started work on a two-year project “Coalition of Positive Messengers to Counter Online Hate Speech”, co-funded by the European Commission - DG Justice.
Our main goal, together with our partners from 6 other European countries, is to support a coalition of people, institutions and organizations across Europe, who oppose online hate speech, but not with hatred and violence, but with positivity and creation of an environment of tolerance and acceptance. We want to contribute to creating a community of people who protect the rights of everyone to be admitted to society, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality. You can read more about the ways of countering hate speech on the multilingual platform we created www.positivemessengers.net.
We would like to invite you to join our coalition of positive speakers. To this end, we organize an interactive seminar at which to discuss the possibilities for countering hate speech disseminated on the Internet, as well as best practices from other European countries that we could apply in Bulgaria.
Together we can create positive discourses and tools that will enable us to limit online hate speech.
The seminar will be interactive with very short presentations, work in small groups, role-playing games, design thinking. The work of the seminar will be supported by leading journalists, experts in digital security, integration and protection of human rights.
If you have an opinion on these important questions or would like to learn more, we will be glad to see you at the seminar.
You can register with a name, phone number and a few words about your interest in the topic, as well as about what you are occupied with, at email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Deadline for registration: 20 November 2017
Maximum number of participants - 35 people.
The dream Youth Innovation Lab
What would be the dream Youth Innovation Lab was the main issue we ideated with 30 young people representing different youth NGOs, organizations advocating people with disabilities rights, students, representatives of Sofia Municipal Council and Local Advisory Group.
The Sofia Development Association team in cooperation with the Sofia Municipality team organized the interactive event under NewGeneration Skills project, funded by Interreg Danube Programme.
The discussion had 3 ideation sessions: the (infra) – structure: the PLACE – how it would look like in order to attract young innovators; the PEOPLE – whom we would like to have there working and who would be the main target; the SERVICES – what would be the services our Sofia Innovation Lab would offer.
We believe the involvement of decision makers from the Sofia Municipal Council and the future users of the Innovation Lab in the beginning of the process of creating the Sofia concept is a guarantee for its successful creation.
DO YOU RECOGNIZE ONLINE HATE SPEECH? - THREE EXAMPLES OF SDA EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS
In the “Month of the Refugee”, Sofia Development Association presents three educational videos on the topic of hate speech towards refugees and migrants on the Internet. The videos explain how to recognize online hate speech, how to report it and how to counteract with positive narratives.
The three videos were developed within the framework of the project “Coalition of Positive
Messengers to Counteract Online Hate Speech”, co-funded by the European Union's Justice, Equality and Citizenship Program – DG Justice, bringing together partners from Bulgaria, Great Britain, Greece , Italy, Romania, Croatia, the Czech Republic, with Sofia Development Association being the lead partner.
We will be happy if you distribute and use the videos. You can see them at the following links:
– dubbed in English:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on-_y1yOnn4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwb7lQvuYXQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufFAsmt82mg
Our main goal, together with our partners, is to support a coalition of people, institutions and organizations across Europe, who oppose online hate speech, but not with hatred and violence, but with positivity and creation of an environment of tolerance and acceptance. We want to contribute to creating a community of people who protect the rights of every person to be admitted to society, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality. You can read more about the ways of countering hate speech on the multilingual platform we created www.positivemessengers.net.
NEW CHALLENGE: HACK4HEALTH - 48 HOUR HACKATHON
We are offering you a new challenge: a 48-hour hackathon on healthcare issues.
Sofia Municipality, through SOFIA DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION, is partner at Hack4Health international hackathon, organized by DEPARK Technology Development Zone and Sofia Tech Park - part of “StartinIzmir Hackathon Series”, which will be held concurrently in Sofia and Izmir through a direct video link.
Hack4Health is held with the support of Mtel and Webit.
You can find more information and how to register for participation HERE.
Civil Society Empowerment Program (CSEP) Training Seminar in Sofia
On Oct. 19, 2017 a training seminar under the Civil Society Empowerment Program (CSEP) took place in Sofia. The purpose of this program is to support and empower civil society organisations to become more active in the online domain. The training seminar provided an opportunity for civil society organizations in Sofia to learn how to use social media as part of their prevention and outreach strategies on various topics, such as radicalization, violent extremism, hate speech. Snezhina Atanassova took part in the training and presented the successful approach of the project Coalition of Positive Messengers to Counter Online Hate Speech, which is coordinated by Sofia Development Association. The training was a good opportunity to learn from leading European experts, to share ideas with fellow civil society organizations and to look for ways to collaborate more effectively in the future.
NewGenerationSkills naturally found its supporters at the first meeting of the Sofia city Youth Consultative Council
New Generation Skills project was presented by SDA team and Michaela Ivanova, Sofia Municipal Councilor and Sofia LIAG chairperson, on 11 October 2017 during the first meeting of the newly formed Sofia Youth Consultative Council.
The Mayor of Sofia Yordanka Fandakova welcomed more than 40 young people from 11 student associations, schools, youth organization that will assist the Mayor and the Municipal Council on youth policies and particularly the implementation and evaluation of Sofia Youth Strategy.
The knowledge and skills acquirement and professional orientation is one of the main priority in the Strategy, thus the NGS project and the Innovation Lab that SDA and city of Sofia will create is fundamental for achieving this priority. The involvement of Sofia Youth Consultative Council turns NGS project into a citywide initiative.
