European Year of Digital Citizenship Education 2025
Vladimir Kitanovski presents the Erasmus+ project “Let’s Stop Hate Speech” at the Digital Citizenship Education Forum: Let’s Act Now!
27–28 May 2025, Strasbourg — At the first Digital Citizenship Education Forum organised by the Council of Europe in the framework of the European Year of Citizenship Education, Vladimir Kitanovski presented the “Let’s Stop Hate Speech” initiative to over 200 digital stakeholders from 30+ countries – policymakers, researchers, teachers, civil society and private sector representatives.
https://democrat-horizon.eu/digital-citizenship-education-forum/
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https://europeanyear2025.coe.int/digital-citizenship-education-forum-lets-act-now/
What is “Stop Hate Speech”
The project is a comprehensive system-wide restriction of hate speech online through:
training for students, parents and teachers (media and information literacy, digital ethics, children’s rights online);
local Youth Fact-Check & Care teams for early recognition and reporting of toxic content;
partnership with platforms and moderators for clearer reporting procedures;
open resource pack: lesson plans, infographics, checklists for schools and NGOs.
Key highlights of the presentation
Inclusion and trust: “Digital citizenship starts with a sense of belonging. When young people feel heard, they choose dialogue over hate,” Kitanovski emphasizes.
The responsibility of all actors: schools, families, media and technology companies have a shared role in creating safe and meaningful online spaces.
Practical tools, not abstract slogans: the project demonstrates how digital citizenship policies are translated into everyday practices – from the classroom to content moderation.
Why now
The “Let’s Act Now” forum draws attention to the connection between education and democracy in the context of disinformation and declining civic trust. The presentation of “Let’s Stop Hate Speech” contributes with concrete methodologies for critical thinking, meaningful online dialogue and equal access to a safe digital environment.
What’s next
Expanding the network of partner schools and youth centers;
Pilot trainings for teachers (ToT) and parent workshops in more countries;
Sharing evidence of impact (reduced incidents of hate speech, increased digital literacy) at the final meeting in Ljubljana in November 2025.
Call for participation: organisations at school, municipal and national level can get involved as tutors, local coordinators or expert mentors.
Funded by the European Union. However, the views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Executive Agency for Education and Culture (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA can be held responsible for them.