Equipping local youth workers with concrete media literacy tools and non-formal exercises to deconstruct algorithmic manipulation and online hostility.
Translating European project methodologies into everyday frontline youth work requires active, community-based practice. Following the international training completed by four NGO representatives in Tallinn, Estonia, the HATE-LESS cascade training officially arrived in France.
Mitra France Workshop at Ligne 16
On 23 May 2026, MITRA FRANCE hosted its first local training session in Nice, gathering youth workers, educators, and facilitators at the offices of Ligne 16, a citizen-led participatory media platform.
The workshop served a dual purpose: introducing the foundational resources of the Erasmus+ Hate-Less initiative and testing hands-on tools designed to help youth workers address online toxicity directly with young people.
Deconstructing Hate Speech and Algorithmic Persuasion
Following opening introductions, facilitators presented an overview of the Erasmus+ Programme, the core mission of HATE-LESS, the project website, guidelines, and the dedicated youth worker toolkit.
The morning block plunged directly into the mechanics of hate speech and online disinformation. Rather than examining online toxicity in the abstract, participants examined concrete social media case studies across three distinct friction points:
- Populist narratives: How divisive rhetoric simplifies complex community realities.
- Masculinism and fringe spaces: How algorithmic recommendation funnels expose young boys to radicalised messaging.
- Scams and fake news: How emotional manipulation is monetised through fabricated viral posts.
By scrutinising persuasion techniques and the automated role of platform algorithms, the group mapped out clear clues educators can use to support young people who encounter these narratives daily on their feeds.
Practical Biases and Participatory Storytelling
The afternoon session pivoted into non-formal experimentation. Participants completed practical exercises alongside an interactive quiz titled “Identifying biases and manipulation”, highlighting how cognitive heuristics leave digital consumers vulnerable to misleading content.
Crucially, the training looked forward to immediate local implementation:
- Participatory Action Research: Youth workers structured targeted research topics addressing community issues relevant to the youth they mentor.
- Co-Producing Participatory Videos: The group outlined production plans to script, shoot, and edit counter-narrative videos directly alongside young people as the next phase of the cascade training.
By connecting media literacy theory with hands-on video production, MITRA FRANCE and Ligne 16 established a practical foundation for youth to challenge online hostility through their own creative voices.
Open-Access Project Resources
All guides, exercises, and training modules tested during the Nice workshop are open-access and available across seven project languages: https://hate-less.eu/results/
Funding Agency: JUGEND für Europa
Learn more about HATE-LESS: https://hate-less.eu
Project: 2024-1-DE04-KA220-YOU-000244181
Disclaimer: Co-financed by the European Union. The opinions and points of view expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or of the JUGEND für Europa (German National Agency for Erasmus+ Youth, Erasmus+ Sport and the European Solidarity Corps).
