Civic actors in war and peace - SAVE THE DATE international conference

While the global coronavirus pandemic challenged the way we work and live, the war in Ukraine has brought a new set of challenges that we hoped we will never have to deal with. Yet, we do. In this international conference taking place in November 9 –10, 2022 in Bratislava, Slovakia, we (PDCS) aim with consortium of partners such as Strong Cities Network, Textgain, Dare to be Grey, and University of Applied Sciences Utrecht to explore what strategies can civic actors utilize to address hate, polarisation and extremism in online and offline communities, both in times of war and peace.

Screen to screen

Social networks, search engines, online platforms and their algorithms shape our way of living and how we interact with one another. In times of war, this brings new challenges, where basically anyone with access to the internet can become part of the conflict. In the online era, we have to understand that the new generation is growing up with their identities intertwined with the online world. Online is where a lot happens, therefore has to be taken seriously. Together with a consortium of partners (Textgain, Dare to be Grey, HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht) and over 40 experts from EU, we will look into new online trends, methods, tools and strategies to tackle the online hate and how tools such as the European Observatory of Online Hate can facilitate that.

Power and Vulnerability of Cities

Cities are often the hardest hit in times of crisis, be it war, global pandemic or climate change. The preparedness of the municipalities, the resilience of the civil society, the cooperation of various stakeholders are all crucial for the success or failure of tackling any crisis, yet cities are often overlooked by the state, given unproportional responsibilities with limited resources. As the war in Ukraine emerged, many cities have to deal with new challenges, catering for those fleeing war as well as contending with rising discontent and anger towards refugees of war. In this section, we will explore the best practices for city-led prevention of hate, polarisation and violent extremism in local communities.

From Social Networks to City Square

Nothing happens in isolation. People mobilise and organise themselves online and their actions may transform into concrete offline actions such as protests, humanitarian assistance, or supporting and integrating refugees into the local community. It all starts online, then it is taken to city squares and is again being streamed back online. In this thematic section we will explore how these two worlds interact and affect each other in an attempt to intertwine the previous two thematic sections of the conference. What can we learn as civic actors when taking action from online to offline and back?

Format of the conference

We are inviting international speakers, experts and practitioners to discuss their stories and analytic contributions. Last but not least we will create time for dialogue and networking among our guests not only during the social and cultural part of our program, but also during our practical workshops and other interactive conference formats that enable in-depth interactions among participants.

More information available on website of the international conference Save the Date.