Introduction: Training Against Far-Right Ideologies
On February 6, 2024, the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) offered me the opportunity to participate as a Eurotrainer in the annual meeting of the network "Combating the Far-right – Trade union actions for a Democratic Europe." The training took place in a hybrid format on March 13, 14, and 15, 2024, at the Hotel Marivoux, Brussels.
This network is part of the political mandate of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), which has created an ad-hoc working group against the far-right. Within this group, the ETUC has included a "training offensive" directed at European workers, organized in collaboration with the ETUI, with three main pillars: networks and exchange of training practices, communication, and political education.
As participants complete training courses or events related to combating the far-right, they are integrated into a virtual network for the exchange of experiences. This network uses the Howspace platform, a cloud-based collaborative tool. Despite having been involved in this network for several months, I was unaware of Howspace's potential as a training tool. I discovered that it not only allows for sharing ideas and collaborating online but also organizes virtual meetings, structures projects, manages tasks, and fosters interaction without requiring technological expertise. In retrospect, I consider it a very effective tool for adult learning.
The Planning Process
The ETUI had organized this meeting on two previous occasions, but this time they decided to involve CCOO and CGIL, given our track record in the trade union struggle against the far-right. Valerica Dumitrescu, with extensive experience in training, was in charge of leading the process and also invited Stiofán O'Nualláin (Stevie) from Trademark, an organization from Northern Ireland with a strong focus on social justice, unionism, and education on labor rights. This team of trainers, with diverse experience and backgrounds, provided us with a solid foundation to build the training.
We held three virtual meetings to prepare the course. Although I knew Valerica, who had been my trainer in the past, and Monica Ceremigna from CGIL, I had not previously worked with Stevie, which posed an initial challenge: working in a virtual environment with limited time. We only had two meetings before the training, one on February 9 and another on February 22.
Despite my familiarity with virtual environments and the planning of international conferences, I noticed that preparing and planning a course virtually involves specific challenges. You do not have the same amount of time to exchange opinions, and language barriers can complicate communication.
I knew that the training would be mixed (in-person and online), but the most important thing was to establish our first impressions and brainstorm to define the objectives. Personally, I find this part of the process challenging, as it involves starting from scratch and, moreover, with limited time. Although I consider myself creative, I need time to reach an optimal level of concentration that allows me to define activities and objectives clearly. It is at this stage where I feel that the design and definition of objectives require extra effort from me, especially when it comes to general and specific objectives.
My colleague, Monica Ceremigna, during the training course in Brussels. Behind, one of my activities prepared
Brainstrorming and teamwork
We began the process with a collective reflection, brainstorming what we wanted to achieve. However, the dynamic seemed somewhat disorganized to me, although not necessarily in a negative way; each person has their own way of working. Fortunately, we had Valerica's experience, who had organized this training on two previous occasions, which allowed us to take advantage of an existing structure. However, we had to adapt it to the current circumstances and define relevant objectives.
Monica and I had worked together in ETT2, and I found certain similarities between the ways of working in Italy and Spain, especially regarding the flexibility in shaping an idea. I remember that in ETT2, we had difficulties with the French CGT union until we understood that, in our contexts (Italy and Spain), it is common for the trainer to also act as a Project Manager, managing both content and implementation. This taught me that, in an international environment, it is vital to keep an open mind and respect different methodological and cultural approaches.
Identifying Objectives and Selecting Topics
This time, the process was different from how we had built experiences in previous training sessions, but it was effective. The first thing we did was identify the political objectives. Several objectives emerged from our conversations, which we managed to align:
Consolidate the trade union network to combat the far-right.
Evaluate trade union actions taken so far against the far-right and replicate those that may be useful in other countries.
Identify common actions to support a fairer and more democratic Europe.
Design trade union actions to bring the ETUC manifesto to the national context.
There was no explicit debate about general or specific objectives at any time; instead, we focused on identifying key themes that would guide the training:
- Disinformation and the use of the Internet.
- Political economy.
- Normalization of far-right ideas.
- European elections and the ETUC manifesto.
- Building alliances.
- Networks and collaborative activities.
- Relations between trade unions and political parties.
Not all topics required the presence of external experts, so we divided the work by themes. In my case, I was in charge of coordinating the following sessions:
- Feedback of 14th of March of the previous day
- How the future looks like (action plan). 15th of March
My coach, Alessandro Vicini, during ETT2 holding up the continuous paper because it wouldn't stick to the wall.
"In the banking concept of education, knowledge is a gift bestowed by those who consider themselves knowledgeable upon those whom they consider to know nothing".
"What is important, however, is that the working classes continue learning, in the very practice of their struggle, to establish the limits for their concessions, that is, to teach the ruling classes the boundaries within which they can move"
Paolo Freire.
First activity. Feedback
of the day before.
General objectives:
Promote critical reflection and the analysis of individual biases related to hate speech, fostering participants' ability to identify and question their own emotions and how these may influence their perceptions and decisions. (Bloom's Taxonomy: Evaluate and Analyze
Create a safe and collaborative environment where participants can freely express their thoughts and emotions, building meaningful learning through dialogue and group interaction. (Bloom's Taxonomy: Create and Understand)
Specific objectives:
1.
Identify and express one's own biases through reflection on the short film "Snack Attack," promoting an open discussion on how misunderstandings and emotions can fuel stereotypes and hate speech.
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2.
Actively participate in collaborative activities, using digital tools such as Wooclap to express opinions and reflect on how to combat hate speech.
3.
Evaluate and analyze the relationship between emotions and extremist discourses, using the short film as a starting point to identify how individual biases can be exploited by certain political narratives.
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4.
Reduce initial emotional tension through warm-up activities, fostering an atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding that facilitates active participation and deep reflection. (Bloom's Taxonomy: Understand and Apply
Snack Attack
The short film *Snack Attack* by Eduardo Verástegui.
The first hour of the morning is often a challenging time for concentration and active participation. Therefore, I sought an activity that could activate the participants without overwhelming them, much like a first coffee of the day helps to wake up slowly. With this intention, I also wanted the activity to emotionally engage the participants, as I consider emotions to be a key tool in constructing meaningful knowledge.
For some time, I have been researching how far-right discourses behave on social media, and I have observed how they exploit emotions to legitimize and spread their ideas, generally based on the individual prejudices that we all carry. For this reason, I decided to look for a short film that could serve as a trigger to start a collective reflection process. Thus, I found the short film "Snack Attack."
"Snack Attack" is a story that does not speak directly about the far-right but deals, in a subtle and powerful way, with misunderstandings, prejudices, and human connection. It presents a situation in which the participants can see themselves reflected: how a misinterpretation of another’s intentions can lead us to feel anger, distrust, or even rejection. Through the story, participants can understand how these unchecked emotions feed stereotypes and can be fertile ground for legitimizing extreme ideologies.
Collective Discussion and Reflection
After viewing the short film, I proposed an open plenary discussion. It was interesting to see how reflections emerged around the importance of trust and mutual understanding, as well as how easily fear can be instrumentalized by certain political discourses. My intention with this activity was to provoke participants, make them reflect on their own beliefs, and prepare the ground for the next step of action, as I firmly believe that learning starts with emotions and that they are the necessary spark for the transformative process.
This exercise is part of a broader process of "learning to unlearn," where we challenge the meaning structures we already have in place in order to reconstruct them in a more inclusive and empathetic way.
The Wall of the Voices
After the discussion about the short film, we developed a joint activity using the Wooclap application, in an exercise I called "The Wall of the Voices." The objective was for each participant to express how they felt during the previous activity or how they believed hate speech could be fought. Wooclap is an interactive tool that allows participants' real-time responses, fostering collaboration and active participation. I chose Wooclap because I wanted everyone to get involved easily, regardless of their level of comfort with technology. Additionally, the blended nature of this activity, which combines face-to-face work with digital tools, allowed each participant to contribute their perspective individually, without the pressure of speaking in public. There were no right or wrong answers, and this was something I emphasized from the start: what mattered was personal reflection and sincere expression.
However, some participants had initial difficulties connecting to the tool, mainly because they first had to enter a link on their mobile phones. This process caused some frustration, which required me to spend time guiding them through the connection. Although this aspect was a limitation of the activity, it also represented an opportunity to foster collaborative learning, as some more tech-savvy participants helped their peers, creating an environment of mutual support.
From this experience, I’ve learned that it is better to thoroughly test digital tools, particularly given the diverse age range of participants. Furthermore, it is important to ensure that the application functions properly across all devices (both mobile phones and computers) and to have a backup plan. Perhaps I could have used Mentimeter, which is a similar and intuitive tool. Also, since it was a blended learning session, I could have used the Howspace platform for each participant to upload their personal reflection. In any case, next time, I will have alternatives prepared to make sure the activity works more effectively.
In general, I consider "The Wall of the Voices" to have been an activity in which everyone was able to engage in some way. The possibility of expressing their ideas through a digital platform allowed those who are usually more reserved in an open discussion context to feel comfortable sharing their thoughts.
March 15: The Inventors of Change
The final day of the sessions, March 15, was divided into three parts and culminated in a meaningful activity I called "The Inventors of Change." I wanted this day to be a space where participants could apply everything they had learned during the sessions in a creative and transformative way.
General objectives:
Apply the learning acquired during the sessions to design concrete action plans that promote social cohesion
Create a collective project that mobilizes participants towards action
Evaluate and develop motivation and commitment to social change objectives through teamwork and creativity
Specific objectives:
1.
Recall and summarize the contents worked on during the previous sessions through an oral review to reinforce key learning
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2.
Develop a team action plan using the narrative approach of the motivational video, applying what has been learned in an innovative way
The video and how things can be improved.
I designed a dynamic called "The Inventors of Change," for which I prepared a motivational video inspired by the epic style of "Star Wars." My objective with this video was to provide context for the activity and increase participants' motivation, presenting it as a mission in which the fate of the world depended on their actions.
The video was created using a paid platform that uses artificial intelligence to generate a "Star Wars" cover with the script provided: In times of turbulence, when the shadows of division threaten to engulf the light of hope, the fate of the galaxy hangs by a delicate thread. It is the year 2050, and the world teeters on the brink of a great division. The forces of the far-right, fueled by fear and disunity, have grown with alarming intensity, darkening the future of democracy and the unity that once made us strong.
My idea was to motivate them with the video, and while I did succeed in this, I have to admit I made two mistakes. First, the language was too literary, and secondly, although the interpreters had the text, the video moved too quickly for them to interpret it in depth. To address this, the video was shared on the Howspace network so that everyone could view it afterward. For future occasions, I will pay attention to these aspects because interpretation is very important when working in international contexts.
The video I created with IA
Nevertheless, I presented the dynamic to them as if it were a game, explaining what their task was. In the activity, I indicated that they had to act as if they were the Inventors of Change, since, as shown in the Star Wars video, we are in a future century governed by fascist forces, and our only hope is for them to be our heroes. I also added a reward system, stating that we would vote in the room on which design was the best, which further motivated them.
Group Distribution and Use of Howspace
During the dynamic, we used the Howspace tool, a collaborative platform that facilitates participation and interaction in group activities. Howspace allowed us to organize the teams' work, create discussion spaces, and share ideas in real-time.
Group Distribution
We divided the participants into three groups:
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English 1 - Group Forman: Marc, Rhonda, Suzanne, David, Matteo, Marten.
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English 2 - Group Buñuel: Irene, Freia, Stephen, Eduard.
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Mixed Group: Marcos, Josean, Fabiola, Sara, Philippe, Laurent, Anna Chiara, Valeria, Rafaelle, Fabrizio.
This division was made to balance language skills and experience within the groups. Additionally, the group led by Freia worked in a mixed dynamic in the large room, combining digital and face-to-face interactions.
Howspace was key to enabling each group to collaborate, share their ideas, and develop their action plans in an organized and effective manner. The collaborative boards and the ability to comment and track progress fostered transparency and collective commitment.
Conclusion of March 15: Presentation of Proposals and Commitment
The activity concluded with a plenary session where each team shared their proposals, and together we discussed the challenges and opportunities that each saw in implementing their ideas. In this sense, "The Inventors of Change" served as a perfect closure for the sessions, integrating reflection, creativity, and action into a collaborative and meaningful learning experience. I am convinced that this approach helped participants leave not only with knowledge but also with a renewed commitment to act in their communities and be agents of positive change.