Our Common Ground participants have been busy this summer! After returning from the Erasmus+ exchange in Marrakech, they organised eight local sessions across six countries, bringing together more than 160 people.
Each team chose an issue that mattered in their community and took on the work of organising and leading the sessions. People brought their own experiences into the discussions, from everyday racism to the abuse that can surround football rivalries. In Egypt and Jordan, some conversations even ran longer than planned because participants had so much to share.
Here’s what the teams worked on:
- Egypt 🇪🇬: Recognising hate speech and questioning stereotypes. Participants discussed the difference between an opinion and a hateful statement, then acted out situations to practise responding without making things worse.
- France 🇫🇷: Everyday racism against Maghrebi people and Muslims. The workshop opened up conversations about discrimination that often goes unquestioned, with participants sharing experiences of their own.
- Germany 🇩🇪: Hate speech and freedom of expression. An online session used real examples to discuss where the line lies, why context matters and how people can respond.
- Jordan: 🇯🇴 Hate speech in football, particularly around the rivalry between Al-Faisaly and Al-Wehdat. Participants discussed when passionate support becomes abuse and how to keep rivalries respectful.
- Tunisia 🇹🇳: Three sessions in Tataouine, Sousse and Medenine explored hateful language in everyday life, including comments dismissed as jokes, and ways to challenge it without escalating tensions.
- Turkey 🇹🇷: A workshop for Syrian migrant women in Adana offered space to talk about the difficulties of settling in a new country. A psychologist supported the discussion, and a lawyer answered questions about rights and citizenship procedures.
For our teams, this meant putting their learning to use with people in their own communities and gaining experience in leading activities themselves. For those attending, it was a chance to discuss concerns that can be difficult to raise and learn from others facing similar situations.
Big thanks to our participants for taking the initiative! We couldn’t be more proud of what they achieved together ❤️
